An authentic New Orleans Bar-B-Q slinging trumpeter and vocalist through and through, Kermit Ruffins brings us back to the early 20th century with his latest oeuvre, We Partyin’ Traditional Style! out today via Basin Street Records.
An intriguing collection of traditional and New Orleans jazz classics, We Partyin’ Traditional Style! gives a rare glimpse of the influences that inspired Ruffins while a youthful street busker working toward international celebrity.
On this album, Ruffins pulls classics from the 20th century like fedoras from his collection and puts them through the good-times grinder both reinventing and honoring the tradition of music ever present in his beloved Big Easy. He doesn’t do it alone, either. Ruffins hand-picked the finest in traditional jazz to form a deeply rooted band: Shannon Powell (drums), Steve Pistorius (piano), Richard Moten (bass), Don Vappie (banjo),Lucien Barbarin (trombone), and Tom Fischer (clarinet). Mykia Jovan joins Kermit for a delightful duet on the Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons hit “All Of Me.”
While the songs may be old, their production by multi-grammy winner Tracey Freeman(Harry Connick, Jr., Rebirth Brass Band) guarantees that they’ll sound exquisite.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of timeless classics like “Careless Love” and “I Guess I’ll Get the Papers and Go Home.” Then lace up your tap shoes, grab a dancing partner, and try to keep your balance while you Charleston to “Jeepers Creepers.” The dancing shifts to a waltz with “Over The Waves,” the Juventino Rosas classic. Ruffins reveals he has his own taste for the timeless with his original “Treme Second Line”rounding out the center of the album. A traditional jazz album would not be complete without a hat-tip to the most important figure of the era, Louis Armstrong. Ruffins boasts his own raspy voice and pays tribute to one of his biggest idols with “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” a song frequently regarded as Satchmo’s own theme song.We Partyin’ Traditional Style! triumphantly closes with the immemorial “When the Saints Go Marching In,” a song that needs no introduction and a recording that will undoubtedly have people around the world second-lining in the streets.
Kermit Ruffins gracefully channels the glory of the roaring 20s and opens a door to a rich history of musical heritage for all who will listen. But if you ask him, he’ll probably just tell you,
“We Partyin’!”
Upcoming Shows:
6/8 – New Orleans, LA – Album Release Party at Tipitina’s
6/13 – New Orleans, LA – Jazz in the Park
7/19-7/20 – Houston, TX – Red Cat Jazz Café
7/26 – Chicago, IL – Evanston Space
7/27 – Chicago, IL – Fitzgerald’s
8/8 New York, NY – Highline Ballroom
8/21 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall
8/22-8/23 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
8/25 – Oakland, CA – The New Parish
Kermit usually plays these regular weekly shows (unless otherwise noted):
Thursdays – Vaughan’s Lounge – New Orleans, LA – 8:00 pm
Fridays – Blue Nile – New Orleans, LA – 7:00 pm
Sundays & Mondays – Kermit’s Treme Speakeasy – New Orleans, LA – 6:00 pm
Tuesdays – Bullet’s Sports Bar – New Orleans, LA – 6:00 pm