Customer Reviews

Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

New Orleans is my home, and I love New Orleans music. New Orleans is, and always has been, a city that lives and breathes music. Doctors, Professors, Kings and Queens ("DPKQ") magnificently succeeds in capturing the wide spectrum of seemingly disparate sounds that comprise the New Orleans music phenomenon. No other compilation comes even close to seamlessly melding the common threads found in jazz, R&B, blues, gospel, Mardi Gras music, Cajun, zydeco, brass band music, Latin dance grooves, funk, and even klezmer music.

DPKQ shoots for an extremely high goal. It tells the grand story of the history of New Orleans music from the jazz of the 1920's through the brass band/hip hop fusion of the present day while paying tribute to every important stylistic genre in between. Although it is impossible to do more than scratch the surface of the endless bounties of the New Orleans sound in any 85 track, 5 1/4 hour box set, DPKQ thrillingly pulls it off and clearly sets the new standard for compilation projects.

In addition, the "liner notes", is actually an 84 page book chock full of detailed descriptions of the music and the history and idiosyncrasies of the city itself. There are over 70 photographs that will transport you to New Orleans if you don't live here, and will remind you of the unique beauty of your own backyard if you do.

As a life long New Orleanian, I am proud to give DPKQ the highest possible rating and to praise everyone involved in sharing the wonderful gift of New Orleans music with the world.

5 stars? What a joke. 500 stars is more like it!

November 8, 2004
Title: `The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans
Rating: Great

Usually boxsets do not sell in the numbers that single disc albums do but are thrown at for serious fans. This year there have been two "great" boxset releases; `Five Guys Walk Into a Bar' by one of rock's best bands The Faces, and, `Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queen The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans.'

The New Orleans boxset is probably the coolest gift one could give to a serious music fan. Four discs, a great box, and a terrific book inside, this boxset gives the listener a comprehensive over-view of America's premier music city. While other communities have an impressive history of great music, for me, New Orleans of the bedrock of "American" music. The so-called Big Easy is the home of jazz, a heavy contender for rhythm & soul base, and certainly the town that birthed funk. By mixing music & culture, food & entertainment, and a sense of the mystical New Orleans music has given the town a swagger that other communities can't mimic.

Each disc takes the listeners down a unique route. There will be well known names such as Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Louis Armstrong & Pete Fountain. There are also less known but equally brilliant tracks by acts that deserve to be known like; Walter Wolfman Washington, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The book, 84 pages long, includes sensational photographs, excellent sidebar graphics, and well written narratives that help the reader understand the history of this city and how it's inhabitants blended together numerous cultures to create a bizarre but beautiful community. This boxset is an absolutely brilliant introductory to some of America's best music and the listener's interest will be warmly rewarded.

I listened to this great box set almost daily until Katrina hit. After that, I stopped for awhile because it brought back too many painful memories. Slowly, I am inching back to it again.

Its great strength is variety. Louisiana is the only state I know that can lay claim to so many indigenous types of music: New Orleans Jazz, Cajun, Zydeco, New Orleans Funk (e.g. the Meters, the Neville Brothers), and the Blues (which the Mississippi Delta lays first claim on, but New Orleans and Memphis also deserve some credit for). And as the early tracks on this set prove, New Orleans was one of the first cities to explore Rock n' Roll as we know it. This set looks at all these styles, and it digs pretty deep. The Cajun and Zydeco selections are especially strong. "Au Bord Du Lac Bijou" is one of the most beautiful folk songs I have ever heard, and "Hot Tamale Baby" is sizzling hot Zydeco. This collection doesn't miss many important artists.

The only criticism I can muster against it is that the producers decided to limit each artist to one song only. This gives great breadth to the music, but little depth. Imagine a box set of the best British music that only included one song each from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin and you get the idea. Sometimes this set only opens the door to new sounds with a single song, and the listener is compelled to look for more. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the set sound incomplete at times.

And one other nitpick: Why, of all the Neville songs, did the producers pick "Fear, Hate, Envy, and Jealosy," a song I have always disliked? On the same album this track came from ("Live on Planet Earth") is a spectacular song, "Junk Man," that leaves this one in the dust.

Still, if you know nothing about New Orleans music, or even if you do, this is an excellent choice.

Hi y'all. I'm a native New Orleanian. This is a great boxed set w/ a wonderful variety of music selected by someone who really knows and loves the city. The publisher, Shout Records, is donating all of its profits from this boxed set through 2005 to the Red Cross Hurricane Disaster relief. This would make a great Christmas gift and you would help the people of my beloved city!

From Cajun to Dixieland, R&B to Zydeco, the Big Ol' Box of New Orleans has a little sumpin' for everyone. The four discs are a great mix of the funky to the rousing, brass bands and accordions, slinky blues tunes and rousing marches. The variety is amazing, but all of the selections have that unique New Orleans flavor.

