Gris-gris

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gris-gris
Studio album by Dr. John

Publication
(s)

January 22, 1968

Label (s) Atco Records

Format (s)

LP , CD , MC

Genre (s)

Rhythm and blues , swamp rock , Louisiana blues , psychedelic rock

Title (number)

7th

running time

33:12

occupation

production

Harold Battiste

Studio (s)

Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles

chronology
- Gris-gris Babylon
(1969)

Gris-Gris (stylized as "GRIS-gris") is the debut album by the American musician Dr. John alias Malcolm "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. It was released by Atco Records in 1968 and is considered to be the style of the "Voodoo Rock" genre. When it appeared, Gris-Gris was commercially unsuccessful; In retrospect, however, it is often counted among the best pop music albums.

History of origin

Biographical background

Dr. John (Mac Rebennack Jr.)

Mac Rebennack (1941–2019) grew up in the 3rd District of New Orleans . From childhood he had regular contact with numerous African-American musicians in his hometown.

Influenced by the pianist and singer Professor Longhair , whom he met in 1955 or 1956, Rebennack decided to become a professional musician. From 1956 he played as a studio musician for Ace Records and other labels, wrote songs and produced recordings for artists such as James Booker , Earl King and Jimmy Clanton . He also performed with his own bands in clubs in his hometown. His main focus was initially on the guitar, and from around 1960 then mainly on the piano, developing a style based on Professor Longhair. Rebennack's musical career was interrupted by a two-year prison sentence, after which he moved to Los Angeles in 1965 . Here he kept himself afloat - among other things as a member of the Wrecking Crew - with engagements as a studio musician. The New Orleans-born composer and arranger Harold Battiste , whom he had known since working together in New Orleans in the late 1950s, brought him many commissions .

Thematic background

Voodoo (in New Orleans: Gris-Gris )
African gris gris

In the 1950s, Rebennack learned about the Creole and Cajun traditions , including New Orleans Voodoo , in his hometown . One of the legends of this culture is the figure of Dr. John Montaine (according to other sources, John Montane, John Montanee or Jean Montanée). Montaine's existence in Louisiana has been documented since 1850; there is no reliable information about the earlier years. Legend has it that he came from West Africa ( Nigeria or Senegal ), where he is said to have been kidnapped in his childhood to be brought as a slave to Haiti or Cuba . According to his own statements, he was an "African prince". From 1850 he lived as a freedman in southern Louisiana and played an important role in the Afro-American and Caribbean population there as a voodoo or hoodoo magician and medicine man. Montaine achieved some prosperity with the sale of good luck amulets, called gris-gris in Creole parlance , and magic potions. He was credited with the ability to raise the dead. Up into the 20th century, Montaine was one of the most famous legends of voodoo culture in Louisiana, along with voodoo queen Marie Laveau .

implementation

During his time in Los Angeles, Rebennack developed the idea of producing a concept album that combined the different musical currents of his hometown New Orleans. Because he was inspired by the legend of Dr. John Montaine was fascinated, he created the fictional character of Dr. John Creaux aka Dr. John The Night Tripper . She was to become the central figure on this album. Rebennack originally had his friend, the African-American singer and actor Ronnie Barron, for the role of Dr. John Creaux provided; However, he refused - allegedly on the advice of his manager Don Costa , who thought the project was career-threatening. Rebennack took over the name Dr. John Creaux, whom he later joined Dr. John was shortened and kept in this form permanently as a stage name.

The album was recorded in the fall of 1967 and released in 1968. Rebennack developed an accompanying stage show with which he toured the USA and Europe. Rebennack, who also played the role of Dr. John played in exotic costumes with feathers and amulets reminiscent of Mardi Gras costumes. He adopted the style of the stage wear from the rhythm and blues singer " Prince La La " (Lawrence Nelson), with whom he was friends until his death in 1963. Some also see parallels with Screamin 'Jay Hawkins' stage shows .

Rebennack continued the concept of voodoo rock with the three following albums Babylon (1969), Remedies (1970) and The Sun, Moon & Herbs (1971).

production

Rebennack's friend Harold Battiste produced Gris-Gris. He also got Rebennack a contract with Atlantic Records , who released the album on their sub-label Atco. The recordings took place in the fall of 1967 in the Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles. Almost all musicians involved were of Afro-American or Creole origin with roots in New Orleans.

Content and style

Six of the seven songs on the album are written by Rebennack, who uses his pseudonym Dr. John Creaux used one of them in collaboration with Harold Battiste and Jessie Hill .

content

In terms of content, the songs mostly deal with topics from the voodoo environment. This can already be seen in the title of the album. The Creole word Gris-Gris is a French adaptation of the term grigri, which comes from the Senegalese language area , and means amulet or talisman , but also a curse. In New Orleans in particular, the voodoo belief is also referred to as Gris-Gris or Gris-Gris Church in an expansion of the understanding , and the music at voodoo events is called Gris-Gris Music .

