Journey To Nawlins, Chapter IV - The Neville BrothersFiyo On The Bayou (1981) - Live at Tipitina's 1982 (1998) - Yellow Moon (1989) - Brother's Keeper (1990) - Valence Street (1999) - Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life (2004)

→ Thanks also to the late Blue DeVille

Art, Charles, Aaron & Cyril Neville

Mystic funk on the bayou

Nawlins R'n'B, bayou funk, Afro-Caribbean voodoo atmosphere and... the unique angelic voice of brother Aaron : the Neville Brothers' sound became one of the trademarks of the Crescent City.

The origins of the Neville Brothers as a band are intricately entangled with the history of several previous New Orleans groups where the brothers honed their trade : eldest brother Art's band The Hawketts in the 1950s; The Sounds, that became the house band for Allen Toussaint's Sansu label in the late 1960s, and later took the name The Meters; The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi-Gras Indian group led by their uncle George Landry aka Big Chief Jolly, whose backing band were the Meters until 1976 when they disbanded.

The four brothers continued to back the Tchoupitoulas for some time before officially becoming The Neville Brothers, a decision sealed with their self-titled 1978 debut album.

The six albums reviewed here illustrate their evolution as a band from their early days to the early years of the new century : a quarter of a century during which they became the icons of New Orleans funky R'n'B, establishing the top musical clan of the city, while at the same time most of the four brothers also got involved in personal side projects.

Art, the architect

A group of singers before all, dominated by the beautiful soothing voice of Aaron, the Nevilles have multi-ethnic family roots typical of Louisiana people. According to Aaron, whose nickname is “Apache”, one of their great-grandmothers came with her family from the island of Martinique to Convent (about 70 km west of New Orleans), where they mixed up with Houma Indians.

Dubbed "Poppa Funk" and active since the mid-1950s, keyboards player and singer Art was a pioneer of the New Orleans funk, founder of the Hawketts, then of the Meters, and later of The Neville Brothers with his siblings. Charles, who lived many years in New York where he widened his sax experience by playing with many famous Big Apple jazz musicians, became an adept of Eastern spiritual philosophy, while Cyril, with his pirate looks, was attracted to reggae and rasta culture since hearing Bob Marley's mid-1970s albums (“Natty Dread”, “Rastaban Vibration”).

► Fiyo On The Bayou (1981)
The Brothers' second album is a good example of what's been called “bayou funk” : loud bass & drums up-front, solid keyboards foundation, horn riffs, multiple “exotic” percussion, exciting guitar... and their unmistakable four-part vocal harmonies.

This funky gumbo (and combo) is quite appealing on “Hey Pocky Way”, “Sweet Honey Dripper”, the outstanding “Fire On The Bayou” (no wonder it gave its name to the album), and “Brother John / Iko Iko” with Dr John (brother John ?) on keyboards and percussion.

Cyril, the voodoo man

“Ten Commandments Of Love” and “Mona Lisa” are specially designed to highlight Aaron's unique voice. He sings both of them with a kind of religious fervor, but unfortunately the second in particular is spoiled by an excess of syrupy strings arrangements hardly bearable. The cover of Jimmy Cliff's melancholic “Sitting in Limbo” (where one finds a young Whitney Houston on backing vocals), isn't treated very differently from the original.

The final “Run Joe”, featuring again Dr John on keyboards, is delivered in a funky calypso mood enhanced by swinging percussion and by the Brothers perfect complementary vocals.

A promising transition album between the Meters' style and the future masterpieces of the Brothers : “Yellow Moon” (1989) and “Brother's Keeper” (1990).

►  Live at Tipitina's 1982 (1998 re-issue)
This two-CD album is actually the 1998 reissue of recordings made on the September 24 & 25, 1982 concerts at the iconic New Orleans music venue :  Tipitina's. They were originally released separately as “Nevillization I (Live at Tipitina's)” in 1984 and “Nevillization II : Live at Tipitina's” in 1987. Reunited and compiled in this 1998 two-disc edition, it gives an idea of what the band was worth live. And it was worth much !

