Ok, y'all, I just got the call I've been waiting for -- it's an opportunity for songwriting for an indie movie. But I need hivemind help for it -- one of the specs is for New Orleans style blues. I know the basics, like Professor Longhair, James Booker. But I could use some cites from the music peeps here and the N'awlins crowd. Period stuff, but maybe also some more modern references? You got ideas?

Dr. John, Muddy Waters, Earl King.

But I could use some cites from the music peeps here and the N'awlins crowd. Period stuff, but maybe also some more modern references? You got ideas?

There are multiple and various tributaries into the mighty muddy of New Orleans music.

Since there are no recordings of Buddy Bolden, I'd start with the Jelly Roll Morton's Library of Congress stuff. He was a composer and pianist and singer, and was playing in Storyville whorehouses by the time he was ten.

Lewd stuff like "Winin' Boy Blues' is the basis of Nola music:

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(Almost certainly way too raw for you to cover, but you have to know the era. It was originally whorehouse music, just like tango was.)

(His assertion on the intro that playing piano alone stamped a man as effeminate is such a "What?" moment that it actually opens a big window into the culture and era.)

He composed: "King Porter Stomp," "Grandpa's Spells," "Wolverine Blues," "The Pearls," "Mr. Jelly Roll," "Shreveport Stomp," "Milenburg Joys," "Black Bottom Stomp," "The Chant," "Original Jelly Roll Blues," "Doctor Jazz," "Wild Man Blues," "Winin' Boy Blues," "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," "Don't You Leave Me Here," and "Sweet Substitute" among others.

Louis Armstrong's early recordings with the Hot Fives are some of the best things ever, and, of course, eh was a massively influential vocalist as well as trumpet player.

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If you want more contemporary takes on that stuff, one of my favorites is Ingrid Lucia (who I first saw singing in New Orleans with her family band The Flying Neutrinos, when she was about 12):

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All the people mentioned above by Dana are, of course, essential. Dr. John does an especially good job of tapping into the various traditions - pulling from James Booker's suis generis piano stylings to Mardi Gras Indians to Allen Toussaint.

Compare:

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to:

Joe Liggins' original (which I love):

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Neville Brothers also, of course.

Irma Thomas is my favorite soul era singer from NOLA:

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Fantastic, guys, will check it all out, thanks so much.

Did you know Leif Garret does a cover of Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music"?

It's not as good as the original.

Ok, I finally listened to Hamilton yesterday. It was amazing!

My sister wants to see Duran Duran with me next summer. They're not a band i'd ever see live on my own, but it might be fun with my sister.

So I have a question I never thought I'd ask: how is Duran Duran live?

If you have Netflix, you can watch the 2011 concert film, “Duran Duran: Unstaged”, directed by David Lynch.

They were pretty good when I saw them, but that was 26 years ago.

I saw them in July. I thought it would be sort of fun and nostalgic.

Instead, it was this REALLY good band that KILLED all these songs I'd loved in High School. Had a fantastic time.