In the title song Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya , the character of Dr. John ( The Night Tripper ) himself. She describes herself as a seer who, with dragon's blood, magic sand and the heart of a black cat, has medicine for every disease and can remedy all ailments. In addition, Dr. John Gris-Gris amulets on. I Walk on Guilded Splinters , the final song on the album, contains another narrative from the perspective of Dr. Johns. The other songs deal with other aspects of voodoo. Jump Sturdy, for example, plays with the legend of the voodoo priestess Zozo Labrique and involves Queen Julia Jackson , who lived in New Orleans in the late 1960s : Jackson revived Zozo Labrique to Jump Sturdy, a dancer "from the swamps" who “Dancing with fish” could kill.

Style and genre

The album features elements of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues , Psychedelic Rock , and sometimes Swamp Rock and Zydeco . Stylistically “the dark, esoteric heart of voodoo merges with a hypnotic groove and funky blues”. The accompanying melodies consist of simple, short chords that are repeated many times. In individual pieces, like in an “instrumental jungle”, wild noises, animal voices and simple gibberish are mixed in, which also leads to overlays. This can be heard most clearly in Harold Battiste's Croker Courtbullion and in I Walk on Gilded Splinters . The confusion of voices and tones can be found programmatically in the title of the opening song: Gumbo Ya Ya is a slang expression used in New Orleans for many people speaking at the same time.

The songs are written in English, but Rebennack adds elements of Cajun French to the lyrics . In addition, individual words were alienated. Guilded Splinters, for example, stands for Guilded Splendors . The renunciation of a clear verse and rhyme structure in individual songs supports the impression of confusion.

The reviews of the album highlight its uniqueness. For example, the music is seen as "an unhealthy, witch-like brew of sorcery and machinations that is as fascinating as it is disturbing". Rebennack's singing style has been described as "gritty growl" or "subtle croak and rasping".

Track list

With the exception of the marked exceptions, all songs are written by Dr. John Creaux aka Malcolm John Rebennack Jr.

Page 1:

1. Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya - 5:36
2. Danse Kalinda Ba Doom (Dr. John Creaux, Harold Battiste) - 3:39
3. Mama Roux (Dr. John Creaux, Jessie Hill) - 2:59
4. Danse Fambeaux - 4:56

Page 2:

5. Croker Courtbullion (Harold Battiste) - 6:00 am
6. Jump Sturdy - 2:20
7. I Walk on Guilded Splinters - 7:37

publication

Atco brought Gris-Gris onto the US market as a long-playing record on January 22, 1968 , and a little later that year also in Australia and Great Britain. It didn't make it onto the charts in either the US or the UK. The album was released in Germany in 1969 and a year later in Canada. It was first released on compact disc in 1991 . Since 2014, Gris-Gris has been available for download in the lossless audio format FLAC ( High Resolution Audio 192 kHz / 24-Bit) .

reception

source rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone

The first reviews were cautious. Ahmet Ertegün , co-owner of Atlantic Records, thought Gris-Gris was “ boogaloo crap” and didn't know how to market the album. In the hippie era it was sometimes mistaken for any stoner album (“just another stoner album”). Only after several decades did Gris-Gris gain more recognition. The music magazine Rolling Stone lists Gris-Gris at number 143 of the 500 best albums of all time . In the list of the 200 best albums of the 1960s by Pitchfork has Gris-Gris space 162. The British avant-garde magazine The Wire took it to the selection of 100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One What Listening) on. Gris-Gris is one of the 1001 albums You Must Hear Before You Die .

Cover versions of individual songs on the album

The final song of the album I Walk on Guilded Splinters became a classic, of which numerous cover versions were made over the years. Singers and bands who recorded the song include Marsha Hunt (1969), Cher (1969), Johnny Jenkins (1970), Humble Pie (1971), Dana Gillespie (1991), Paul Weller (1995) and Jello Biafra ( 2015).

Mama Roux was covered by Sandie Shaw (1969) and Jess Roden (1976).

literature

  • Tom Aswell: Louisiana Rocks !: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll, Pelican Publishing, 2010, ISBN 9781455607839
  • Grace Lichtenstein, Laura Dankner: Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans , WW Norton, 1993, ISBN 9780393034684
  • Louie Martinie: Dr. John Montanee: A Grimoire: The Path of a New Orleans Loa, Resurrection in Remembrance, Black Moon Publishing, ISBN 978-1-890399-47-4

