Professor Longhair is the fountainhead of New Orleans R&B, and NEW ORLEANS PIANO is one of the style's essential documents. It contains recordings 'Fess made for Atlantic in the late 1940s/early '50s, some of his finest sessions. This collection wasn't released until 1972, but it surely had a profound effect on every young pianist who heard it; on Longhair's signature song, "Tipitina," and others, the piano king's loose-limbed, rolling piano lines, organically polyrhythmic second-line grooves, and rough, quirky vocals add up to a jubilant, seamless style that's simultaneously vibrant and unhurried. 'Fess's trademark whistling atop the insistent piano figure of "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" remains one of the most vivid sonic evocations of party time in the Crescent City.

• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 1/13/2017