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“Kermit Ruffins’ new album is exactly what you would expect from its title, right from the fantastic opening track ‘Chinatown, my Chinatown’ it’s a non-stop party from one of the most musical cities on earth – New Orleans. ‘We Partyin’ Traditional Style!’ is a beautifully recorded and performed look at the best that late 19th century and early 20th century New Orleans jazz had to offer: a modern recording of some traditional standards.” –New Tune Daily

“Ruffins isn’t playing traditional New Orleans jazz in a purely curatorial way—he actually grooves this stuff in bars all over the Crescent City (and elsewhere) before fun-seeking audiences. The cat actually does party traditional style, goofy as that title may seem.” –PopMatters

“As familiar as the song list is, one of the places where Ruffins’ do-whatcha-wanna aesthetic serves him well is that he performs with the best musicians he can get when he goes in the studio. As such, on this traditional jazz-oriented album, he is joined by Shannon Powell (drums), Steve Pistorius (piano), Richard Moten (bass), Don Vappie (banjo), Lucien Barbarin (trombone), and Tom Fischer (clarinet), who kill throughout. Their contributions bring out the best in Ruffins, and the arrangements consistently put his trumpet and his voice in their best contexts.” –My Spilt Milk

“Kermit Ruffins gracefully channels the glory of the roaring 20s and opens a door to a rich history of musical heritage for all who will listen. But if you ask him, he’ll probably just tell you, “We Partyin’!”” –Broadway World

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Album Description

An intriguing collection of traditional and New Orleans jazz classics, Ruffin’s new album We Partyin’ Traditional Style!  gives a glimpse of the influences that have inspired Ruffins since his days as a youthful street busker.

The New Orleans hero pulls classics from the 20th century and puts them through the good-times grinder both reinventing and honoring the tradition of music ever present in his beloved Big Easy. He doesn’t do it alone, either. Ruffins hand-picked the finest in traditional jazz to form a deeply rooted band: Shannon Powell (drums), Steve Pistorius (piano), Richard Moten (bass), Don Vappie (banjo), Lucien Barbarin (trombone), and Tom Fischer (clarinet). Mykia Jovan joins Kermit for a delightful duet on the Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons hit “All Of Me.”

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the sounds of timeless classics like “Careless Love” and “I Guess I’ll Get the Papers and Go Home.” Then lace up your tap shoes, grab a dancing partner, and try to keep your balance while you Charleston to “Jeepers Creepers.” The dancing shifts to a waltz with “Over The Waves,” the Juventino Rosas classic. And a traditional jazz album would not be complete without a hat-tip to the most important figure of the era, Louis Armstrong. Ruffins boasts his own raspy voice and pays tribute to this idol with “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” a song frequently regarded as Satchmo’s own theme song.

We Partyin’ Traditional Style! triumphantly closes with the immemorial “When the Saints Go Marching In,” a song that needs no introduction and a recording that will undoubtedly have people around the world second-lining in the streets.

Kermit Ruffins gracefully channels the glory of New Orleans and opens a door to a rich history of musical heritage for all who will listen. But if you ask him, he’ll probably just tell you,

“We Partyin’!”

Liner Notes

Track List

Personnel

Kermit Ruffins – trumpet, vocals

Shannon Powell – drums

Steve Pistorius – piano

Richard Moten – bass

Don Vappie – banjo

Lucien Barbarin – trombone

Tom Fischer – clarinet

Mykia Jovan – vocals

Thank You

Thank God! I don’t know if life can get any better. This great New Orleans music has been the best thing to ever happen to me. I’m BLESSED to have my band – The BBQ Swingers; my manager, Tom Thompson; my record company, Basin Street Records and Mark Samuels; my producer, Tracey Freeman; YOU, the beautiful fans, THANK YOU for buying my CDs and coming to my shows; THANKS to all the local clubs that hire me and my band and all the talent buyers around the world who bring us in; THANKS to the great cats who played this special music with me on this recording and to everyone at the Music Shed. SPECIAL THANKS & LOVE to my mom Esther May Ruffins; my daughters – bless their little hearts; and last but not least, my beautiful wife, Lexine Ruffins.

-Kermit

Credits

Produced By Grammy-Winner Tracey Freeman
Executive Producer: Mark Samuels
Recorded and mixed by Chris Finney
Assistant Engineers Mike Dorsey, William Moesta and Clay Smith
Recorded at The Music Shed, New Orleans
Mixed at Kailash Studio
Mastered by Vlado Meller at Masterdisk NYC
Photography: Wendy Schornstein Good
Graphic Design: Cynthia Kinney, Kinney Design
Production Coordination: Diana Thornton, www.crescentmusic.com