James Booker - TIPITINA / GRASS LOOKS GREENER - Montreux Jazz 1978

James Booker – Tipitina / Grass Looks Greener (Live at Montreux Jazz Festival, 1978) Recorded live on July 9, 1978 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland. In the second half of his Montreux set, James Booker was joined by a pickup rhythm section—Cash McCall (guitar), Fred Beckmeier (bass), and Tony Cook (drums)—for a raw, high-energy sequence of band-backed tunes. Despite having rehearsed with the group only briefly, Booker steered the ensemble with typical flair, shifting seamlessly between structured arrangement and spontaneous invention. This track opens with a nod to his mentor, Professor Longhair, through a spirited rendition of “Tipitina.” It’s brief—more invocation than full performance—but Booker’s left hand nails the rolling rhumba rhythm, and his right hand dances across the keys in unmistakable homage. Without pause, he launches into “The Grass Looks Greener,” a blues of his own that showcases his full vocal intensity.