New Orleans Jazz Professors Music

Yeah, this is an interesting disc. It features Byrd (Prof. Long) on piano, with alto sax and percussion accomp. The recorded sound is fair--made in New Orleans in 1949. The music is what is interesting here: that raw, home-made New Orleans sound, which features that loosely shaken, off-beat syncopated rhythm which one finds in zydeco.

Fanastic music, fantastic CD and first class service. Internet has really chaged the word !

This is the great Professor Longhair live on 10th March 1978, at the famous Tipitina's club in New Orleans. When I first bought this and played it, I was for a few minutes very confused by the strange sound. Then I realised that there was a Steel Drummer playing, which clashes badly with the Piano IMO. Supposedly it adds a caribbean flavour to proceedings, but in all honestly I'd have rather have had the conga player who used to play with Fess a lot of the time.

On the plus side all the best 'Fess numbers are included and the last 3 numbers are solo Piano (introduced by James Booker). But I have to add the sound quality on these 3 numbers is poor - the Piano is very distorted.

Certainly its a historic recording as having been to Tipatinas myself the club had a unique atmosphere but because of the unusual instrumentation and poor quality sound I would have to say this is for collectors only. Theres much better 'Fess out there to get than this.

This might be a must-have for serious Longhair collectors, but I found the recording quality is not so great, and this distracts from my enjoyment of the music. It sounds like it might have been recorded digitally (not likely in 1978), with compression artifacts audible.

During Paul McCartney's Wings Over America tour, Paul had a party on board the Queen Mary. He invited two bands - Professor Longhair and the Meters. That should tell you a little something about what music HE thought was good. Buy both albums, this one and the Meters - Uptown Rulers, Live On The Queen Mary. Not the best performances by either group, but really historical in their significance. Overall BOTH are decent albums.

The Professor and his band is playing on Paul McCartney's houseboat. The album cover was taken by Linda !
The New Orleans piano and rhythym section flow like ocean waves.
It's an experience.

The influence of New Orleans style music upon blues is obvious through many musicians. Nowhere is it more apparent than through the music of Professor Longhair. This Caribbean-flavored piano-master shines on this excellent compilation. This is an excellent choice for anyone who likes New Orlean's style Blues.

Good old typical New Orleans music from one of the old standby musicians. I am from New Orleans and this rekindles a lot of nostalgia in me.

If you were to purchase only two Professor Longhair discs, this is a must own - the other being Rock 'n Roll Gumbo. Take note on guitar is Mac Rebenack aka Dr John. Song listing is not in the correct order with the liner notes, but the order is correct as printed on the CD. Excellent album of beautiful music.

This is the last record officially recorded by the great Professor Longhair. If you don't know Fess was the Godfather of post 1940's New Orleans Piano. From somewhere he virtually invented a new style that Dr John, Allen Toussaint, James Booker (and the UK's Jools Holland) all borrowed from to differing degrees. Willie Fugal's Blues perhaps represent this best on this album. This is solo Piano except for added Conga.
His vocal style is also quite unique as well. Deceptively simple which occasionally becomes a sort of yodel.
This is a joyous record with 3 Sax players, a conga player and Dr John on Guitar. The recording quality is very good, as this was recorded in 1979 or 1980.
Rock n Roll, Blues and Jazz fans will all like this album. If you've just spent a difficult half hour trying to enjoy a late Coltrane album, this is such a relief.
Treat yourself to this recording.

This is Professor Longhair's best album and unfortunately it was his last. Professor Longhair is the very essence of New Orleans blues. He was Dr. John's mentor, who also was Professor Longhair's studio guitarist, before he dedicated himself to the piano and had a career of his own.

Crawfish Fiesta is my favorite blues album. It is full of energy and is just full of life and fun. Buy this album and take a virtual trip to New Orleans.

I first heard Longhair on the record "New Orleans Piano". It's a remarkable record. For the most part the tunes are brutally simple, the left hand outlining a major chord, and the right hand playing simple repetitive licks. But one tune jumps right off the grooves, "Tipitina", the left hand plays a rhumba like bass figure unlike any you've heard, the right hand alternates between tinkling and hard hammering, and the Professor more or less yodels a long series of nonsense syllables interrupted by one intelligible phrase, "little momma want's a dollar". Everything about this tune is unique, it was a local hit for Longhair in the early 50's.