Charles, the cool one

CD 1 opener, a cover of “Fever” (unusual intro, sudden switch into a hot funky beat) and the following “Woman's Gotta Have It”, halfway between soul and R'n'B, unveil the basic ingredients of the Neville Brothers style : the prime place of the vocals (a main singer, not necessarily Aaron, and backing harmonies by his brothers), the essential rhythm section (Darryl Johnson on bass, Willie Green on drums, completed with percussions by Cyril), the melodic density brought by the keyboards of Art and his nephew Ivan (and David Torkanowsky on CD 2), the R'n'B sound of Charles' saxophone (and Earl Turbinton's on CD 2), and finally the alternation of solid funky numbers with slower soul seducing titles, generally sung by Aaron, like the romantic “Tell It Like It Is”. This unusual sonic architecture leaning on a variable instrumental back-up was nevertheless very efficient.

Aaron, the golden voice

Example on CD 1 : the outstanding “Mojo Hannah”, “Fear, Hate, Envy, Jealousy” and “Africa”, a Meters song enriched by Brian Stolz fine guitar sound, all pure funk moments. There's also the typical New Orleans sound of “Big Chief” with its second line beat, and the band's fine version of Duke Ellington's “Caravan” which gives Charles the opportunity to express his skills on sax.

Unfortunately the ten tracks of the second CD have been unnecessarily overloaded by later overdubs (instruments and crowd applause) that blur the Brothers sound rather than enriching it. The spontaneity of the funk of CD 1 is less perceptible on most of the tracks.

Still some numbers manage to overcome this mishap : the “Rock'n'Roll Medley”, the excellent reggae-flavored “Everybody's Got To Wake Up”, “Little Liza Jane”, and “Saib's Groove” with its jazz-rock flavor.

In spite of the production's mistake on the second CD, a superb testimony of the Brothers in concert.

►Yellow Moon (1989)
In spite of the presence of illustrious guests such as their fellow Louisiana native jazz saxophonist Brandford Marsalis, Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, Keith Richards or Ronnie Montrose, their previous album, “Uptown”, released in 1987, was a bitter disappointment. As if such strong musical personalities had choked their own creativity.

The voodoo den

For their next opus, no more of this. The Nevilles called the imaginative Canadian producer Daniel Lanois who created a very special recording environment to immerse them back into the roots of their Creole culture and dig out the best from each of them.

He got an old 4-story house on Saint-Charles Avenue in the heart of New Orleans and had it transformed into a mysterious atmospheric guest-house where he and the Nevilles lived for several weeks. The building was equipped with a hi-tech studio, a dining room where all took their meals together, a common living room, and the upper stories were refurbished so that each Neville had his individual bedroom. The whole house and especially the studio were decorated like a voodoo den, full of candles, gris-gris, stuffed dead animals and alligator heads, and all kinds of mystic artifacts recreating the unique mysterious spiritual character of the Crescent City.

Daniel Lanois

The experience will be repeated a few months later with Bob Dylan for his album “No Mercy” which sounded as a musical revival, just as “Yellow Moon” did for the Nevilles.

Lanois also asked the brothers which song each always dreamed of performing. Art chose the classic country-gospel hymn “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”, Aaron picked up Sam Cooke's “A Change is Gonna Come” which had become a favorite anthem of the civil rights movement, while Cyril selected Link Wray's “Fire and Brimstone”.

Cyril

Lanois also selected session musicians generally from New Orleans among artists he was used to work with : except for Brian Eno and his old fellow Canadian accomplice Malcolm Burn, bassist Tony Hall, drummer Willie Green, guitarist Brian Stoltz are all from the Crescent City. And for a horn section, he chose… The Dirty Dozen Brass Band! As many musicians who participated actively in the arrangements under Lanois' direction. Everything was set to produce a historical album.

