The centennial of Duke Ellington's birth last year prompted a flood of tributes to the genius of American music, but none have been quite as idiosyncratic as that assembled by Dr. John, aka Mac Rebennack.

The New Orleans swamp-boogie master gives his warmly appealing hoodoo treatment to three Ellington obscurities, two of which bookend the disc in fine fashion: His gruff drawl, rolling piano and high-flying Hammond B3 organ make a suitable match with the loping rhythms and street-chic lyrics of "On the Wrong Side of the Railroad Tracks." And the good doctor's quartet (drummer Herman Earnest III, guitarist Bobby Broom and bassist David Barard) nails the percolating Caribbean groove of "Flaming Sword," thanks in part to guest percussionist Cyro Baptista.

That laidback charm, too, fits pleasantly with "Solitude," "Mood Indigo" and "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me." And "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" is a sweetly simmering Meters-style funk gumbo.

Things ain't what they ought to be everywhere, though, as Rebennack stuffs several tunes into a smooth-groove blenderizer. "I'm Gonna Go Fishing," replete with a metallic six-string solo, suffers from that process, as do a bass-slapping, wrongheaded version of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," a chirpy "Perdido" and several others that likely wouldn't quite sit right with their composer. Dr. John's musical voodoo, it turns out, isn't necessarily the perfect complement to all things Ellington.
- PHILIP BOOTH