All-star tribute albums are necessarily a mixed blessing. Even at their best, they’re such a logistical nightmare to carry off that the real magic winds up in short supply. For instance, even though there are no real clunkers on Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, nobody ever names it as one of the essentials in the Dylan catalogue.

But this Dr. John tribute, recorded at the Saenger two years ago, avoids most of the pitfalls and manages to put some magic in the mix. Recording it at home during Fest season makes all the difference, since the band is great (with two Meters in the rhythm section) and everyone involved—from the local favorites up to Bruce Springsteen, who sounds suitably gritty on “Right Place Wrong Time”—recognizes the importance of the man and the material. And it’s the locals who do the best job of capturing the Doctor’s various incarnations: the deep soul from Irma Thomas, the Indian roots from Cyril Neville and Monk Boudreaux, the funky swagger from Dave Malone. Shannon McNally adds a haunting note when she dedicates “Street People” to Rebennack’s late partners Herman “Roscoe” Ernest and Bobby Charles; and John Boutté treats the Earl King–written “Let’s Make a Better World” as the healing potion that it is. When the guest of honor hits the stage for “Such a Night”—probably the most joyful version since The Last Waltz—you know the mojo is working.

The only real complaint is that only about half the set is actual Mac Rebennack songs; the rest comes from his extensive book of covers. Fair enough, but this could have been an occasion to air some of his rarely-heard gems; the two that are here (“Back by the River” done jauntily by Ryan Bingham, and “Familiar Reality” jammed spaciously by Widespread Panic) are among the highlights. They might have gone more deeply into his early New Orleans R&B, and I’d walk quite a few miles to hear “Storm Warning” as done by this crew.