Take Me To The Mardi Gras

Take Me To The Mardi Gras is a song recorded by American jazz keyboardist Bob James from his second studio album, Two. It is well-known for containing one of the most sampled drum breaks in history.

Background
Take Me To The Mardi Gras, like the majority of the songs on the Two album, is a cover of a song done by another artist, specifically Paul Simon.

According to Bob James himself, he was attempting to create a Latin groove and a carnivalesque feel with his version of the song.

Description
Unlike the Paul Simon song, Bob James' version of "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" is completely instrumental.

The song starts off with a drum fill, which leads into a montuno cowbell pattern (played by Ralph MacDonald) over a jazz-funk drum pattern (played by Andrew Smith). After the break, the fill from the beginning is repeated twice, then a synth crescendos until there is a sudden pause, then the electric piano (played by Bob James) section begins.

The electric piano leads the groove for the next few bars, but after that, the piece takes the form of an extended vamp.

Sampling Of The Break
"Take Me To The Mardi Gras" is best known for having been sampled many times by not only rappers but R&B, pop, and even jungle producers. As of October 2017, the song has been sampled 406 times.

Drum Fill
The drum fill that starts the song (and the break) off, consisting of two snares and a tom, was a very common scratch sample, especially in the golden age of Hip-Hop (i.e. late 80s to early 90s). It was included by itself on various battle records, and is still used in the 2010s.

Drum Break/Bells
The most commonly sampled element of the song is the cowbell groove from the opening, which is very easily looped. Like other songs such as "Funky Drummer" and "Amen, Brother", this beat became a go-to resource for Hip-Hop producers looking for samples in the mid-80s.

List Of Samples (Partial)
The following is an incomplete list of groups and artists who have sampled the break or the fill.

Eazy-E

 * L.A. Is The Place
 * Nobody Move
 * Compton's N The House

N.W.A.

 * Straight Outta Compton
 * Alwayz Into Somethin'

Run-DMC

 * Peter Piper
 * Groove To The Sound
 * Pause

Ice Cube

 * Amerikkka's Most Wanted
 * When Will They Shoot?

Eric. B & Rakim

 * Step Back
 * The Punisher
 * Don't Sweat The Technique (Xtended)

Personnel

 * Bob James - Clavinet, Electric Piano
 * Ralph MacDonald - Cowbells
 * Andrew Smith - Drums

Trivia

 * Somewhat ironically considering that this song is known for being so widely sampled, Bob James sampled a track himself in this song; Tommy Cash's "Rise And Shine". This is a completely mystery, as not only did modern sampling technology not exist in 1975, but the sampled record was recorded five years prior, and on a different label to boot.
 * There is an ongoing controversy over whether or not a promotional 12" copy of this song with no bells exists. Biz Markie has made several claims of having such a mythical record, and there is even an audio recording of him playing a copy of "Take Me To The Mardi Gras" with no bells live. However, Bob James himself has denied the existence of said record. For further information, see "Take Me To The Mardi Gras bells controversy".