The tone is set from the opening track, “My Blood”, a declaration of fraternity to the people of Haiti and South Africa whose lyrics bear Cyril's signature, and whose basic instrumental combination is featured on most of the following tracks : Afro-Caribbean percussion, powerful funky bass and waves of mysterious sound effects in the background from the keyboards players (Art Neville, Daniel Lanois, Malcolm Burn, and Brian Eno on synths). This recipe primarily based on the intensive use of keyboards is applied to the melancholic “Yellow Moon” sung by Aaron with his unmistakable voice, and enlightened by Charles soulful saxophone.

Aaron, built like a lumberjack,
the voice of an angel

Cyril transformed “Fire And Brimstone” into a catchy dancing funky R'n'B coming straight from the swamps with horn backing and exciting percussion. The atmosphere becomes rather churchy for the super soul “A Change Is Gonna Come” superbly performed by Aaron who largely equals Sam Cooke's original, accompanied by organ and the echoes of Charles' sax.Then comes a highlight of the album. I'm not really a rap fan, that's the least I can say, but when the Nevilles sing the superb “Sister Rosa”, I just surrender! The song is socially (politically should I say) totally meaningful and musically, it's a model of groove and rich imaginative keyboards arrangements.

Art

Rich instrumental orchestration also on the up-beat reggae-flavored “Wake Up”, which of course bears Cyril's mark both in its lyrics and singing, and on the melancholic but funky “Voo Doo” sung by Aaron with backing vocals from his brothers, exotic percussion, nice electric piano, and Charles' sax warm mellow tone. A song probably inspired by the mystic atmosphere created by Lanois.

Charles

Bob Dylan is twice honored through Aaron's enchanting vocal performances on two great protest songs from Dylan's fight for civil rights period. “With God On Our Side” is a magnificent piece of Aaron's vocals in a gospel mood over a lacework of synth organ-like waves. “The Ballad Of Hollis Brown” has a mysterious swamp country blues flavor brought by a slide dobro guitar and dark percussion. The famous traditional “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” which immediately follows, is in the same vein, sung by all four brothers only backed by keyboards.

This majestuous album closes with two typically New Orleans style numbers. The spiritual mysteries of the bayous float around in “Healing Chant” with Charles' saxophone as soft as a flute. While “Wild Injuns”, deeply rooted in the unique New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition, backed by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is certainly the funkiest and one of the most exciting tracks of the album. Personally I love it.

Despite the variety of the songs featured, “Yellow Moon” is exhaling a unique atmosphere, at the same time typically from New Orleans, and a very particular sonic texture that makes it totally appealing. Honestly after such a superb work, nobody thought the Nevilles could do as well if not better. But they did on their next one, “Brother's Keeper”!

From the album, live

► “My Blood”, New Orleans, 1991 : https://youtu.be/3_EVbu5Ds08
► “Yellow Moon” :
→ Tipitina's, New Orleans, 1991 : https://youtu.be/lDzraECGfUY
→ With Herbie Hancock and John Hiatt, 2004 : https://youtu.be/O87iUDZGDKs
→ Lifetime award celebration, introduction by Iggy Pop, with Daniel Lanois joining on second guitar, 1989 : https://youtu.be/tFdTHhvFklc
► “A Change Is Gonna Come” :
→ NYC, 2004 : https://youtu.be/38qPAGu2fiw
→ SummerFest, Milwaukee, WI, 2005 : https://youtu.be/jlVpouQOevQ
→ Martha's Vineyard Festival, MA, 2008 : https://youtu.be/Mf7rkB9wx8U
► “Sister Rosa”, New Orleans, 1991 : https://youtu.be/upIfI-JO-CU
► “With God In Our Side” with Daniel Lanois on guitar, 2008 : https://youtu.be/YSxkuMkYH4w
► “Wake Up”, East Rutherford, NJ, 1986 : https://youtu.be/hxIJh9IL9IY
► “Voodoo” , Tipitina's, New Orleans, 1991 : https://youtu.be/TbSCLmnt348

►Brother's Keeper (1990)

Brother's Keeper is generally considered as the best album of the Neville Brothers, even better than their previous Yellow Moon. Soaked in an undefinable mystic atmosphere, maybe revived by their previous recording experience with Daniel Lanois, it brings up the flag of New Orleans groove at its highest. It's caviar, foie gras and French champagne all together in the same gumbo, a treat for the ears and the soul ! It's full of funk and swamp, R'n'B and soul, strength and tenderness...

