Dr John could well be one of the most colorful artists of this year's edition of North Sea Jazz. His voodoo music, brewed from an original mix of rock, New Orleans R&B and Mardi Gras madness, hides a musical career that extends well over five decades. His longing for the musical roots of the Mississippi delta and the psychedelics of voodoo sounds has been constant. Not only did this get him the nickname of "The Night Tripper" in the 1960s, it also earned him an ever-growing fanbase in the underground scene. Not least because of his stage presence. Dressed in Mardi Gras costumes in the past, Dr John performs a long, mystical ritual on stage. These invocations seem to work; for some time at least. In 2010, Dr John released Tribal, after a long stretch of silence. It marks the complete resurrection of The Night Tripper, his magical persona, on whom time has no grip whatsoever.
