James Booker Medly: Tico Tico & Papa Was a Rascal

Its been written that if you ask anybody who is not from New Orleans who is the greatest pianist from the Big Easy, you will hear names like Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint, Fats Domino, Dr. John and Harry Connick Jr. Ask anybody from New Orleans who is the best pianist and they'll tell you 9 out of 10 times, James Booker. I remember seeing him at Jazz Fest a lot but I only got to the Maple Leaf Bar just once to see this genius. As you can see by the picture, it was an intimate setting holding no more than 200 people if that much. Admission was never more than $4.00 or $5.00 back then. Anyways...........
Booker starts this medley sort of slow but hold on when you get to about the 3 minute mark. No way anyone can "learn to play" like this.

As with most geniuses, Booker had his demons and eventually, they caught up with him This amazing talent died on November 8, 1983, while seated in a wheelchair, waiting to be seen at the emergency room at New Orleans Charity Hospital. He was just 43 years old. The cause of death was renal failure. His death was mourned by music lovers, but was unsurprising to those who were aware of his life-long history of serious drug abuse and chronic alcoholism.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Aaron Neville
• Art Neville
• Cyril Neville
• Neville Brothers
• Naomi Neville
• New Orleans
• 9th Ward
• Allen Toussaint
• Cosimo Matassa
• Cosimos
• Dave Bartholomew
• Fats Domino
• Mardi Gras
• Jazz Fest
• Katrina

[thevuutrain]

i can't stop listening to this

[9thWardJukebox]

@thevuutrain I'm not sure if Booker was alive today he could repeat this. This is clearly "art"!!!

[MrClydeMarion]

There are two Rounder Records issues from 1993 : James Booker Live at the Maple Leaf Bar : Spiders on the Keys and Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah. Scott

Billington (the producer with John Parsons) said he had even more stuff recorded when I saw him in Paris about four years ago.

[9thWardJukebox]

@MrClydeMarion Booker played a lot of the same stuff over and over at his regular gigs at the Maple Leaf so I don't know exactly what we're missing. It would be wonderful to have any new stuff pop up, even some different arrangements of the music we're familiar with. My gut tells me we may be in for a surprise before the year is over. Just trust me on that.

[rahsaanism]

Thank you for these amazing music. Tico Tico, Big Nick, Gonzo, Lah Tee Tah... Can't stop listening to James Booker !

[1j34u756n]

the main reason this song moves me is that it is a blues piano rendition of the flamenco farrucas. I don't claim to be an expert, but here's my farruca medley taken from my own, and Juan Serrano's falsettas

[1j34u756n]

@DrVonNostrand, there's enough people jellying up the world, I'm just happy I'm not the only soul gettin' down to a beautiful brother with a starry eyepatch and talent enough to move and remove, again and again.

[9thWardJukebox]

@DrVonNostrand No.....just stale bread.

[DrVonNostrand]

@1j34u756n I own four full length Booker albums. u jelly?

[MrBluetriggz]

No comment.. I mean, ive already made a comment about no comment, but seriously.. This is amazing!!!!