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NEWS updated July 14th 2011

    Celebrating

20 years of  HooDoo

 

     Mumbo performs a mélange of "Cajun - inflected psycho blues" while "Making the Dead Get up and Dance" original tunes and New Orleans R&B grooves, { The Neville Bros, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dr John...}... then it gets eclectic...

  

     BUT the big news is...they have released their 4th album "Mardi Gras Dans La Boite" in 2009,  featuring the Latin cover "El Cumbanchero"{Desi Arnaz / Rafael Hernandez}, Blues / Rocker "I'm Your Witchdoctor" {John Mayall / Motorhead} as well as the powerhouse 2nd line anthems of "Iko-Iko / Fiyo On The Bayou"

   In 2010 they released the Box-set "Voodoo-Eyzed" containing all their recorded works.

 ...also on stage this year some brand new originals…Finally! Their own Chicken song! {How bluesy is that?  Plus a great new Latin instrumental of Peter Brown’s called “Spanish Lesley”

Album notes for

MARDI GRAS DANS LA BOITE

  A collection of original songs {6, 7,9 10} of  New Orleans {2,3,11,12}, music from some

of the lands that touch on the Caribbean Sea, bringing to this album Latin{4,5} & Reggae {8}flavors,

a wiff of Worchester {1} and the R&B of East L.A. {13}.

   These songs are from our past and our present influences.

Music composed by or made known to us by… Los Lobos, Desi Arnez, John Mayall, Ry Cooder,

Dr. John, The Neville Bros. and some timeless Mardi Gras standards, of which I don’t know why we didn’t record before.

 

   1.  Im Your Witchdoctor   3:28 John Mayall {once covered by Motorhead}

  2. Meet the Boys On The Battlefront / Iko Iko / Fiyo On The Bayou   9:29

            Landry / Traditional  /  Modeliste - Neville - Nocentelli - Porter

   3.  Mardi Gras Mambo   3:12 Frank Adams - Ken Elliot - Lou Welch

   4.  Caballo Viejo   4:40 Simón Díaz {Ry Cooder}

   5.   El Cumbanchero   5:11 Rafael Hernández {Desi Arnaz}

   6.  Phrygian Tango   5:26 Peter Brown

   7.   Steal The Night   4:02 Grant Tomkinson

   8.   Johnny Too Bad   6:07Bailey - Beckford - Crooks - Crooks - Wilson

   9.   Every Now & Then   4:07   Lund - Brown - Magner - Evans

   10.  Choices We Made   4:37 Peter Brown

   11.  Junco Partner   5:53   Bob Shad

   12.  Mardi Gras Day / Carnival Time   5:13   Dr. John / Al Johnson

   13.  Lets Say Goodnight   3:12   David Hidalgo - Louie Pérez {Los Lobos}

  Recorded in the wilds near Westmeath by our bassist Grant Tomkinson…with only the band, no guests…trying not to add the kitchen sink…just the sounds we normally make…the instrumentals are one takes…more of a live feel to the whole album. In the dead cold of winter… in the mosquito & heat drenched hills north of Ottawa…well it took a little while… Yes, even huddled in a van they traversed up and down Hwy 17 at all hours of the day and night…actually it was quite a nice drive and I sometimes brought a picnic…so much for the blood, sweat and tears, angst filled part.

   MUMBO JUMBO on Youtube

Cumbanchero 

Phyrigian Tango

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFMermmQjFg


Iko Iko /Junco Partner

http://www.youtube.com/user/LiverpoolCourtStudio#p/u/11/fiLRKhf-6uA

Caballo Viejo

http://www.youtube.com/user/LiverpoolCourtStudio#p/u/12/yDucOC9CHo0

Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo EPK  Promotional Film

Recorded "Live at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest 2008"

http://www.youtube.com/user/LiverpoolCourtStudio#p/u/28/9Cgkjl7qdocRandom Thoughts" Interview with Steve Lund

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYPJMc3kdf8

Press Quotes / History "A Faire Lever et Dancer  Les Morts"

"They can make the dead get up and dance"
{Le Quartier Libre, Montreal}

    "Too much rhythm too sit still...unadulterated party fuel"
    {Halifax Daily News}

"...catch a plane to New Orleans or catch Mumbo Jumbo's next performance"
{The Humm Carleton Place}

"Cajun-inflected psycho-blues"
{The Ottawa X-press}

"For sheer fun this act can't be beat...bring them back next year"
{The St. John Times-Globe}

"With songs like Yellow Moon...the crowd was sentenced to death by dancing"
{The Humm, Almonte / Carleton Place}

Mumbo Jumbo Voodoo Combo was formed in Ottawa, Canada, July / Aug 1991,to explore the rhythms and eerie melodies of New Orleans and of the bayou's of rural Louisiana.

Without using guitar, they have transformed these Mari Gras anthems into their own, while keeping true to the genre.

Elements of Blues, Boogie, Jazz, Reggae, Calypso, as well as Latin  music can be savored in their MUMBO GUMBO.

The quartette consists of 4 Vocals, Drums, Keyboards, Bass Guitar, and Saxophones.
Everyone plays percussion during the big Mardi Gras Bead tossing raveups...

"Gris Gris...candles burning...Iko Iko...the dancefloor fills with gyrating dancers...
they grasp for Mardi Gras beads being tossed into the crowd...sometimes audience members scramble onto the stage to play the band when the washboard is given up to be sacrificed..."

