2005 Benefit Album For Gulf Coast Hurricane Victims On Double LP!
Remastered & Available On Vinyl For The First Time!
Featuring Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Randy Newman & Others!
Includes 5 Previously Unreleased Tracks!
Featuring Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Randy Newman & Others!
A remastered, expanded edition of the 2005 record Our New Orleans will be released for the first time on vinyl on January 29, 2021. The two-LP set includes five previously unreleased tracks: "Do You Know What It Means," by Davell Crawford; "Let's Work Together," by Buckwheat Zydeco and Ry Cooder; "Crescent City Serenade," by Dr. Michael White; "Walking By the River," by Dr. John; and "Do You Know What It Means," by The Wardell Quezergue Orchestra featuring Donald Harrison.
The $1.5 million raised from the 2005 release went toward providing housing in partnership with low-income musicians and others through the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village, a concept that was developed by New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, working with Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr. Habitat-built homes in the village now provide musicians and others of modest means the opportunity to buy decent, affordable housing. The centerpiece of the village is the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, dedicated to celebrating the music and musicians of New Orleans and to the education and development of homeowners and others who live nearby.
For Our New Orleans, many of the Crescent City's best-known musicians recorded songs that are integral to their lives and that express their feelings about the city and the trauma of Katrina. The album was made swiftly and simply, over the course of a month, in one-day sessions across the country. Nick Spitzer, host of public radio's New Orleans-based American Routes, contributed liner notes to the record, as did Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford, also a Crescent City resident. Other producers who made enormous contributions include Mark Bingham, Ry Cooder, Joel and Adam Dorn, Steve Epstein, Joe Henry, Doug Petty, Matt Sakakeeny, and Hal Willner.
"Our New Orleans is a testament to the power of music to heal and provide a sense of community," said Marguerite Oestreicher, Executive Director of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. "Musicians helped the city heal after Hurricane Katrina, and Musicians' Village helped them come home. We're grateful to Nonesuch and everyone who worked on this album. This year has brought new challenges to everyone, but especially to our culture-bearers. This re-release could not be more timely."
Net proceeds will aid Habitat for Humanity to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The ghosts of Katrina and its aftermath will always be there. But the musicians on this stunning album trust the music of New Orleans to give solace, hope and direction in the massive recovery that lies ahead, and as Eddie Bo ends his revisionist, stripped down, sparkling rendition of 'Saints' here with a quiet, softly spoken 'I wanna be in that number,' it's obvious the music already has. Get this.
Features
- Double LP
- 1st Time On Vinyl
- Newly Remastered
- Special, Expanded Edition
- Five Previously Unreleased Tracks
- Gatefold jacket
- Made in the Netherlands
- Net proceeds will aid Habitat for Humanity to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina
Selections
Side A:
- Yes We Can Can - Allen Toussaint
- World I Never Made - Dr. John
- Back Water Blues - Irma Thomas
- Gather By The River - Davell Crawford
- Cryin' In The Streets - Buckwheat Zydeco
Side B:
- Canal Street Blues - Dr. Michael White
- Brother John Is Gone / Herc-Jolly-John - Wild Magnolias
- When The Saints Go Marching In - Eddie Bo
- My Feet Can't Fail Me Now - Dirty Dozen Brass Band
- Tou' les jours c'est pas la meme (Every Day Is Not the Same) - Carol Fran
Side C:
- Beausoleil - L'Ouragon
- Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
- Prayer For New Orleans - Charlie Miller
- What A Wonderful World - The Wardell Quezergue Orchestra featuring Donald Harrison
- Tipitina And Me - Allen Toussaint
- Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman and The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra with members of The New York Philharmonic
Side D (Bonus Material):
- Do You Know What It Means - Davell Crawford
- Let's Work Together - Buckwheat Zydeco & Ry Cooder
- Crescent City Serenade - Dr. Michael White
- Walking By The River - Dr. John
- Do You Know What It Means - The Wardell Quezergue Orchestra featuring Donald Harrison