When I moved to N.O. in the 70's I attended my first Longhair event in a run-down church. Playing with Fess was a ragtag group that did include, however, the legendary Snooks Eaglin on guitar. The audience was in bleacher type seats in front of a small stage. At one point someone in the audience shouted out "Tipitina!", and the Professor launched into the tune. This time the lyrics were intelligible, about a certain Loberta that liked to indulge, with the exception of the line corresponding to "little momma wants a dollar" which was rendered "oolla molla wolla dolla" !

I heard Longhair on many subsequent occasions. Every time was a party. And, every time, the accompanying band was less than stellar. Didn't make any difference, Longhair was never less than great.

Likewise, most of Longhair's recordings are made with less than stellar backing musicians ("R&R Gumbo does feature some superfine playing by Gatemouth Brown.) However, the band on "Crawfish Fiesta" consists of some of the best musicians in N.O. This band rocks! Longhair is in top form. The CD leads of with "Big Chief", which is an anthem in N.O., and the tunes are great start to finish. It's as if the Professor dreamed the perfect CD, and, then, it came to pass.

Good old typical New Orleans music from one of the old standby musicians. I am from New Orleans and this rekindles a lot of nostalgia in me.

If you were to purchase only two Professor Longhair discs, this is a must own - the other being Rock 'n Roll Gumbo. Take note on guitar is Mac Rebenack aka Dr John. Song listing is not in the correct order with the liner notes, but the order is correct as printed on the CD. Excellent album of beautiful music.

This is the last record officially recorded by the great Professor Longhair. If you don't know Fess was the Godfather of post 1940's New Orleans Piano. From somewhere he virtually invented a new style that Dr John, Allen Toussaint, James Booker (and the UK's Jools Holland) all borrowed from to differing degrees. Willie Fugal's Blues perhaps represent this best on this album. This is solo Piano except for added Conga.
His vocal style is also quite unique as well. Deceptively simple which occasionally becomes a sort of yodel.
This is a joyous record with 3 Sax players, a conga player and Dr John on Guitar. The recording quality is very good, as this was recorded in 1979 or 1980.
Rock n Roll, Blues and Jazz fans will all like this album. If you've just spent a difficult half hour trying to enjoy a late Coltrane album, this is such a relief.
Treat yourself to this recording.

This is Professor Longhair's best album and unfortunately it was his last. Professor Longhair is the very essence of New Orleans blues. He was Dr. John's mentor, who also was Professor Longhair's studio guitarist, before he dedicated himself to the piano and had a career of his own.

Crawfish Fiesta is my favorite blues album. It is full of energy and is just full of life and fun. Buy this album and take a virtual trip to New Orleans.

I first heard Longhair on the record "New Orleans Piano". It's a remarkable record. For the most part the tunes are brutally simple, the left hand outlining a major chord, and the right hand playing simple repetitive licks. But one tune jumps right off the grooves, "Tipitina", the left hand plays a rhumba like bass figure unlike any you've heard, the right hand alternates between tinkling and hard hammering, and the Professor more or less yodels a long series of nonsense syllables interrupted by one intelligible phrase, "little momma want's a dollar". Everything about this tune is unique, it was a local hit for Longhair in the early 50's.

When I moved to N.O. in the 70's I attended my first Longhair event in a run-down church. Playing with Fess was a ragtag group that did include, however, the legendary Snooks Eaglin on guitar. The audience was in bleacher type seats in front of a small stage. At one point someone in the audience shouted out "Tipitina!", and the Professor launched into the tune. This time the lyrics were intelligible, about a certain Loberta that liked to indulge, with the exception of the line corresponding to "little momma wants a dollar" which was rendered "oolla molla wolla dolla" !

I heard Longhair on many subsequent occasions. Every time was a party. And, every time, the accompanying band was less than stellar. Didn't make any difference, Longhair was never less than great.

Likewise, most of Longhair's recordings are made with less than stellar backing musicians ("R&R Gumbo does feature some superfine playing by Gatemouth Brown.) However, the band on "Crawfish Fiesta" consists of some of the best musicians in N.O. This band rocks! Longhair is in top form. The CD leads of with "Big Chief", which is an anthem in N.O., and the tunes are great start to finish. It's as if the Professor dreamed the perfect CD, and, then, it came to pass.