Personnel: Dr. John (vocals, guitar, piano, organ); Danny Barker (guitar, banjo); Tommy Moran (guitar); Pete Fountain (clarinet); Charles Neville, Herb Hardesty, Eric Traub, Amadee Castenell, Frederick Kemp (tenor saxophone); Alvin "Red" Tyler, Roger Lewis (baritone saxophone); Al Hirt, Jamil Sharif, Charlie Miller, Umar Sharif, Clyde Kerr, Jr. (trumpet); Bruce Hammond (trombone); Kirk Joseph (tuba); David Barard, Chris Severin (bass); Freddy Staehle (drums); Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, Chief "Smiley" Ricks, Cyril Neville, Charles Neville (percussion); Shirley Goodman, Stephanie Whitfield, Connie Fitch, Tara Janelle, Chuck Carbo (background vocals).
The Neville Brothers: Art Neville, Aaron Neville, Charles Neville, Cyril Neville (vocals).
Recorded at Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Personnel: Dr. John (vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, organ); Charles Neville (vocals, whistling, tenor saxophone, horns, percussion); Danny Barker (vocals, guitar, banjo); Cyril Neville (vocals, percussion); Aaron Neville, Art Neville (vocals); Tommy Moran (guitar); Pete Fountain (clarinet, horns); Amadee Castenell, Jr., Eric Traub, Herb Hardesty (tenor saxophone, horns); Fred Kemp (tenor saxophone); Alvin "Red" Tyler, Roger Lewis (baritone saxophone, horns); Alvin "Red" Taylor (baritone saxophone); Clyde Kerr, Jamil Sharif, Umar Sharif, Al Hirt (trumpet, horns); Charlie Miller (trumpet); Bruce Hammond (trombone, horns); Kirk Joseph (tuba, horns); Fred Staehle (drums); Alfred "Uganda" Roberts, Big Chief Smiley Ricks (percussion); Chuck Carbo , Stephanie Whitfield, Connie Fitch, Shirley Goodman (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Al Schmitt.
Recording information: Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans, LA.
Photographer: Jason Jones.
Arrangers: Danny Barker ; Edward Frank; Alvin "Red" Taylor; Mac Rebennack ; Alvin "Red" Tyler; Wardell Quezergue.
Dr. John burst into the popular consciousness in the late `60s with the release of GRIS GRIS: THE NIGHT TRIPPER, an album that saw the gifted multi-instrumentalist filtering his years of experience as a New Orleans session player through the cracked lens of the psychedelic era. Though that album's dark blend of New Orleans rhythms and outr production techniques made it a `60s counter-culture favorite, it drew from a much more venerable set of musical traditions. On 1992's GOIN' BACK TO NEW ORLEANS, Dr. John takes his audience on a guided tour of New Orleans jazz and r&b, assaying memorable covers of beloved standards like W.C. Handy's "Careless Love" and more obscure numbers like Jelly Roll Morton's "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say." Dr. John and his accompanists, including a plethora of New Orleans music luminaries, give these numbers compelling and authoritative readings. GOIN' TO NEW ORLEANS is a fascinating slice of New Orleans history that also sheds light on the origins of Dr. John's inimitable aesthetic.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (9/17/92, p.96) - 3.5 Stars - Good Plus - "...the music of Dr. John has never strayed far from its roots. And those roots have never been more joyously, bawdily or playfully celebrated than they are on this album..."
Q (9/92, p.71) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "..serves as a tour d'horizon of the music of the Crescent City, its don't-rush-me vocals, with-you-in-a-minute rhythms and all-pervading swing.."
Down Beat (9/92, p.34) - 4 Stars - Very Good - "...the culmination of Mac Rebennack's career to date....evokes Wynton, with high-stepping horn charts and a retro repertoire that goes back to Buddy Bolden and beyond..."
