JAMES BOOKER

CLASSIFIED REMIXED AND EXPANDED

2013-11-04

When you think of Icons of New Orleans piano jazz the names of Professor Longhair and Dr. John easily come to mind, but in the late 1970's & early 1980's a man hailed as the Bayou Maharajah, the Piano Pope or the Ivory Emperor was making his mark. James Brooker's magic with the keyboards proved to be a huge influence on the likes of Harry Connick Jr. who drew inspiration and became a close friend to James. In failing health in 1982, James Booker recorded the disc "Classified" in four hours and it was considered one of his finest and has stood the test of time as one of the Crescent City's best piano jazz driven recordings. This rerelease is a remaster of this classic and includes nine additional tracks that were not released on the original 1982 recording. If your just discovering James Booker for the first time or haven't pulled out the original for the last couple of decades this CD is pure magic.

Reviewed By: Gregg Saur