This fascinating collection of music from the streets of New Orleans was recorded between 1954 and 1958, and includes an inspiring variety of material, from vegetable peddlers’ street cries to the musical saw and brass bands, from a shoeshine boy’s hambone to Sister Dora Alexander’s impassioned Russia, Let God’s Moon Alone, written the day after Russia launched a satellite.

Recorded by Samuel Barclay Charters;
Produced by Moses Asch;
Design by Ronald Clyne

Liner notes (PDF) at Smithsonian Global Sound

Tracks

Side 1: Music of the Streets

1. Vegetable peddlers: Street Cries (0.49)
2. Dora Alexander: Let God’s Moon Alone (1.13)
3. Dora Alexander: Time Done Changed (1.29)
4. Percy Randolph: Street Cries (1.15)
5. James Mitchell musical saw: What a Friend We Have in Jesus / My Old Kentucky Home / When the Saints Go Marching In medley (3.13)
6. Percy Randolph: Shine (1.07)
7. Frank Amica guitar: Liebestraum (4.14)
8. Shoeshine boy: Hambone (1.06)
9. Snooks Eaglin: Mean Old Frisco (1.06)

Side 2: Music of Mardi Gras

10. Mardi Gras Indians with Joe DeGrait: To-wa-bac-a-way / The Indian Racs (3.38)
11. Mardi Gras Indians: Red White and Blue Got the Golden Band (5.13)
12. Hank: On Mardi Gras Day (3.49)
13. A brass band: Uptown Dances / Bourbon Street Parade (3.49)
14. A parade with brass bands: The parade of the Krewe of Momus / When the Saints Go Marching In / Margie / Souch Rampart Street Parade medley (2.42)

Liner notes (PDF) at Smithsonian Global Sound

Tracks

Side 1

1. Luthjen’s: Big Mamou (3.11)
2. Happy Landings: Road of Sunshine (2.48)
3. Moulin Rouge: Anytime (3.22)
4. Billy and Dee Dee Pierce: Married Man Blues (5.16)
5. — : Careless Love (Roud 422) (4.04)
6. Emile Barnes and Lawrence Tocca: Shake It and Break It (3.44)

Side 2

7. Emile Barnes and Charlie Love: Nelly Gray (2.54)
8. — : Blues (3.28)
9. Jimmy Clayton: Gettysburg (2.48)
10. — : Jimmy’s Blues (5.25)
11. — : Corrine Corrina (4.21)
12. — : In the Groove (3.16)