1. Well, Alright (5:11)
2. Kermit, Turn It Down Interlude (Feat. Wendell Pierce) (0:22)
3. Drop Me Off In New Orleans (Feat. Dr. Michael White) (2:31)
4. Don't Worry Be Happy (Feat. Jason Marsalis, Cyril Neville, Haley Reinhart & Glen David Andrews) (5:00)
5. Irvin, Turn It Up Interlude (Feat. Wendell Pierce) (0:11)
6. Good Life (Feat. Bailey Flores, Glen David Andrews & John Boutte) (4:56)
7. Good Morning New Orleans (4:20)
8. You Don't Look Good Interlude (Feat. Wendell Pierce) (0:28)
9. Mystic (4:31)
10. Dad, Turn It Up Interlude (Feat. Irvin Mayfield Iii) (0:22)
11. Move On Ahead (Feat. Jolynda Kiki Chapman) (5:17)
12. Practicing Interlude (Feat. The Urban Cellist) (0:32)
13. Just Playin' (Feat. Wendell Brunious, Leroy Jones, Leon Kid Chocolate Brown & Andrew Baham) (3:18)
14. Soul Sister Interlude (Feat. Dj Soul Sister) (0:37)
15. Sister Soul (Feat. Wendell Pierce & Bill Summers) (4:15)
16. Allen Toussaint (Feat. Cyril Neville) (3:48)
17. King Lear Interlude (Feat. Wendell Pierce) (0:27)
18. Beautiful World (For Imani) (Feat. Haley Reinhart) (4:35)
19. Do Whatcha Wanna Interlude (Feat. Rebirth Brass Band) (2:21)
20. Be My Lady (Feat. Cyril Neville & George Porter, Jr.) (5:40)
21. Footwork (Feat. Rebirth Brass Band & Cyril Neville) (2:28)
22. Trumpet Bounce (1:22)
23. Lexine (Feat. Denisia) (2:42)
24. Li'l Liza Jane Interlude (1:25)
25. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (Feat. Topsy Chapman, Jolynda Kiki Chapman & Yolanda Robinson) (4:04)
26. When The Saints Go Marching In (2:43)

Kermit Ruffins – Trumpet, Vocals
Irvin Mayfield – Trumpet, Flugel Horn, Vocals, Piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Vocoder, Talkbox, Tamborine, Conductor
Rebirth Brass Band
Dr. Michael White – Clarinet
Bill Summers – Percussion
Jason Marsalis – Vibraphone, Marimba, Whistle, Woodblocks, Voice, Shakers, Snaps, Claps, Chest Drum

In celebration of Basin Street Records’ 20th anniversary, label mates and trumpeters Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield join forces on A Beautiful World. These two mock adversaries, who used to hilariously battle it out musically at local clubs, stand as Basin Street’s most recorded artists and helped put the local label on the national map.

They share composing credits for the albums’ first cut, “Well, Alright,” which, not surprisingly, swings like crazy and is made complete with hand clapping, singing and Ruffins cheerleading—“Follow the umbrella!” It’s a big band number filled with saxophone, trombone and trumpet sections. The trumpeters kick things off with tenor saxophonist Ed “Sweetbread” Petersen soon standing up for an inspired solo and Trevarri Huff-Boone blowing some fine bari.

Well, alright, there are some 60, primarily very well-known New Orleans musicians on this album that boasts 26 cuts. Granted, there are several very short, spoken word interludes with several amusingly orated by actor Wendell Pierce. Nonetheless, that leaves room for a lot of music that varies greatly stylistically including the traditional sounds of the Ruffins and Mayfield penned “Just Playin’” that includes trumpeters Wendell Brunious, Leroy Jones, Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown and Andrew Baham. Here, Shannon Powell takes over on drums that are often occupied by Adonis Rose.

