Meters, The - New Orleans Jazz Festival 93 (WWOZ Broadcast Remastered) '2020

Tracks list

The Meters defined New Orleans funk, not only on their own recordings, but also
as the backing band for numerous artists, including many produced by . Where the
funk of and was wild, careening, and determinedly urban, the Meters were
down-home and earthy. Nearly all of their own recordings were instrumentals,
putting the emphasis on the organic and complex rhythms. The syncopated, layered
percussion intertwined with the gritty grooves of the guitar and organ, creating
a distinctive sound that earned a small, devoted cult during the 70s, including
musicians like and , both of whom used the group as a backing band for
recording. Despite their reputation as an extraordinary live band, the Meters
never broke into the mainstream, but their sound provided the basis for much of
the funk and hip-hop of the 80s and 90s.

Throughout their career, the Meters were always led by (keyboard, vocals), one
of the leading figures of the New Orleans musical community. As a teenager in
high school, he recorded the seminal Mardi Gras Mambo with his group, the
Hawketts, for Chess Records. The exposure with the Hawketts led to solo
contracts with Specialty and Instant, where he released a handful of singles
that became regional hits in the early 60s. Around 1966, he formed Art Neville &
the Sounds with his brothers and (both vocals), guitarist , drummer Joseph
Zigaboo Modeliste, and bassist . The band grew out of informal jam sessions the
musicians held in local New Orleans nightclubs. After spending a few months
playing under the Sounds name, producer and Marshall Sehorn hired the group --
without the vocalists -- to be the house band for their label Sansu Enterprises.

As the house band for Sansu, the Meters played on records by , , , and , as well
as himself. They also performed and recorded on their own, releasing danceable
instrumental singles on Josie Records. Sophisticated Cissy and Cissy Strut
became Top Ten R&B hits in the spring of 1969, followed by the number 11 hits
Look-Ka Py Py and Chicken Strut a year later. The Meters stayed at Josie until
1972, and during that entire time they reached the R&B Top 50 consistently,
usually placing within the Top 40. In 1972, the group moved to Reprise Records,
yet they didnt sever their ties with Sansu, electing to keep as their producer
and Sehon as their manager. Ironically, the Meters didnt have nearly as many hit
singles at Reprise, yet their profile remained remarkably high. If anything, the
group became hipper, performing on records by , , , , and . By the release of
1975s Fire on the Bayou, the Meters had a Top 40 hit with Rejuvenations Hey
Pocky A-Way (1974), and they had gained a significant following among rock
audience and critics. Fire on the Bayou received significant praise, and the
group opened for on the British bands 1975 and 1976 tours.

During 1975, the Meters embarked on the Wild Tchoupitoulas project with s uncle
and cousin and Amos Landry, two members of the Mardi Gras ceremonial black
Indian tribe, the Wild Tchoupitoulas. The Meters, the Landrys, and the Neville
brothers -- , , , and -- were all involved in the recording of the album, which
received enthusiastic reviews upon its release in 1976. joined the Meters after
the records release. Despite all of the acclaim for The Wild Tchoupitoulas, its
adventurous tendencies indicated that the group was feeling constrained by its
signature sound. Such suspicions were confirmed the following year, when they
separated from and Sehorn, claiming they needed to take control of their
artistic direction. Following the split, the Meters released New Directions in
1977, but shortly after its appearance, and Sehorn claimed the rights to the
groups name. Instead of fighting, the band broke up, with and forming with and ,
while the remaining trio became session musicians in New Orleans. Modeliste, in
particular, became a well-known professional musician, touring with the New
Barbarians in 1979 and moving to L.A. during the 80s.

The Meters reunited as a touring unit in 1990 with Russell Batiste taking over
the drum duties from Modeliste. Four years later, left the band, allegedly
because he and disagreed whether the band should be paid for samples hip-hop
groups took from their old records; he was replaced by , who had played with .
The Meters continued to tour throughout the 90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Tracklist: 
01. The Meters - Africa>They All Asked For You>Look-Ka-Py-Py (Live) (Remastered)
(10:03)
02. The Meters - Hey Pocky Way (Live) (Remastered) (6:53)
03. The Meters - Fiyo On The Bayou (Live) (Remastered) (11:03)
04. The Meters - People Say (Live) (Remastered) (11:25)

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