James Booker was one of America's most stunning piano players. He was born, and died, in New Orleans, and in his 43 short years created an approach to the piano that has not been matched since. His music defies classification. It's not exactly the blues, it's not exactly jazz, it's not R&B, it's not classical; it's a synthesis of all those.

In a rare alignment of some forces that could never possibly be replicated, The Lost Paramount Tapes features Booker leading a band comprised of New Orleans' greatest underground monster musicians recording overnight in a studio after playing a gig. In the mid-90s, producer Daniel Moore got a call from Paramount Studios. They had sold the place and were clearing out their archive. They told Moore to come get his tapes. What Moore found was the two-track rough mixes from that night. Stuck on a shelf after the recording, they had sat untouched for two decades. The Lost Paramount Tapes was first released in 1995, 12 years after Booker's death yet the fierce power of this recording keeps it perennially vibrant.

"I spoke to [Dr. John] just before the release of this album [in 1995] and he told me that he plays the cassette that I gave him of these sessions for his band. He tells them that this is the way his music is supposed to be played." - Dave L Johnson, co-producer / bassist