Music: Consultations with the Doctor

Funk explained, second line defined, boogie-woogie exalted

Listen to Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack and you hear one of the best albums of the year, solo piano at its funkiest and most soulful. Take in one of the Doctor's appearances on his summer concert tour and you get a brilliant initiation into one of the most enduring American musical traditions: rhythm and blues, New Orleans-style. Mac Rebennack—known since 1963 for his professional appearances as Dr. John—has been a first-class musician, a cabin-class superstar and a keyboard boogie man, keeping the tradition of his native...