“Basin Street” (PDF) from the Ronell Johnson album, That Gentilly Swing

Among the popular compositions by Louisiana-native songwriter Spencer Williams, which include “Royal Garden Blues” and “When Lights Are Low,” the most-widely adapted song has been “Basin Street Blues.” Named for the Storyville red-light district of New Orleans, as documented by author Ted Gioia in his book The Jazz Standards, the 1926 song is nostalgic for the city’s pre-Prohibition era as if it was all a dream. In 1928, Louis Armstrong recorded an instrumental version with a vocal scat adaptation of the melody, but it was trombonists Jack Teagarden and Glenn Miller whom claim to have arranged the tune’s “land of dreams” lyrics for a 1931 recording with The Charleston Chasers.

In the post-war revival of traditional jazz, “Basin Street” became a standard as well as a crossover hit for popular artists such as Sam Cooke. Additionally, turntablist Kid Koala’s 2003 re-creation of Williams’ composition ended the debate regarding the musicianship of sampling within hip hop music. But toward the end of the twentieth century, New Orleans musicians made an effort to reclaim what the song “really means” to the local culture. On his 1992 recording, Dr. John sang about “rice and beans,” while other post-Katrina versions include verses about Mardi Gras and street cuisine. Likely influenced by his work with Preservation Hall Jazz Band, trombonist Ronell Johnson also serves up the full menu on this performance.

Recommended reading: The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire by Ted Gioia. Published by Oxford University Press.