CD Review

Can you get anymore-quintessential New Orleans then combining Dr. John, Tipitina’s and Mardi Gras? I think it’s pretty doubtful, you can almost taste the gumbo and see the Hurricane’s being poured just thinking about it. For the latest release in the Rebennack Chronicles, the good doctor’s vault series, comes just that – Right Place, Right Time: Live At Tipitina’s – Mardi Gras ’89.

While the title is a play on his biggest hit, that raspy staple isn’t found here. Rather you get a loose ten-song set that relies heavily on New Orleans R&B staples and his own voodoo funk. The Dr. is at his best with the boogie-woogie opener “Junco Partner” and the set closer of “Such A Night” – which features a stellar jazzy piano solo. Though its on “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” when Mac turns into The Night Tripper do you really get a sense for what he’s all about. The tune oozes with swampy, Creole-infused funk that is equally mysterious as it is catchy.