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		CD Review - Dr. John Reprinted from July 2006 Issue -by ANDY PLYMALE Let’s face it, New Orleans singer/pianist Dr. John is a genre unto himself. Call it the “Doctor Genre.” A white man who nonetheless epitomizes New Orleans, the 65-year-old American icon, born Mac Rebennack Jr., has been described by 1960’s soul music producer Jerry Wexler as “the blackest white man I know.” Dr. John, who had a pop hit in the 1970’s with Right Place, Wrong Time, “funkifies” anything he touches, from Duke Ellington, the recipient of a late 1990’s Dr. John tribute (Duke Elegant), to Rebennack’s recent Johnny Mercer tribute (Mercernary). Dr. John’s music is pure NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana), a gumbo of blues, jazz, boogie woogie, funk and rock ‘n roll—“voodoo music,” he calls it, while calling himself “The Night Tripper.” But given his personification of the Crescent City, it was inevitable that Dr. John would record a tribute CD dedicated to New Orleans and its Katrina victims. Sippiana Hericane (Blue Note/EMI) is a short CD (EP, for extended play) inspired by Katrina, including a four-section “Hurricane Suite” that musically describes the hurricane and its aftermath, while uplifting the spirit of the listener. Composed by Rebbenack, the hurricane suite draws in part on the Moses Hogan Black spiritual song Wade in the Water, and includes some dissonant instrumental sections, as would be appropriate. Throughout the EP, Dr. John’s vocals sound great, as always, and his piano virtuosity comes to the fore on the instrumental sections. His band, the Lower 911, offer soulful and spirited background vocals, in addition to solid grooves. As a message, Sippiana Hericane is both a call to action and an offer of hope. In the Bobby Charles gospel song opener, Clean Water, Dr. John subtly reminds us of the need to restore the wetlands of the Mississippi delta: “Clean all the waters of the world / Let’s all lend a hand; Save our land.” Then, in the “Aftermath” section of Hurricane Suite the vocal chorus sings: “Wade in the water; Comin’ back like we oughta . . . Wade in the river; comin’ back, better than ever.” Finally, Sweet Home New Orleans, the CD closer, is simply a love letter from Rebbenack to his hometown: “Since the levee came fallin’ / I say ‘Where y’aaat my lil darlins’...Sippiana blues get me through the night / But my sweet home New Orleans make me feel alright.” Sippiana Hericane is music that hits you squarely in the gut, that tugs at your soul, that reaches for that collective humanity in all of us. And thanks to the good Doctor’s voodoo, it can bring a tear to your eye while simultaneously making you want to get up and dance. All of the profits from sales of the CD benefit the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, the Jazz Foundation of America, and The Voice of the Wetlands. See www.bluenote.com.