The Piano Styles of Dr. John: An Intimate Session – Mac Rebennack

We are very excited and honored to be able to offer a 2-DVD set by one of America’s most important and distinctive musical voices. In a far ranging conversation with noted record producer and Saturday Night Live musical director Hal Willner, Mac Rebennack (a.k.a. Dr. John) performs his remarkable music, discusses his influences, and shares early musical memories and intriguing stories of a life in the music business.

The two-time Grammy Award winner and celebrated ambassador of New Orleans music covers more than thirty songs in this two-hour session, from traditional blues to his sophisticated arrangements of songs by composers such as Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Doc Pomus. Our overhead camera provides up-close views of his hands as Mac plays the licks, turnarounds, chord progressions and unique voicings that make him an incomparably influential musician.

The material on this two-volume set represents a goldmine of musical knowledge and a rare opportunity to hear Dr. John’s solo piano (he does not normally perform without a band). It can be viewed and studied as an in-depth master class, or can be watched and enjoyed for its documentary and entertainment value alone. Either way, this session will provide many hours of fascinating viewing and listening for Mac’s legions of avid fans.

Songs include “Texas Boogie,” “Swanee River Boogie,” “Pete Johnson’s Blues,” “Mess Around” (“Cow Cow Blues”), “Big Chief,” “Buddy Bolden’s Blues,” “St,.James Infirmary,” “Didn’t He Ramble,” Five Nights Drunk,” “Cold Black Night & Hoodoo Man,” “When the Saints Go Marching In.” “Wade in the Water,” “Tuts Washington’s Boogie,” “Qualified,” “Careless Love,” “Cry Me a River,” “It’s All Right with Me,” “Love, Life & Money,” ” I Need Your Love So Bad,” “A World I Never Made,” “Lonely Avenue,” “Next Time You See Me,” “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying,” “Stone Cold Dead in the Market,” “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out,” “Since I Fell For You,” “Mercy Mercy,” “Solitude,” “Don’t get Around Much Anymore,” “Auld Lang Syne” and more.