Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch is a 2014 album and the final studio album released by American musician Dr. John during his lifetime, and his penultimate studio album in total. Produced by Dr. John and Sarah Morrow, it was released in August 2014. It contains songs from the repertoire of Louis Armstrong ("Satch") and features many guest musicians, such as The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bonnie Raitt.
| Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 19, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | December 2013 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 58:24 | |||
| Label | Concord | |||
| Producer | Dr. John, Sarah Morrow | |||
| Dr. John chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 72/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Drowned in Sound | 5/10[4] |
| Paste | 7.9/10[5] |
| PopMatters |   [6] |
| USA Today | [7] |
Critical reception edit
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72% based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]
The album was selected as a Downbeat Editor's Pick. The Los Angeles Times wrote that tribute albums come and go, "but it's a real rarity that can snap a listener to attention like Dr. John's new salute to jazz founding father Louis Armstrong. "Ske-Dat-De-Dat" turns many of the songs Armstrong recorded inside out and upside down, fast-forwarding them to 2014 with hip-hop beats, funk grooves and wildly inventive horn arrangements that are the work of John and his co-producer and arranger for the project, trombonist Sarah Morrow."[8]
Robert H. Cataliotti's review in Living Blues magazine underlines that Sarah Morrow's "dynamic, textured, and swinging horn charts play a big part in shaping all the different stylistic approaches into a unified soundscape".[9]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What a Wonderful World" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Mack the Knife" | 6:13 |
| 3. | "Tight Like This" | 4:51 |
| 4. | "I've Got the World on a String" | 4:04 |
| 5. | "Gut Bucket Blues" | 2:47 |
| 6. | "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" | 4:45 |
| 7. | "That's My Home" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" | 6:36 |
| 10. | "Dippermouth Blues" | 4:27 |
| 11. | "Sweet Hunk O'Trash" | 4:18 |
| 12. | "Memories of You" | 5:02 |
| 13. | "When You're Smiling" | 2:41 |
Personnel edit
- Dr. John – vocals, piano, guitar, horn
- James "12" Andrews – trumpet
- Terence Blanchard – trumpet
- The Blind Boys of Alabama – vocals
- Carl Blouin Sr. – baritone saxophone
- Oliver Bonie – baritone saxophone
- Alonzo Bowens – horn
- Brian Quezergue – horn
- Wendell Brunious – flugelhorn
- Shemekia Copeland – vocals
- Tony Dagradi – tenor saxophone
- Gregory Davis – trumpet
- Tom Fischer – clarinet
- Barney Floyd – trumpet
- Bobby Floyd – Hammond B3
- Alvin Ford, Jr. – drums
- Rex Gregory – bass clarinet
- Anthony Gullage – electric bass
- Anthony Hamilton – vocals
- Kevin Harris – tenor saxophone
- Kirk Joseph – sousaphone
- Mike Ladd – vocals
- Ledisi – vocals
- Khari Allen Lee – flute, alto saxophone
- Roger Lewis – baritone saxophone
- Eric Lucero – trumpet
- Tom Mallone – horn
- Kendrick Marshall – guitar, keyboards
- The McCrary Sisters – vocals
- Sarah Morrow – horn, trombone
- Ivan Neville – Hammond B3
- Roderick Paulin – alto saxophone
- Nicholas Payton – trumpet
- Derwin "Big D" Perkins – guitar
- Ed Petersen – tenor saxophone
- Bonnie Raitt – vocals
- Donald Ramsey – electric bass
- Herlin Riley – drums, tambourine
- Jamison Ross – drums
- Poncho Sanchez – percussions
- Arturo Sandoval – trumpet
- Telmary – vocals
- Efrem Pierre Towns – trumpet
- Reginald Veal – acoustic bass, electric bass
- Nick Volz – trumpet
- Jason Weaver – acoustic bass
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[10] | 84 |
| US Tastemaker Albums[11] | 18 |
| US Jazz Albums[12] | 1 |
References edit
- ^ "Dr. John – Things Happen That Way". discogs.com. July 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch by Dr. John". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch - Dr. John". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Doherty, Jack (25 August 2014). "Dr. John - Ske-Dat-De-Dat...Spirit of Satch". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Speed, Tom (2014). "Dr. John: Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch Review". Paste. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ Stefano, George De (16 September 2014). "Dr. John: Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch". PopMatters. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ Shriver, Jerry (20 August 2014). "Listen Up: New tributes to Satchmo". USA Today. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
- ^ "Dr. John infuses Louis Armstrong tribute album with 'Spirit of Satch'". Los Angeles Times. 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2016-07-28.
- ^ Robert H. Cataliotti (December 2014). "CD REVIEWS DECEMBER 2014: Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch Concord". Living Blues. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ "Dr. John - Chart history - Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Dr. John - Chart history - Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Dr. John - Chart history - Jazz Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
External links edit
- Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch at Discogs (list of releases)