This week’s show has no overarching plan, just another two-hour showcase of New Orleans jazz, funk, R&B, brass, and old time swing by contemporary groups as well as more classic recordings. The first tune you’ll hear when you start the player below is “The Joint is Jumpin'” by the New Orleans Jazz Vipers.
The headline for this post is a reference to another rendition of the New Orleans standard “Lil’ Liza Jane” – this time by All That including a prologue by the band to drive home the point that the song is a standard for many New Orleans bands — even the pizza delivery guys knows that. (By the way, some background on Liza in a previous post.)
In the first full set you’ll hear George Porter Jr., the aforementioned All That, Hot 8 Brass Band, Kristin Diable and a rambunctious number by Egg Yolk Jubilee (“Kingfish”).
The second set takes a different direction with John Mooney, Papa Mali, Guitar Slim, Snooks Eaglin and Jean Knight. Later in the second hour, I have a set of old timey songs starting with contemporary band Frog and Henry doing a number made famous by King Oliver in 1923 called “Buddy’s Habit.” Oliver’s band of New Orleans musicians were living and performing in Chicago and they picked up the song from Charlie Straight’s Orchestra which had a tipsy tuba player who became a local legend when he tumbled off the stage backwards while playing his instrument. You’ll also hear the Boswell Sisters singing their number 1 hit “The Object of My Affection” along with the Big Dixie Swingers (“A Little Picture Playhouse”) and Danny Barker singing a novelty song called “Nagasaki.”
If you make it all the way to the end, Jon Batiste does his beautiful song “Don’t Stop.”
Well I hope I have given you enough reason to listen to the show. You can listen to it directly from this page, on KAOS on Thursday mornings starting at 10 a.m. (PST), KMRE on Friday evenings starting at 7 p.m. (PST) or go to my Mixcloud profile. My best to you until next week.
Sweeney's Gumbo YaYa 