Listen to that funky rhythm guitar on “Brother Jake” ! And Aaron's incredible voice on “Fearless” and “Bird On A Wire”, a gift from Heaven ! Art's organ, Cyril's percussion, Charles' sax.. all is superbly thought, arranged and performed. And the two versions of “Sons And Daughters”... Magnificent ! Yellow Moon was already outstanding, but here the Neville Brothers reached the masterpiece level.

Aaron & Charles

Sitting behind his keyboards, the late Art, the elder, the former founding member of the legendary Meters, affectionately dubbed “Poppa Funk”, was the musical architect of the group. The late Charles, the cool one, the Grammy awarded skilled sax player, was bringing as much his jazz touch as his calm stability to the band.

With his barrel chest and lumberjack biceps, who would have guessed Aaron was gifted with a rare “angel voice” hypnotizing audiences in songs specially designed for his vocal range. Cyril, the youngest, the mystic, the rasta voodoo man, the collector of colored tropical outfits and strings of beads, the restless showman jumping and dancing like a devil on stage, brings his taste for Afro-Caribbean rhythms with his bongos, bells and God knows what else.

Cyril

As if four wasn't enough, the Brothers invited a long list of some of the best musicians from New Orleans and beyond. First, they called on the family : the vocals of Aaron's son Ivan and Cyril's wife Gaynielle, but also the song-writing help from the invisible Joel (Aaron's late wife), Lorraine (Art's wife), Arthel (Art's daughter, a famous TV journalist) and Art's musician son, Ian. Then they invited “outsiders” : additional guitarists such as Leo Nocentelli, Eric Struthers, Brian Stoltz, Daniel Lanois..., renowned backing vocalists Linda Rondstadt, Buffy Sainte Marie and Marva Wright, and no less than eight horn blowers, extra keyboardists, bassists and drummers.

Charles

The arrangements are rich but subtly and tastefully crafted so that they do not over-charge the songs, leaving priority to the brothers' vocals, harmonies or lead, and to the meaningful lyrics. For example, despite the rich backing on the superb version of Leonard Cohen's “Bird On A Wire”, all you hear is the captivating voice of Aaron, almost as if he was singing a-Capella.

This rare musical achievement is not flawed by the least lack of taste, and not one song is under level.

Art

The celebration of family love by the four siblings, one of the leading threads of the album  (“Brother Blood“, “Brother Jake”, “Sons And Daughters”, “My Brother's Keeper”), spreads beyond to the need of fraternity between human beings, bearing the generous mark of Cyril particularly on the first title.

The Brothers venture through solid tempos like the seminal piece of funk “Brother Jake”, the muscular R'n'B “River Of Life”, the funky twist given to the classic “Mystery Train”. Both outstanding versions of “Sons And Daughters”, a powerful and sorrowful charge against racist systems that have corrupted human societies, and still do, are built on a dark funereal drum beat, a brilliantly idea that gives the song an alarming tone, especially on the first rendition.

The mystic Cyril gives a clear Caribbean flavor to the reggae-gospel “Steer Me Right” and on “Jah Love”, a song he wrote with U2's Bono where he affirms his rasta faith with disarming innocence. His religious spirit also fills “Witness”, while “My Brother's Keeper” is a Nevilles' version of the foundations of Christianity.

The four brothers harmonies make the melancholic country-folk ballad “Fallin' Rain”, written by Link Wray, even more sorrowful. Aaron gives a magnificent vocal performance of the superb melody of “Fearless”, and offers a beautiful and desperately poignant final to the album with his astounding performance of “Bird On A Wire”.

When the last note fades away, you're knocked out, overwhelmed by such a stunning work, short of words as I am now...

► Valence Street (1999)
In my opinion a very disappointing and uneven work where a few good tracks cohabit with some frankly tasteless material. It's too bad because the album altogether exhales an interesting feeling of moving melancholy.

