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Dr. John
Right Place, Right Time: Live at Tipitina's Mardi Gras '89
(Hyena)
First Appeared in The Music Box, April 2006, Volume 13, #4
Written by Robert Bernstein
Mac Rebennack, otherwise known as Dr. John, has been working in the clubs of
New Orleans since the late 1950s, and save for a brief flirtation with fame
during the ’70s, he largely has drifted under the mainstream radar. He began his
career as session keyboardist for Professor Longhair, though he soon made a name
for himself, first as a producer and arranger and then as a performer. In the
wake of the recent devastation of Katrina, it’s fitting that he dug deep into
his archives to find a performance at Tipitina’s during Mardi Gras in 1989,
which forms the basis for his latest concert set Right Place, Right Time.
Dr. John always has had a strong stage presence as well as a penchant for
fusing everything from blues to Caribbean fare to psychedelia — frequently
within the same song. On Right Place, Right Time, he keeps that formula
in working order. During the opening number Junco Partner, he sets a
groovy backbeat while saxophone and trumpet wail, effectively transporting the
listener into the small venue in which he is performing. Later, he brings it
down a few notches with a spooky rendition of I Walk on Guilded Splinters
before rolling into the blues-y, rollicking refrains of Wang Dang Doodle.
The most powerful track on Right Place, Right Time, however, may be
Don’t let the Sun Catch you Crying. Here, he shows his lighter side as well
as his vocal prowess as a balladeer.
Throughout Right Place, Right Time, Dr. John emotively delivers the
powerful lyrics of his material, and he engages in extensive interplay with his
horn and rhythm section. He knows precisely when to sit back and listen as his
melodies get thrown around the stage. The closing selection is his signature
song Such a Night, which nicely summarizes what it must have been like to
mark the beginning of Lent in that little bar in New Orleans. Dr. John likely is
one of the best singer/piano players alive today, and on this evening, he was in
full command of his mystical powers.  ½
Right Place, Right Time: Live at Tipitina's Mardi Gras '89
is available from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006
The Music Box
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