By Lookout Staff

September 2, 2010 --Get out those voodoo dolls, the Night Tripper is coming to the Pier. Dr. John will close out the Twilight dance Series season Thursday night with the bewitching rhythms of his trademark New Orleans sound, which blends Zydeco with a strong dose of blues and psychedelic rock.

An icon of American music who took his stage name from a legendary Louisiana voodoo practitioner of the early 1800s, Mac Rebennack worked as an A&R man and session musician before bursting onto the rock & roll scene in the late 60s.

As Dr. John, the Night Tripper, he wore elaborate costumes and headdresses and staged shows inspired by voodoo religious ceremonies that showcased a potent potion concocted from different genres, all distinctly American. Over the years he’s added Jazz, Classic American Songbook, Zydeco, Boogie Woogie and Rock into the musical mix.

His 1972 album “Dr. John’s Gumbo,” which covered several standards, is considered a cornerstone in New Orleans music.

"In 1972, I recorded Gumbo, an album that was both a tribute to and my interpretation of the music I had grown up with in New Orleans in the 1940s and 1950s," Dr. John said. "I tried to keep a lot of the little changes that were characteristic of New Orleans, while working my own funknology on piano and guitar."

He followed it up the next year with the seminal New Orleans funk album “In the Right Place,” which established Dr. John as New Orleans’ preeminent ambassador.

Opening for Dr. John will be Eddie Baytos and the Nervis Brothers. A fellow New Orleans native, Baytos has become a staple of the Southland’s music scene. He plays the accordion, piano, keyboards and frottoir (washboard) and is also a choreographer, composer and producer.

Grounded in Zydeco, New Orleans Funk, Blues and Tex-Mex, the Nervis Brothers incorporate Cumbias, Cuban, Forro' and Ska.

Thursday's pier concert will take place from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Seating is not provided. Attendees can bring low beach chairs and blankets and sit on the pier deck or the beach. For more information, go to www.santamonicapier.org.