The Night Tripper

Dr John Revamped by James McKinley (NY Times)

FOR decades Dr. John, the New Orleans pianist and songwriter, has stubbornly inhabited the psychedelic voodoo stage persona he created in the late 1960s. He still walks around with an African staff adorned with totems, bones, an alligator tooth, a vial full of a friend’s ashes and a juju bag.

But at 71, when many musicians might be cashing in on nostalgia tours or eyeing retirement, Dr. John appears to be stepping outside of that persona, both personally and professionally. He has an ambitious new album, “Locked Down” (Nonesuch), a collaboration with Dan Auerbach, the singer and guitarist from the popular blues-rock duo the Black Keys. And this weekend he begins a three-week residency at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, a series of nine concerts intended to celebrate his contribution to American music over six decades.

Mr. Auerbach, 33, said one of his goals in producing the album was to persuade Dr. John to let his mask slip and to create songs about Mac Rebennack, his real self. “Sometimes, when you are a character, I think it can be draining emotionally and personally,” Mr. Auerbach said during an interview in the East Village. “And Mac as a human has so much to say and so many real-life experiences. I wanted the music of Dr. John and the lyrical content of Mac Rebennack.”  Dr. John said Mr. Auerbach had created a rough-edged sound during 17 intense days of recording in Nashville last fall. “He pushed and pulled me in some ways that made something different happen,” Dr. John said. “He’s an aware little cat.” Read More