On this special edition of The Blues, Saturday evening, June 15th at 11pm, I'm going to share my love of Dr. John and New Orleans with you in a musical tribute. Dr. John passed away last Thursday, June 6th of a heart attack at the age of 77, and was and still is being mourned by his many fans around the world.
I've got a tall stack of cds that he released, so I started putting them into my cd player and selecting the songs that spoke to me the most. It was hard to choose just 13 songs, but I hope you enjoy them on this musical tribute to a musician who embodied the spirit and soul of New Orleans.
The first song, "So Long," he recorded with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra on the album, Afterglow. Jeff Hamilton's a much-in-demand jazz drummer, a Richmond, Indiana native, who'll be appearing at Caffe Vivace on June 26th with the Blue Wisp Big Band. Jeff told me that Dr. John, during the recording session, nicknamed him, "Dr. Sluggo."
Funeral arrangements have been announced. Public visitation from 7-10am central, June 22nd, at the Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, in New Orleans. A private memorial, invitation only, will be held from 1-3pm central and broadcast live from the Orpheum on WWOZ. A second line will begin immediately following the memorial at the Orpheum.