As if anyone can forget the singular genius of Dr. John, a new collection of his ATCO singles reminds us of his mos’ scocious musical medicine. The 26-songs on Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya: Singles 1968-1974 largely come from Mac Rebennack’s album debut as Dr. John the Night Tripper Gris-Gris; his 1969 follow-up, Babylon; 1970s Remedies; 1972’s Gumbo; 1973’s In the Right Place; and Desitively Bonnaroo, which concluded his ATCO years. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya, all in all, presents an irresistible visit with the early Dr. John.
Rebennack first conjured the Dr. John persona for Gris-Gris, which is represented here by the trippy “I Walk on Guilded Splinters,” warm and soothing “Mama Roux” and three more tracks from the project’s Los Angeles sessions. Gris-Gris’ soulful supporting cast includes Dr. John’s fellow New Orleans exiles Ernest McLean, John Boudreaux, Dave Dixon, Jessie Hill, Shirley Goodman and the project’s highly qualified producer and arranger, Harold Battiste.
ATCO released only one single from the subsequent Babylon. A rare political satire from Dr. John, “The Patriotic Flag Waver” is as relevant now as it was in 1969. The succeeding Remedies album includes the humorous and serious “Wash Mama Wash.” A heroin addict at the time of Remedies’ release, Dr. John sings pointedly to the song’s principal character, imploring her to get straight. Another Remedies highlight, “Loop Garoo,” revisits Gris-Gris’ spooky terrain.
Gumbo yielded a bounty of singles. Despite being another L.A. project, it represents a musical and spiritual homecoming for Dr. John. He renders his versions of songs originally recorded by Professor Longhair, Earl King, James “Sugar Boy” Crawford and, most of all, Huey “Piano” Smith. Produced by Battiste and Atlantic Records principal Jerry Wexler, Gumbo’s three singles—“Iko Iko”/“Huey Smith Medley,” “Big Chief”/“Wang Dang Doodle” and “Let the Good Times Roll”/“Stack-A-Lee”—are all definitive Dr. John recordings, bolstered by an even bigger cast of New Orleans characters than the Gris-Gris sessions.
Working with a different set of homefolk for 1973s In the Right Place, Dr. John achieved his commercial breakthrough. Allen Toussaint produced and arranged the project and Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr. and Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste, a.k.a. the Meters, played on it. Two of In the Right Place’s five A-sides, “Right Place Wrong Time” and “Such a Night,” became Billboard hits. And while the profoundly funky Toussaint composition, “Life,” didn’t chart high, it’s a highlight in both Dr. John’s and Toussaint’s golden catalogs.
From Desitively Bonnaroo, Dr. John’s final ATCO singles were more classics-in-the making. There’s the lusciously Latin-tinged “Mos’ Scocious;” an authoritative take on Earl King’s plea for brotherhood, “Let’s Make a Better World;” and another example of Dr. John’s versatility, the uncharacteristic but beautiful torch song, “Me–You = Loneliness.”
