Pianist Bill Malchow and an A-list of musicians will present A Taste of Dr. John’s Gumbo 50th Anniversary Celebration at Zony Mash Beer Project on Wednesday, May 4, from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. The show will celebrate Dr. John’s album, Dr. John’s Gumbo, which was released on April 20, 1972.
Malchow is a pianist and vocalist who plays New Orleans-influenced blues, jazz, funk and R&B at clubs and festivals in New York City and New Orleans, where you might also catch him jamming on the Hammond organ or his Hohner accordion. Whether performing solo or as the Bill Malchow Trio, or with his larger band, the Go Cup All Stars, Malchow mixes originals, standards and New Orleans classics with improvisation, great storytelling and a wicked sense of humor. “I’m a musician that honors the past while hoping to contribute to its forward progression” he said. “I like there to be a bit of honesty, energy and humor in my shows.”
Bill Machow with Dr. John at the Highline Ballroom in New York, 2008, photo courtesy of Bill Machow
Along with James Singleton (bass) Will Bernard (guitar), Simon Lott (drums & percussion), Jason Mingledorf (tenor sax), Joe Cabral (baritone sax) and Ian Smith (trumpet), Malchow is excited to have Dr. John’s original Gumbo drummer, Freddy “Flambeaux” Staehle, performing as a special guest. The iconic album is a collection of classic New Orleans tunes, including “Iko Iko,” “Big Chief” and “Somebody Changed the Lock” (the only song on the album written by Dr. John). In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked it #404 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
As Dr. John wrote in his 1994 autobiography, Under a Hoodoo Moon, “In 1972, I recorded Gumbo, an album that was both a tribute to and my interpretation of the music I had grown up with in New Orleans in the 1940s and 1950s. I tried to keep a lot of the little changes that were characteristic of New Orleans, while working my own funknology on piano and guitar.”
Dr. John was Malchow’s gateway into the New Orleans music world. “Someone gave me The Dr. John Anthology, and I was hooked,” Malchow said. “Dr. John’s Gumbo is one of my top five favorite albums. The piano is so good, strong, evolving grooves and flowery introductions. The Lee Allen sax solos are melodic, economic and mesmerizing. And I love Freddie ‘Flambeaux’ Staehle’s drum introduction on ‘Junko Partner.’ It’s hard to believe I’m going to be playing this album live with Freddie 50 years later.”
Doors will open at 10 p.m. and the show will start at 11 p.m. Zony Mash Beer Project is located at 3940 Thalia St. (just off Broad St.). Advance tickets are $20 and $25 day of purchase. For tickets and additional information, visit here.
