James Booker
Classified: Remixed & Expanded
Sel#: Rounder 11661-9175-2
UPC: 011661917521
Description:
James Carroll Booker III was an unheralded genius of American music, a New Orleans pianist whose dizzying technique and mastery of the keyboard was matched only by his imagination and his soulfulness. His short and often flamboyant life was also marked by struggle and lost opportunity.
Classified, recorded in October, 1982, was one of only two studio albums released during his lifetime, and this remixed and expanded edition offers a poignant and often surprising look at his music, for if James Booker is often cited in the piano lineage that passes from Jelly Roll Morton to Professor Longhair to his own student, Harry Connick Jr., New Orleans tradition was only his jumping-off point.
The expanded volume’s 22 tracks, which include nine never-before-released performances, range from the pure rhythm and blues of “All Around the World,” to the light classical “Madame X,” to his astonishing version of the jazz standard “Angel Eyes.” Among the unreleased songs is the slow blues instrumental, “I’m Not Sayin’,” and his syncopated reading of Nino Rota’s “Theme From the Godfather.” Whether playing solo or accompanied by saxophonist Alvin “Red” Tyler, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich, Booker ties together a giddy array of musical influences with virtuosity and an often quirky sense of humor. Included are new notes by co-producer Scott Billington and several new photographs. Classified will be released both on CD and as a limited edition double-LP vinyl set. Lily Keber’s film, Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, has been playing to rave reviews, and that interest in James Booker is expanding beyond his devoted cult following.
Product Highlights:
- Available as CD and Limited Edition Double-LP
- 22 Tracks - 9 previously unreleased recordings
- New liner notes by Co-Producer Scott Billington
- New Photographs
- Updated Cover Art
About James Booker:
- A defining influence in the New Orleans piano renaissance, in the piano lineage of Jelly Roll Morton and Professor Longhair
- Major influence on notable artists George Winston, Dr. John, Henry Butler and Harry Connick, Jr. (his pupil)
- Musician Dr. John described Booker as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano genius New Orleans has ever produced”
- Released 2 studio albums during his lifetime
- His last studio recording, Classified, was completed in 3 days at Ultrasound Studio in New Orleans
- He performed frequently at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans between during 1977-1982, and in fact, it served as the rehearsal location for Classified
- Tragically died in 1983 of renal failure shortly after the release of Classified
- Feature-length documentary about James Booker’s life, entitled Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker, premiered at SXSW Festival in March 2013, continues to play to rave reviews and will close out New Orleans Film Festival on October 17