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to the census data of 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880, Montaine was born in 1800 or 1801: in 1880 he stated his age as 79 years. The spellings of his name vary between Montane, Montanet and Montancé. It was first recorded in New Orleans in 1850. He died in 1885. S. Carolyn Morrow Long: Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic, and Commerce , Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2001, ISBN 9781572331105 , p. 44.
  2. ↑ According to legend, Zozo Labrique was a half demented former slave who briefly became the most frequently visited voodoo priestess. Her surname Labrique (La brique = French for brick) was derived from the fact that she sold red bricks with lucky dust on the streets of New Orleans. S. Bob Curran: Encyclopedia of the Undead: A Field Guide to Creatures That Cannot Rest in Peace , ReadHowYouWant.com, 2009, ISBN 9781442959118 , pp. 242f , and Dave Thompson: Bayou Underground: Tracing the Mythical Roots of American Popular Music , ECW Press, 2010, ISBN 9781554906826 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jimi Calhoun: A Story of Rhythm and Grace: What the Church Can Learn from Rock & Roll about Healing the Racial Divide , Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018, ISBN 9781532653810 , p. 28.
  2. ↑ Andrew Perry: Dr John: pimp, gunman, pianist. www.telegraph.co.uk, May 29, 2008, accessed June 14, 2019 .
  3. ^ Adam Sweeting: Dr John Obituary. www.guardian.com, June 7, 2019, accessed June 14, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b c Liner Notes by Richie Unterberger for the album GRIS-gris (accessed on June 14, 2019).
  5. ↑ a b c d Andrew Hickey: California Dreaming: The LA Pop Music Scene and the 60s: Guides to Music , Andrew Hickey, 2018, ISBN 9781386574828 .
  6. ↑ Mike Greenblatt: Dr. John's “Gris-Gris” Turns 50. www.goldminemag.com, accessed May 29, 2018 .
  7. ↑ a b c d Grace Lichtenstein, Laura Dankner: Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans , WW Norton, 1993, ISBN 9780393034684 , p. 148.
  8. ↑ C. Michel, P. Bellegarde-Smith (eds.): Vodou in Haitian Life and Culture: Invisible Powers , Springer, 2006, ISBN 9780312376208 , p. 123.
  9. ↑ a b c d Torin Alexander: African American Religious Cultures , ABC-CLIO, 2009, ISBN 9781576074701 , p. 432.
  10. ^ Carolyn Morrow Long: Spiritual Merchants: Religion, Magic, and Commerce , Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2001, ISBN 9781572331105 , p. 44.
  11. ↑ a b c Dave Thompson: Bayou Underground: Tracing the Mythical Roots of American Popular Music , ECW Press, 2010, ISBN 9781554906826 .
  12. ↑ Louie Martinie: Dr. John Montanee: A Grimoire: The Path of a New Orleans Loa, Resurrection in Remembrance . Black Moon Publishing. ISBN 978-1-890399-47-4 .
  13. ↑ a b c d e Mojo Magazine: The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition , Canongate Books, 2007, ISBN 9781847676436 , p. 133.
  14. ↑ Jason Ankeny: Prince La La Biography. www.allmusic.com, accessed June 14, 2019 .
  15. ↑ Tom Aswell: Louisiana Rocks !: The True Genesis of Rock and Roll, Pelican Publishing, 2010, ISBN 9781455607839 , p. 113.
  16. ^ A b c Graham Reid: Dr John: Gris Gris (1968). www.elsewhere.co.nz, July 12, 2017, accessed June 15, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Debra Devi: The Language of the Blues: From Alcorub to Zuzu , True Nature Books, 2012, ISBN 9781624071850 , pp. 119, 120.
  18. ↑ a b Grace Lichtenstein, Laura Dankner: Musical Gumbo: The Music of New Orleans , WW Norton, 1993, ISBN 9780393034684 , p. 149.
  19. ↑ Griffin Matis: Straight from the 504. www.voxmagazine.com, September 24, 2015, accessed June 15, 2019 .
  20. ^ Peter Buckley: The Rough Guide to Rock , Rough Guides, 2003, ISBN 9781843531050 , p. 301.
  21. ^ A b Günter Ramsauer: Das Insel-Alben-Buch: 100 Highlights of Pop-Musik-Kultur 1961-2002 , ibidem-Verlag / ibidem Press, 2004, ISBN 9783838254241 , p. 30.
  22. ↑ Michael H. Little: Graded on a Curve: Dr. John, Gris Gris . www.thevinyldistrict.com, September 30, 2013, accessed June 16, 2019 .
  23. ↑ Thom Jurek: AllMusic Review. www.allmusic.com, accessed June 16, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Tom Moon: Rolling Stone Review. www.rollingstone.com, October 14, 1999, accessed July 12, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Rolling Stone's list of the 500 best albums of all time (accessed June 16, 2019).
  26. ↑ The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s on Pitchfork.com (accessed July 12, 2019)
  27. ↑ Tom Moon: Gris-Gris. www.rollingstone.com, October 14, 1999, accessed June 16, 2019 .
  28. ↑ Overview of the cover versions of I Walk on Guilded Splinters on the website www.secondhandsongs.com (accessed on June 16, 2019).
  29. ↑ Overview of the cover versions of Mama Roux on the website www.secondhandsongs.com (accessed on June 16, 2019).