Customer Reviews

Putumayo Presents New Orleans

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

 

 

Wow! What an irresistible collection this is. It celebrates New Orleans' ever-evolving musical world by intermingling the legends (like Louis Armstrong, Topsy Chapman and Doc Cheatham) with current local favorites who are injecting new energy and new ideas (like Kermit Ruffins and Dr. Michael White.)

Unlike most CDs, where I skip around to my favorites, I play this one straight through because there's not a single cut I don't love. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Dr. Michael White's "Give it Up (Gypsy Second Line)" with its Klezmer influenced clarinet.

Highly recommended to anyone who likes a musical good time!

I've always loved the music that flourishes in New Orleans, and this CD contains examples of some of the best music the Crescent City has always offered to the world, from such legends as Armstrong and Prima, and from wonderful current artists like Kermit Ruffins. The music may seem poignant now in the face of Hurricane Katrina, but it also contains a defiant merriness that leaves no doubt that New Orleans will recover and rise again from this disaster. Best of all, producer Putumayo has stated that all sales of this album will go to relief efforts in New Orleans -- as good a reason to own and revel in this CD as any!

If you're not familiar with New Orleans music, this is a great place to start. It's an authentic collection of the type of music that the city is genuinely home to (accurately, no zydeco or cajun tracks are included here, as those are imports from Southwest Louisiana) and it's a nicely rounded collection, at that.

The music of New Orleans is only one of about a million things that make the city so special, and this is a great place to get started. If you're already a die-hard New Orleans music fan, you'll probably find that you have most of these tracks in your collection anyway, but for the beginner, this collection is perfect.

Well, after the hurricane Katrina, we notice more than ever, what an irreparable damage already has arisen alone by the destruction of notes, film and Audio-archives.
The collection on the CD presents a tour through the musical influence elements of the French Creole culture, touches Spanish fragments and of course does not forget the core of the life in the Mississippi delta: the blues.
The CD offers a good look at this from the unforgotten Louis Armstrong up to current sizes of the music life there. We can regard, what we should try to save culturally - despite all other shocking flood-details.
Besides the touching picturesque work on the cover one still finds music scientific notes (Baty Landis), photographic highlights (Michael Smith) and a recipe of the cook Paul Prudhomme in the booklet regarding the preparation of the traditional fish meal "Gumbo".
But before one can lose again in such "Big Easy" gourmet-carelessness without pangs of conscience, first a lot of water has to run down the Mississippi ...

This is another CD I found at my friend Regina's shop, Art and Soul. It is a collection of New Orleans style music featuring Louis Prima with "Basin Street Blues" and Louis Armstrong with
"Tin Roof Blues," and a number of other artists for a total of 11 cuts (Dr. John also performs an arrangement of Basin Street Blues). It gives you the spirit of the Big Easy. The CD starts with Kermit Ruffins' "Drop me off in New Orleans" (playing time 4:28) and ends with Gregg Stafford & Dr. Michael White in a combination, "Bye & Bye/Saints" (playing time 8:02) -the latter being the traditional end of a New Orleans style performance (it was played at the end of a friend's funeral service).

There is a small booklet inside the PC case giving informatin on the various artists (in English, Spanish, and French). As a bonus, it includes a recipe for Seafood Gumbo.

Overall it is an excellent music collection. A sticker on the outer wrapper indicated that Futumayo is giving their proceeds from the CD to New Orleans Relief.

My main objections are that the CD case does not snap closed tight, and the CD takes over your PC if you play it on a PC Media Player (also, for some reason, the sound quality was not good when I tried playing it on my PC). It played well on the CD player in my car, and on a separate CD player at my house.

Purchased my first copy when at the Audubon Zoo in N.O. and love the variety of music styles and musicians. Have since gotten additional CDs of works by individual musicians featured on this CD. This particular purchase (2nd copy) was to give to my brother for Christmas.