The good Doctor returns with a splendiferous tribute to the great Louis Armstrong, entitled ‘Ske-Dat-De-Dat – The Spirit Of Satch’. Mac claims that Armstrong visited him in a dream, and told him to “do my stuff, your way”, and who are we doubt a story like that?

The album includes a broad cross-section of songs associated with Armstrong, from ‘Gut Bucket Blues’ and ‘Dippermouth Blues’, both originally recorded in the 1920s, right up to ‘What A Wonderful World, from 1967.

For the most part, Mac is keen to reinterpret these tunes, rather than replicate the originals. ‘Wonderful World’ opens with The Blind Boys of Alabama singing a cappella, before a rolling piano riff kicks in. Taken uptempo, the song comes across as celebratory, rather than reflective. ‘Mack the Knife’ is given a more radical overhaul, a lean funk beat overlaid with an inventive horn pattern. Darin and Armstrong purists may frown disapprovingly, but the arrangement works well.

There are guest artists a-plenty. ‘I’ve Got The World On A String’ is a duet with Bonnie Raitt, which includes some marvellous interplay between the two singers. The splendid Anthony Hamilton takes the lead on ‘Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child’, whilst Ledisi takes the reins on a more traditional gospel version of ‘Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen’.

One of the album’s highlights is the lesser known ‘That’s My Home’, which was originally recorded in the early 1930s by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. The warm, soulful vocal suggests a heartfelt tribute to the city of New Orleans, a worthy successor to ‘N’Awlinz’ (2004), ‘Sippiana Hericane’ (2005) and ‘City That Care Forgot’ (2009).

This is Dr John’s third tribute CD in recent years, after Duke Elegant (2000) and an album of Johnny Mercer songs, ‘Mercenary’ (2006), and his best yet. The album’s success owes a great deal to the arrangements of trombonist Sarah Morrow, who makes the most of the great musicians she has to work with – who include Nicholas Payton, Terence Blanchard and Arturo Sandoval – and really bring Mac’s visions to life.

The occasional song doesn’t quite take off. ‘Tight Like This’ features singer Telmary, but Dr John is less prominent, and it sounds out of place on this album. Likewise, we could probably do without the rap on ‘Mack The Knife’, which comes across as superfluous. But these are minor quibbles; ‘Ske-Dat-De-Dat’ is warm, enjoyable, creative and highly recommended.