Volume 2 of Papersky’s Journey’s on the Musical Saucer series with Haruomi Hosono which featured writings on Hosono’s returns to places once encountered during his rich musical career and travels.

In 1979, Dr. John told Haruomi Hosono, “Watch out for the music business!”

Still excited about first hearing Van Dyke Parks’ “Discover America” (1972), a few months later Haruomi Hosono listened to Dr. John’s “Gumbo” (1972) for the first time. “Eiichi Otaki told me that a great record had been released and that it was all I needed to hear in order to understand what the New Orleans sound was all about. Well, he was right! (laughs)” Not only Ohtaki and Hosono, members of the the 70’s Japanese rock band Happy End, but for music fans worldwide, “Gumbo” became a showcase album of the New Orleans sound- a sound not easily heard by non-locals at the time. Hosono’s connection to New Orleans goes way back.

“Most of the stuff that I liked on the hit charts during school was music produced in New Orleans. Lloyd Price’s Personality (‘59), Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law (‘61), Lee Dorsey’s Working in a Coalmine (‘66). Of course Allen Toussaint (producer, singer and keyboardist) was involved with the recording of Dr. John’s hit tunes that he made as a young guitarist. New Orleans was a dazzling cache of treasures.

Did you ever think of going to New Orleans? “No, the records gave me the entire picture. Blending something with something always produces interesting music, but it’s not about being in the specific place. The work is done in the composer’s head, which needs to be a real hodgepodge of things, so I’ve never thought of going to any special place to create music.”

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