The selections listed below should give you a good start; if you want advice or recommendations on recently released recordings, drop by or call the Louisiana Music Factory, 210 Decatur St. (tel. 504/586-1094), in New Orleans, or Floyd's Record Shop, 434 E. Main St., Ville Platte (tel. 318/363-2138). (Floyd's is about 3 hr. from New Orleans, so be sure to call before heading out if you're making a special trip.)
Anthologies -- There are many collections and anthologies of various New Orleans and Louisiana music available, including such series as the Alligator Stomp CDs put out in the 1990s by Rhino Records. But the most comprehensive and best considered is Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans, a four-disc package released in 2004 by Shout! Factory. Critically acclaimed, it really is the one collection that touches all the bases of the diverse musical gumbo that is the Crescent City.
Post-Katrina Recordings -- Among the most prominent projects to emerge in the wake of the flood were benefit collaborations including Our New Orleans, all-new recordings by Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Randy Newman, and others (Nonesuch Records, 2005), and Sing Me Back Home, by the New Orleans Social Club (a "supergroup" of Crescent City funksters with featured vocalists including Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Cyrille Neville, and Ivan Neville, the latter on a searing version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son"; Burgundy Records/Sony BMG, 2006). Irma Thomas made one of the strongest albums of her long career with the earthy After the Rain (Rounder Records, 2006), the Dirty Dozen Brass Band found release via an entire reinterpretation of Marvin Gaye's ever-more-pertinent 1971 What's Going On album (Shout! Factory, 2006), and Toussaint and Elvis Costello teamed up for the spectacular The River in Reverse (Verve/Forecast, 2006), collaborating on new songs and a few Toussaint classics.
Jazz -- Most of Louis Armstrong's recordings are in print and can be found in many record stores. The same is true for Jelly Roll Morton, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., and young trumpeter Nicholas Payton -- we particularly recommend his Grammy-winning collaboration with now-deceased veteran Doc Cheatham, Doc Cheatham & Nicholas Payton (Verve, 1994), and his stunning modern-jazz reimaginings of Louis Armstrong material, Dear Louis (Verve, 2001). The new rising stars of the scene are without question brothers James and Troy Andrews, playing trumpet and trombone, respectively. They've made several albums each and are also part of the terrific New Birth Brass Band, but check out their collaboration 12 & Shorty (Keep Swingin' Records, 2004).
For the sound of early jazz, the following are recommended: Streets and Scenes of New Orleans (Good Time Jazz), by the Silver Leaf Jazz Band; New Orleans Rhythm Kings (Milestone); King Oliver with Louis Armstrong (Milestone); and the anthologies New Orleans (Atlantic Jazz), Recorded in New Orleans Volumes 1 and 2 (Good Time Jazz), and New Orleans Jazz (Arhoolie). Don't miss a series of CDs being put out by the essential traditional jazz club, Preservation Hall. Also, don't overlook the crucial Crescent City/Caribbean cross-pollinations, explored by the vibrant ensemble Los Hombres Calientes.
Brass Bands -- The tradition of brass-oriented street bands predates Louis Armstrong but underwent a spectacular revival in the 1980s and 1990s with the revitalization of such long-term presences as the Olympia Brass Band and the arrival of such newcomers as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who took the sound global and collaborated with stars ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Elvis Costello and Norah Jones. The anthology, This Is the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Shout! Factory, 2005), spans 25 years of recordings. The Dirty Dozen in turn inspired an even younger and funkier generation, with the Rebirth Brass Band and the New Birth Brass Band the best of the crowd. The former's Kickin' It Live (Rounder, 1991), recorded when the members were in their teens, and later Main Event: Live at the Maple Leaf (Louisiana Red Hot, 1999), and the latter's New Birth Family (Fat Back Records, 2004), a moving tribute to late co-founder Tuba Fats, are irresistible.
Rhythm & Blues -- Don't miss Dr. John's Gris-Gris (Atco, 1968), Gumbo (Atco, 1972), and Mos Scocious: The Dr. John Anthology (Rhino, 1993). Also try the Wild Tchoupitoulas (or Mardi Gras Indians) Wild Tchoupitoulas (Antilles, 1976), and The Meters, Cissy Strut (Island, 1975) and Rejuvenation (Reprise, 1974). You can't go wrong with hometown heroes the Neville Brothers' Yellow Moon (A&M, 1989) and Treacherous: A History of the Neville Brothers, 1955-1985 (Rhino, 1986), or producer/writer Allen Toussaint's The Complete'Tousan' Sessions (Bear Family Records, 1992). He's a legend for a reason. We can't overlook Professor Longhair's New Orleans Piano (Atco, 1953) and 'Fess: The Professor Longhair Anthology (Rhino, 1993). Worthwhile anthologies include The Best of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues Volumes 1 and 2 (Rhino, 1988) and The Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday Showdown (Rounder, 1992).
