Events: Dr. John at Yoshi's - Nov. 10, 2003

Hey there, jes ta let ya know, last nite my gal and me got ta see Dr. John shake it a Yoshi's, an excellent Jazz and Blues club that is also a fine sushi/Japanese restaurant in Oakland, California (we live 'cross the Bay in San Francisco). Anyway, Dr. John is great! Man, he still has the voice and his piano chops are fantastic, rock's 'em, roll's 'em, got the fonk! Way, WAY,WAY, deep down inside! Then it's silky smooth, soulful jazz on BOTH the piano and the organ, dudes a national/natural treasure, to be sure!

Anyway, he's got this tune"...places I go...only The Shadow knows..."...people are up and dancin', shakin' it to the New Orleans Master of The Crescent City Fonk's mad musings on his activities only known to The Shadow! It was crazy! Ends the tune and after the thunderous applause, Dr. John utters aloud into the mic "..Whew! The Shadow knows...Yeah!". I'm lovin' it!

The title of the song is "Shadows" it's on Dr. John's album Television, from the early to mid nineties. Live the song is good, but the studio version not so hot (truth is, Television was not a very good album), he must keep it in the repertoire 'coz of the subject matter. The Dr. likes to sing about voodoo, spiders, and shadows, all the things his home of New Orleans seems to, uh, conjure up (just ask Ann Rice, eh?).

The same year I discovered The Shadow was the same year I discovered Dr. John. 1973 DC comics gains the rights to The Shadow, that same year Dr. John has a hit with the tune "Right Place, Wrong Time". It's my favorite comic, my favorite song. Ya coulda knocked me over with a feather right there and then, but the show only got better!

Dr. John ranks amongst my favorites, and he totally digs the world of mystery, radio shows, horror films, and comic books. For the 1989 documentary by Toronto based film maker Ron Mann, titled Comic Book Confidential, Dr. John (real name, Mac Rebennack) composed a tune "Diggin' On Comics", which according to his autobiography, he's been a fan all his life.