The 80-page guide is essential, giving great background for the newcomer to the knowledgable.

I found some of my old favorites: Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, the Radiators, Marcia Ball, and many more. I discovered some brand new favorites: Zachary Richard first and foremost. I haven't stopped dancing yet.

This is an incredible box set. Having been to New Orleans on a handful of occasions I can appreciate how well this set nails the indefinable thread that weaves together the myriad of musical styles you find there. New Orleans is like a whole different country just by the way you feel when you are there. This box set captures that feeling. It isn't concerned with breaking down the various styles by disc (e.g. a history lesson in jazz on disc one, blues on disc two, Cajun & Zydeco on disc 3, etc.). It's actually concerned about HOW IT SOUNDS when you listen to it. The musical selections are inspired and inspiring. The accompanying booklet is a feast in itself. The New Orleans board of tourism should have released (or at least funded the release of) this box set. Because I want to buy a ticket and head back there right now to catch the ReBirth Brass Band's late set at the Maple Leaf...

If you want to hear Dr. John, Fats Domino and the Neville Brothers, they are here. But that is not why you buy this collection. The real treat is discovering great music, old and new, from an outstanding variety of musicians.

After hearing the cuts by Eddie Bo, Irma Thomas, Beau Jocque, Zachary Richard, Johnny Adams, Don Vappie, George Lewis' Ragtime Band, and dozens of others, my immediate reaction was, "Holy cow, I've got to get some more of this stuff."

Also the full-sized book full of history and info on each artist, and some inside info on New Orleans(this is not a little booklet of liner notes) is a great bonus.

This is an incredibly thorough and comprehensive boxed set, but I believe it would be more accurately called "The Big Ol' Box of Southern Louisiana" (although that obviously doesn't have much of a ring to it), as a large number of these songs are actually from the SouthWEST Louisiana traditions of Cajun Music and Zydeco (New Orleans, in SouthEAST LA, has only become a real market for those types of music in the last 30 years or so).

However, that makes no difference to me as I love Cajun and Zydeco music as much as I love everything else on this phenomenal boxed set. The people who made this compilation really did their homework, collecting not only the best artists from throughout Southern Louisiana, but their best songs. The liner notes are a treasure in and of themselves.

In all honesty, it would be VERY difficult to improve on this collection. It's WELL worth the price.

As an Aussie my exposure to New Orleans music has been limited to Fats Domino, Little Richard, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Neville Brothers and the Rhino Records "History Of New Orleans R & B" 3 volume LP set. I've had my eye on this for quite a while and only acquired it yesterday. The feeling I get from it is a sense of fun in the music. It is both joyous & brassy, Deep and meaningful with a total abandon of enjoyment thrown in. The rich musical history supplied here is all the more poignant after Hurricane Katrina and the musical legacy of New Orleans should never be forgotten.

The programmming is a tad idiosyncratic as we tend to leap back and forward track by track (eg. we have The Hawketts "Mardi Gras Mambo" followed by Ragtime Jazz followed by Modern Blues). Maybe a bit jarring as I prefer "historical overviews" to be chronological in running order. However upon reflection the effect this track running order has is to perhaps illustrate the diversity of the music that emanates out of New Orleans. So this may not be meant to be as much an overview but more so a rich sampling of the New Orleans vibe. However it would have been nice to follow the development of the music over the time spans from jazz to Zydeco etc provided here but that's just my preference. The other thing though is the set seems to be a little top heavy with recent 1990's recordings as opposed to earlier material, notably missing anything by Larry Williams who had hits on Specialty including Bony Moronie & Slow Down.
However those things aside the set is a 5 & 1/2 hour gumbo of the myriad styles that flowed out of New Orleans and is an enjoyable listening experience. I'm glad to have it and I think such a set is essential to any worthwhile music library. Come taste the music!!

I knew almost nothing about the music of New Orleans, aside from a bit of jazz and blues and a few classics. I ordered this box set on a whim, and was absolutely blown away.

The Big Ol' Box contains five hours of music ranging across eighty years (or longer, if you count modern recordings of turn-of-the-century blues). The music is approachable, fascinating and snap-your-fingers catchy.

The "liner notes" are actually an 80-page book (8.5"x11"), with plenty of full color photos and some background information about New Orleans (the author is madly in love with the city). There's a one-paragraph description of each artist and track, with recommendations for further exploration. I'd love to see more box sets adopt this approach; the history and background adds tremendous value to the box set.

The Big Ol' Box is clearly a labor of love. There's a definite personal touch here, and an undeniable love for the music. The selections are occasionally quirky, but the final result is solid. If you're looking for an introduction to the music of southern Louisiana, you can't miss with this box set.

Just beware: If you follow all the author's recommendations, you'll end up 15 pounds heavier, a thousand dollars poorer, and a permanent resident of New Orleans.