All Things Swamp – Dressed

With the New Orleans diaspora a fact of life on the West Coast, where the Cajun and Creole cultural invasion long ago firmly took root, California musicians often yearn to play the unique, flavorful beats of New Orleans music. All Things Swamp is like a poker circle of professionals from disparate parts of the music world who come together on their days off to play that funky music for their own enjoyment.

These nine musicians found common ground in the music of New Orleans, a burbling cauldron of rhythm, rhyme and harmony specific to its own world – the music of Fats Domino, Allen Toussaint, the Meters, Lee Dorsey, Ernie K-Doe, and so many others. Like gumbo and jambalaya, once you develop a taste for the flavors, anything else seems almost boring.

“Fully Dressed” captures the informal sessions between these like-minded pals, driven by tuba monster Luke Kirley, sparkplug of the Bay Area salsa scene. Surrounding Kirley are a wide variety of master musicians; from Hollywood session man Dean Parks, perhaps the most recorded musician of the day, star of Steely Dan records and many more, to baritone saxophonist Aaron Lington, director of jazz studies at San Jose State University.

Raspy-voiced vocalist, keyboardist and occasional trombonist Tim Hockenberry was a finalist on “America’s Got Talent.” Trombonist Dan Gordon was a restaurateur who invented garlic fries. Musical director Dillon O’Brian, who wrote the theme song to TV’s “The Office,” has worked with a vast assortment of music’s top names; Brian Wilson, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Neville Brothers. Organist Jimmy Pugh served many years with the Robert Cray band – Etta James called him “The Librarian” – and is the executive director of the Little Village Foundation, sponsors of the recording.

Trumpeter Brian Switzer is another jazz educator currently touring with Bob Weir. Drummer Gary Novak is a session musician with a list of credits as long as your arm. From all these different backgrounds and disciplines, these men bring one common vision – a desire to feel the sweaty humidity of New Orleans in their music. All Things Swamp pursues an infectious, intoxicating voodoo fever dream of beignets and bayous, steamboats and alligators, Mardi Gras and jazz funerals. Bon temps roulet.
-Joel Selvin