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Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield & The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra: Dee Dee's Feathers
ByWhether fronting the eighteen-piece New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, teaming up with pianist Ellis Marsalis, or working with a strong combo, Mayfield remains committed to sharing the musical heritage of his hometown. Here, he joins forces with nonpareil vocal powerhouse Dee Dee Bridgewater for a fine-tuned program that travels from swanky supper club environs to swampy down-home dives to the rhythmic heart of the cityCongo Square. And in the act of balancing all of that out, Bridgewater and Mayfield manage to bring out the best qualities in this musicspunk, soul, polish, passion, and joie de vivre.
The combination of Bridgewater's bluesy and beautifully brash delivery of these songs, Mayfield's bawdy trumpet solos and obbligato work, the authentic, swaying and swooning sounds of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the contributions of notable guests like Dr. John and percussionist Bill Summers makes for a winning formula. It's impossible not to smile when Dr. John starts in with some Professor Longhair-ish piano on "Big Chief," when the sashaying "Treme Song/Do Whatcha Wanna" gets going," and when "New Orleans" slowly swaggers and burns down everything in its path. Elsewhere, Summers' percussion gets hips shaking and bodies moving, Bridgewater and Mayfield trade musical quips, and the band simmers, swings, and seduces. Through it all, certain things become apparent: Bridgewater is a masterful storyteller, a peerless interpreter, and, without a doubt, the finest scat singer operating today; Mayfield wears his heart and his home-based identity on his sleeve; and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra is all about authenticity and engagement. Dee Dee's Feather's is simply delightful, capable of tickling a listener's fancy as only music from The Big Easy can do.
Track Listing
One Fine Thing; What a Wonderful World; Big Chief; St. James Infirmary; Dee Dee's Feathers; New Orleans; Treme Song/Do Whatcha Wanna; Come Sunday; Congo Square; C'est Ici Que Je T'Aime; Do You Know What It Means; Whoopin' Blues.
Personnel
Dee Dee Bridgewater
vocalsDee Dee Bridgewater: voce; Irvin Mayfield: tromba, voce; Bernard Floyd: 1° tromba; Ashlin Parker, Eric Lucero, Leon Brown, Branden Lewis: trombe; Michael Watson: 1° trombone; David L. Harris, Emily Fredrickson: tromboni; Khari Allen Lee: sax contralto; Rex Gregory: 1°sax contralto, clarinetto, flauto; Derek Douget: sax tenore; Edward Petersen: sax tenore; Jason W. Marshall: sax baritono, clarinetto basso; Victor Atkins: pianoforte; Jasen Weaver: contrabbasso; Don Vappie: chitarra, banjo; Adonis Rose: batteria; Glen David Andrews: voce; Ospite: Dr. John: voce.
Album information
Title: Dee Dee's Feathers | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Okeh
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About Dee Dee Bridgewater
Instrument: Vocals
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