Except the instrumental “Valence Street” featuring a rather inspired Charles on sax, the dark bluesy bayou atmosphere of “The Dealer”, the pounding “Tears”, and above of all the outstanding “Real Funk”, we're entitled to wonder where the bewitching magic of their 1980-90s albums has gone...

Art

The rest, even the melancholic “If I Had A Hammer”, though greatly sung by Aaron, are failed attempts to catch the listener's ear : the opening “Over Africa” built on guitar riffs belonging to the rock repertoire, a rather alien territory not really fit for the Nevilles, or songs like the revisited version of their own “Mona Lisa”, or “Dimming Of The Day”.

Aaron

But worse are the syrupy “Utterly Beloved”, “Little Piece Of Heaven”, “Until We Meet Again” and “Give Me A Reason”, boring mellow soul numbers that reminds minor 1980s soul crooners like Luther Vandross or James Ingram... Not at all my cup of tea, even less my glass of beer ! A deliberate strategy from Columbia to try to capitalize commercially on Aaron's voice ? I won't even dare imagining such a possibility !

Do people get mellow with age ? Honestly I don't think this is a universal principle when I hear Buddy Guy or the Rolling Stones today. But it might be true for certain people. Like the Neville Brothers… Unless the cause of such a change rather lies in Art's health problems during that period... No matter what, I prefer to forget such a miss.

► Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life (2004)
From the over-mellow “Valence Street” to the strange hip-hop-tinged funky “Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life”, things had changed radically five years later.

Hard to recognize the Brothers on the hard funk of the opening title track ! Neither on the short following “Poppa Funk”, one of the three interludes punctuating the album, which makes your entire self vibrating from the bass pulsations like a sudden earthquake ! Nor on the next track, “Can't Stop The Funk”, using electronic programming and scratching and dub techniques favored by hip-hop DJs. There must be a confusion : this is not the Neville Brothers playing here, but their hip-hop grand-children ! The fact is that Ivan (Aaron's son) is at work on keyboards and his cousin Ian (Art's son) on guitar.

It's only through the voices on the heavy pulsating “Ball Of Confusion”, a spectacular revisit of the Temptations, that you start to figure out who are behind the mikes. Once overcome your surprise and used to this new Neville sound, you suddenly realize that you appreciate this muscular funk when “Kingdom Come” starts. You just hope the Brothers were sincere and it was not a commercial need to reach a younger audience this time...

The voices have changed, the music too. And you're reassured when you spot Aaron's unmistakable voice on “Junkie Child”, “Streets Are Callin'” or “Your Life (Fallen Soldiers)”.

He is not singing on the interlude “Scrape Scat”, that's for sure because the singer is a duck ! Songs continue to play : “Carry The Torch”, the nice “Brothers”, a cry of love to the family. Comes the final “Rivers Of Babylon”, a rastafarian anthem written by a Jamaican band, The Melodians, and featured on the soundtrack of the 1972 cult movie “The Harder They Come”. Suddenly Aaron is back, singing almost like he used to do 25 years earlier.

In fact, if you listen carefully and try to leave aside the hypertrophied bass sound and the electronic hip-hop paraphernalia, you'll realize that the core of the Brother's style hasn't changed so much : their lyrics are still socially meaningful, their harmonies are still there, their music comes from the same well, in other words, they have kept their “New-orleanity”... That's what makes undoubtedly of this album a Neville Brothers album, in spite of its surprising aspects.

Since then, Art and Charles died, but the next Neville generation was obviously already at work… ■

The Neville clan

The 4 brothers :
→ Arthur Lanon Neville aka Art  : keyboardist, vocalist / born in 1937 - died in July 2019
→ Charles Neville : saxophonist, vocalist / born in 1939 - died in April 2018
→ Aaron Neville : vocalist / born in 1941
→ Cyril Neville : percussionist, vocalist / born in 1948

The second generation :

Ian Neville (left) & his cousin Ivan

→ Charmaine Neville (daughter of Charles) : jazz singer / born in 1956
→ Ivan Neville (son of Aaron) : keyboardist, singer / born in 1959
→ Omari Neville (son of Cyril) : drummer / born in 1988
→ Ian Neville (son of Art) : guitarist
→ Aaron (Fred) Neville Jr. (son of Aaron) : singer
→ Khalif Neville (son of Charles) : keyboardist
→ Jason Neville (son of Aaron) : singer

Interview
● Aaron Neville on the “Louisiana Legends” series, 1994 : https://youtu.be/XckNc2eoykM

Live videos...

