Search - Various Artists :: Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans

500 Stars

crescent | New Orleans, LA United States | 10/30/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"New Orleans is my home, and I love New Orleans music. New Orleans is, and always has been, a city that lives and breathes music. Doctors, Professors, Kings and Queens ("DPKQ") magnificently succeeds in capturing the wide spectrum of seemingly disparate sounds that comprise the New Orleans music phenomenon. No other compilation comes even close to seamlessly melding the common threads found in jazz, R&B, blues, gospel, Mardi Gras music, Cajun, zydeco, brass band music, Latin dance grooves, funk, and even klezmer music.



DPKQ shoots for an extremely high goal. It tells the grand story of the history of New Orleans music from the jazz of the 1920's through the brass band/hip hop fusion of the present day while paying tribute to every important stylistic genre in between. Although it is impossible to do more than scratch the surface of the endless bounties of the New Orleans sound in any 85 track, 5 1/4 hour box set, DPKQ thrillingly pulls it off and clearly sets the new standard for compilation projects.



In addition, the "liner notes", is actually an 84 page book chock full of detailed descriptions of the music and the history and idiosyncrasies of the city itself. There are over 70 photographs that will transport you to New Orleans if you don't live here, and will remind you of the unique beauty of your own backyard if you do.



As a life long New Orleanian, I am proud to give DPKQ the highest possible rating and to praise everyone involved in sharing the wonderful gift of New Orleans music with the world.



5 stars? What a joke. 500 stars is more like it!



"

DPK&Q - Boxset of New Orleans is excellent

KIWRadioFREEblues | Omaha, Ne | 12/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"November 8, 2004

Title: `The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans

Rating: Great



Usually boxsets do not sell in the numbers that single disc albums do but are thrown at for serious fans. This year there have been two "great" boxset releases; `Five Guys Walk Into a Bar' by one of rock's best bands The Faces, and, `Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queen The Big Ol' Box of New Orleans.'



The New Orleans boxset is probably the coolest gift one could give to a serious music fan. Four discs, a great box, and a terrific book inside, this boxset gives the listener a comprehensive over-view of America's premier music city. While other communities have an impressive history of great music, for me, New Orleans of the bedrock of "American" music. The so-called Big Easy is the home of jazz, a heavy contender for rhythm & soul base, and certainly the town that birthed funk. By mixing music & culture, food & entertainment, and a sense of the mystical New Orleans music has given the town a swagger that other communities can't mimic.



Each disc takes the listeners down a unique route. There will be well known names such as Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Louis Armstrong & Pete Fountain. There are also less known but equally brilliant tracks by acts that deserve to be known like; Walter Wolfman Washington, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. The book, 84 pages long, includes sensational photographs, excellent sidebar graphics, and well written narratives that help the reader understand the history of this city and how it's inhabitants blended together numerous cultures to create a bizarre but beautiful community. This boxset is an absolutely brilliant introductory to some of America's best music and the listener's interest will be warmly rewarded."

Not Definitive, But Very, Very Good

Michael C. Hebert | New Orleans, LA | 12/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I listened to this great box set almost daily until Katrina hit. After that, I stopped for awhile because it brought back too many painful memories. Slowly, I am inching back to it again.



Its great strength is variety. Louisiana is the only state I know that can lay claim to so many indigenous types of music: New Orleans Jazz, Cajun, Zydeco, New Orleans Funk (e.g. the Meters, the Neville Brothers), and the Blues (which the Mississippi Delta lays first claim on, but New Orleans and Memphis also deserve some credit for). And as the early tracks on this set prove, New Orleans was one of the first cities to explore Rock n' Roll as we know it. This set looks at all these styles, and it digs pretty deep. The Cajun and Zydeco selections are especially strong. "Au Bord Du Lac Bijou" is one of the most beautiful folk songs I have ever heard, and "Hot Tamale Baby" is sizzling hot Zydeco. This collection doesn't miss many important artists.



The only criticism I can muster against it is that the producers decided to limit each artist to one song only. This gives great breadth to the music, but little depth. Imagine a box set of the best British music that only included one song each from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin and you get the idea. Sometimes this set only opens the door to new sounds with a single song, and the listener is compelled to look for more. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does make the set sound incomplete at times.



And one other nitpick: Why, of all the Neville songs, did the producers pick "Fear, Hate, Envy, and Jealosy," a song I have always disliked? On the same album this track came from ("Live on Planet Earth") is a spectacular song, "Junk Man," that leaves this one in the dust.



Still, if you know nothing about New Orleans music, or even if you do, this is an excellent choice."