There is even a string septet on three numbers, including the title cut, “Beautiful World,” the name of which was an inspired way to pay tribute to trumpeter Louis Armstrong by referencing his hit “What a Wonderful World.” Haley Reinhart, perhaps best recognized as a finalist on American Idol, sings with passion the song written by Mayfield and arranged by trombonist Emily Fredrickson, who also adds some fine tonal accents. Cyril Neville, who is prominent on many of the album’s selections, contributes his voice in harmony.

Neville takes the lead on a highlight of the disc, “Allen Toussaint,” a jaunty number he co-wrote with Ruffins and Mayfield. It embraces all of what might be described as Toussaint-isms—the prominent rollicking piano here provided by Ronald Markham, the distinctive horn arrangements, that certain lilting rhythm and humor. After recalling his first time spotting Toussaint, Neville exclaims, “All I can say, when I saw that, is man, when I grow up I wanna be like that!” The song ingeniously heads out quoting the master’s lyrics from “Working in the Coal Mine,” “Workin’, goin’, workin’, goin’…”

Just as Basin Street Records has done for 20 years, A Beautiful World celebrates New Orleans and its rich community of musicians. ---Geraldine Wyckoff, offbeat.com

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1 	I'll Drink Ta Dat 	3:54
2 	Big Butter And Egg Man 	4:06
3 	Besame Mucho 	4:07
4 	Out Of Left Field 	4:46
5 	Undertaker Man 	3:59
6 	Leshianne 	3:08
7 	Struttin' With Some Barbecue 	4:17
8 	If You're A Viper 	3:10
9 	Li'l Liza Jane 	3:53
10 	West Indies Jazz Dance 	3:57

Trumpet, Vocals – Kermit Ruffins
Drums – Jerry Anderson
Piano – Dwight Fitch
Saxophone – Roderick Paulin
Trombone – Corey Henry
Tuba – Philip Fraizer

With his outgoing personality, New Orleans-style trumpet playing, and likable singing style, Kermit Ruffins has the potential to develop into a new Louis Prima. This CD from Justice hints at his potential, but it is quite erratic. Some of the songs (particularly those featuring the tenor of Roderick Paulin) are too modern; Ruffins's solos are streaky, and the varied material does not all succeed. Best are such good-time numbers as "I'll Drink Ta Dat," "The Undertaker Man" and "Li'l Liza Jane," although one wishes that this rendition of "Struttin' with Some Barbecue" were a lot stronger. ---Scott Yanow, AllMusic Review

New Orleans of the '90s has two young trumpeters in their 20s, Kermit Ruffins and Nicholas Payton, who resemble the greatest New Orleans trumpeter of them all, Louis Armstrong. Payton, who bears the closest physical resemblance, does the best job of echoing Satchmo's piercing, adventurous jazz solos. Ruffins, whose physical resemblance is less exact, is the heir of Armstrong as pop entertainer--the warm singer, the charming joker, and the tuneful trumpeter. Six of the 10 tracks on Ruffins's second solo album, The Big Butter & Egg Man, are vocal numbers, and it's on those that he bridges the gap between New Orleans jazz of the '20s and New Orleans R&B of the '50s. This is most obvious on "Li'l Liza Jane," an old Dixieland standard which was later recorded by Fats Domino and the Neville Brothers. Ruffins and his two former bandmates in the ReBirth Brass Band--saxophonist Roderick Paulin and tubaist Philip Frazier--get a Dixieland horn arrangement swinging, but the gospel-ish vocals and syncopated dance beat come straight out of R&B. The same approach of sophisticated harmonies, infectious rhythms, and exuberant humor is applied to the old Tin Pan Alley title tune, to Stuff Smith's 1930s marijuana song "If You're a Viper," and to Ruffins's guided tour of his hometown, "I'll Drink Ta Dat." The four instrumentals, featuring music by Armstrong, Ellington, and Ruffins, are perfectly respectable, but it's Ruffins's vocal showcases which separate him from the pack. ---Geoffrey Himes, Editorial Reviews

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