The Neville Brothers
● Jazzfest, Berlin, Germany, 1985 : https://youtu.be/rkNB3I25nMc
● North Sea Jazz Festival, Holland, 1986 : https://youtu.be/iCaLhDLJh7Y
● With Carlos Santana, Fela Kuti & Joan Baez, benefit concert for Amnesty International, 1986 : https://youtu.be/bRYh4hrVDE0
● Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ, 1987 : https://youtu.be/4Pv0fx76hk4
● With the Grateful Dead, Civic Center, Pittsburgh, PA,1987 : https://youtu.be/-Rh3tBRwt6s
● Neville Brothers & Friends (Ivan Neville, John Hiatt, Bonnie Raitt, Dennis Quaid, Gregg Allman, Daniel Lanois, Ed Bradley, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jimmy Buffet, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dixie Cups), 1988 : https://youtu.be/OiZOBeXWth4
● New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 1990 : https://youtu.be/tcYxczaYmFw

● Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, 1991 (with short intro by the musicians) : https://youtu.be/tSAWlAx-hX4
● Tipitina's, New Orleans, 1991 : https://youtu.be/ICjXk8AWlHg
● On The Full Moon Show, TV series hosted by Robbie Robertson, 1991 :
→ #1 : Tremé Brass Band, The Neville Brothers, Rockin' Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters, Earl King : https://youtu.be/kOQm5PqD2vc
→ #2 : The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Rebirth Brass Band : https://youtu.be/N1ZAKwa_edI
→ #3 : The Meters, Tremé Brass Band, Rockin' Dopsie & The Zydeco Twisters, The Neville Brothers : https://youtu.be/hbdYVSUOCDo
● New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 1992 : https://youtu.be/VFX5-5_Yotw
● Woodstock 94, Saugerties, NY, 1994 : https://youtu.be/D9-keexGmCQ
● Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Manchester, TN, 2006 : https://youtu.be/FOhCt5N1RgE?t=67

Besides or after the Neville Brothers

Aaron in 2013

● Ivan Neville's band Dumpstaphunk, also featuring his cousin Ian Neville, with The Neville Brothers, Tipitina's, New Orleans, 2012 : https://youtu.be/ZASOGcHZVy0
● Aaron Neville, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2013 : https://youtu.be/-hgfQLcH9qc
● Jason Neville & the Young Neville band, the Rivershack Tavern, Jefferson, LA, 2014 : https://youtu.be/ShhqsIjoTL0
● Cyril Neville's Swamp Funk, Louisiana Music Factory, New Orleans, 2019 :
→ #1 : https://youtu.be/MRJZZu2Ulvg
→ #2 : https://youtu.be/60OY_DCjvlY
● Charmaine Neville at WWOZ radio, New Orleans, 2020 : https://youtu.be/KeB_y_eMA7Y
● Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, The Funky Uncle weekly webcast, New Orleans, 2020 : https://youtu.be/V23hvolTakE

A pirate from the bayou ? No, Cyril !

● Ivan Neville at The Mint, L.A., CA, 2020 : https://youtu.be/60ZRwiWtllo
● Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, The Funky Uncle, New Orleans, 2021 : https://youtu.be/Oi3okHueo2o
● Cyril Neville with his son Omari Neville & the Fuel, Congo Square Rhythms Festival, New Orleans, 2022 : https://youtu.be/VudGB47S_pI
● Charmaine Neville, New Orleans Jazz Museum, 2022 : https://youtu.be/dhZT49YOcnM
● Omari Neville and The Fuel, the Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans, 2023 : https://youtu.be/fpMtLSv-ZsE

Charles Neville, 1939-2018

Art Neville, 1937-2019