Mumbo has released 4 albums and one box set,

"Walk Thru the Fire", "Tools of the Trade",
 "How 'bout That", "Mardi Gras Dans La Boite" &  "Voodoo-eyzed"

Their many original songs match their high-powered cover versions
of the SECOND LINE FUNK of Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, Sonny Landreth,
the CAJUN & ZYDECO of Clifton Chenier, File, Buckwheat Zydeco,
the BLUES of Duke Robillard, Smiley Lewis, Dutch Mason and the piano driven
New Orleans R&B of Professor Longhair, and Huey "Piano" Smith,& Fats Domino, Latin Desi Arnez,  

Over the years as a group or individually, The Mumbos have performedt with
SHERMAN ROBERTSON, BO DIDDLEY, DR. JOHN, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO,
SUE FOLEY, TERRANCE SIMIEN, MICK TAYLOR, TONY D, JACK de KEYSER,
ANDY J. FOREST, and THE MIGHTY POPO but the longest stint was with Canada's
"PRIME MINISTER OF THE BLUES" DUTCH MASON
whose "Live at the Boom Boom Lounge" was produced by band leader Steve Lund.

Mumbo fans have nominated the band for The Ottawa Express "Undies" Awards.
They won in 1994 and 1996 as Best Blues and Jazz Act, and were 1st runners-up
in 1995 as Fave Blues Act.

Biographies of the band members

Steve Lund - Drums ~ Percussion ~ Lead Vocals

{founding member Aug 1991}

   Juno award winner in 1991 on CBC Radio's Holger Peterson's Saturday Nite Blues Project Album with The Drew Nelson Band.  As Head Mumbo Jumbo Honcho Steve Lund has produced all 4 of the Mumbo albums and their 18th Anniversary Collection "Voodoo~eyzed". He has also produced fellow band mate  Peter Brown's 2002 CD "Marie Claude" and "Appearing Nightly ~ Live at the Boom Boom Lounge" in 1996 by his friend and mentor, the late Dutch Mason. 
  

 He also fronts Ottawa's Zydeco Loco {Cajun, Zydeco and Americana}co-producing their album "Voici Le Pamplamousse" and their second "Playin' With Matches" for release  the fall  2011.  For many years he's been involved with Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest's Blues In The Schools programme and hosted the various stages at Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest over the last ten years.

Steve has had the privilege of playing his washboard {Frottoir} with Zydeco royalty Rosie Ledet, Terrance Simien and Buckwheat Zydeco at Bluesfest.

Brian Magner - Alto ~ Soprano ~ Tenor Saxes ~ Lead Vocals ~ Percussion 

{founding member Aug 1991}

 Due to his exceptional sax shadings Brian has been in constant demand performing and recording with the best acts in the Ottawa area. Some of these include, The Drew Nelson Band, The Mighty Popo, Gordie Uranus and The Universe, The Jivewires, Andrea Karam, and winning a Juno in 1991 on CBC Radio's Holger Peterson's Saturday Nite Blues Project Album and played on Dutch Mason's "You Can't Have Everything" album  with The Drew Nelson Band

Peter Brown - Piano ~ Organ ~ Lead Vocals ~ Percussion

{joins Jan 1996}

The "New Guy", has been with the Band since Jan. 96. Peter's backgroud is in teaching, Jazz, Blues and Classical music, from which he brings a Dark & Gothic sensibility to Mumbo Jumbo. He has worked and written for The Boppin" Blues Band from Sherbrooke Que. He is in great demand as piano teacher as well as a main muical force behind The Mississippi  Mudds Theatre Group and  Mississippi Blues Society in Carleton Place Ont. Peter has released to rave reviews, two solo albums of piano Jazz & Blues, titled Marie-Claude 2002 and Franklin Street 2008, . Go to our LINKS page for Peter's web site.

Grant Tomkinson - Bass ~ Lead Vocals ~ Percussion

{joins Jan 2007}

Grant hails from his Westmeath self-built home near Westmeath, adds his muscular & melodic  5 string Bass, lead vcl and songwriting to the unit. Co-produced, mixed and engineered their latest album "Mardi Gras Dans La Boite"... at his CHEAP-O Studios...and the New Zydeco Loco Album,  mainstay of the legendary Wilno Blues Band every tuesday nite in Wilno On., The Mick Armitage Band ...if you need any Motorcycle parts...trees cut...

 Auxilary Musicians

Don Evans - Bass  founding member but retired from full time '91-'Dec 06 he still subs in.
Having learned his craft in the town of Cornwall, Don first worked with Steve 1979. They linked up again 1985 in the power blues band, The Result, and had their first real taste of New Orleans funk while performing with Dr. John in Ottawa's legendary Blues club, The Rainbow. Don and Steve still play together in Zydeco Loco {Zydeco, Cajun, Americana, Louisiana Rock N' Roll} and he also works with in Ball & Chain & The Wreckers {Trad. Country,Cajun waltz's & two steps}.

Guido Guzzo - Keyboards  a Fishin' Musician originaly from the Sault Ste. Marie and accordion  master with "Zydeco Loco".  He's subbed in Mumbo for many years and appeared on the "Tools of the Trade" album, wherever you hear the squeeze box. former member of "The Suicide Kings" an Ottawa blues-rock outfit of  in the 90's.

A Review of The Sound ...