Mardi Gras Mambo

I've never been to N'awlins for Mardi Gras, but every Fat Tuesday I make a pot of red beans 'n' rice and wash it down with some bourbon. And my playlist always includes Professor Longhair's "Tipitina," which is an astounding display of piano playing. And then there's "Mardi Gras Mambo" by the Hawkettes, which was Art Neville's first band. Speaking of mambos, I recently pulled out a compilation of New Orleans music that I hadn't listened to entirely and discovered "Shrimp and Gumbo" by Dave Bartholomew. He's best known for having produced and co-written many of Fats Domino's greatest hits, but Bartholomew was also a trumpeter and longtime bandleader. In 1955 he recorded "Shrimp and Gumbo," which is a mind blower. The song starts with a cowbell-and-drum rhythm line that sounds like "Iko Iko"--something one of the black Indian tribes would strut to. Then the vocalist comes in: "Mambo, mambo/gumbo filé/mambo. Okra gumbo/crab gumbo/shrimp gumbo/mambo." And then the craziest thing happens: the horn section jumps in with the bouncy melody from Perez Prado's "Mambo #5." It's all in keeping with the influence of Latin music, especially from Cuba, on the New Orleans sound. "Shrimp and Gumbo" can't be found on iTunes, and I haven't figured out how to embed MP3s on this site yet. But, if you're lucky, some Mardi Gras I'll have you over for some shrimp and gumbo--gastronomically and sonically. And if I get enough bourbon in me, I'll tell you all about the recessive mambo gene in my DNA. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Comments

[Jamie]

I know you've said otherwise but if you're talking New Orleans you ought to at least be open to Louis Prima.