The Australian AIM record label has been a major proponent of Louisiana-centric zydeco and mardi gras music. This release represents a 30-year history of rare recordings from seminal New Orleans favorites Bo Dollis & the Wild Magnolias. No doubt, this is dance music steeped in New Orleans' Mardi Gras heritage, hearkening back to the slave trade as the tradition of "masking" (costume garb) carries forth some 100 years later. Commencing around 1970, Dollis and his associates were among the first to extend these roots and to include street music, or "second line" dance progressions, into a commercial forum. Moreover, this retrospective contains six new tracks, as the spirit of Mardi Gras is transposed to your listening space in altogether joyous and exuberant fashion. A noted live act,
the Wild Magnolias meld catchy hooks, funky horns, and guitar parts with rumbling rhythms and festive chants. Here, second-line dance grooves attain a happy co-existence with a contemporary or modern-day Mardi Gras-induced outlook. Dollis possesses a muscular voice and knows how to work the crowd. In addition, famed New Orleans natives
Zigaboo Modeliste (drums),
Donald Harrison (sax), and the late, great
Professor Longhair (piano) represent just a few of the many notables performing throughout. Think of it as a series of magnificent events stitched together via a 30-year time lapse. A wonderful affair indeed. ~ Glenn Astarita