It’s the 31st annual Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. MAGNET’s Mitch Myers translates the action.
Part of the charm of being at the fest is that there’s always a few events that, if you can catch them, make you feel especially lucky to be around. Such was the case for me at the Allen Toussaint solo show at the dear, sweet little Gesù Theater. Did I say intimate? The Gesù is nothing if not intimate, and Toussaint was the perfect host, guiding us through his amazing songbook and regaling the crowd with selected reminiscences from an amazing career. If you don’t know, producer/songwriter/arranger/session musician Toussaint has been making records since the ’50s. He’s one of the most influential musicians to come out of New Orleans in the last half-century, and you remember a lot more of his songs than you think. Having relocated to New York City since Katrina while his home in New Orleans was being rebuilt, Toussaint enjoyed an ongoing residency at Joe’s Pub (another intimate venue), where he’s revisited much of the classic material that he performed at the Gesù.
Sitting alone at the piano, Toussaint cut an elegant figure. His singing voice has never been anything to write home about, but he commands such love and respect that it feels like a small detail in a much bigger picture. Playing recurring riffs of his memorable songs, Toussaint gave a fantastic history lesson in American music as he described writing and arranging and producing hits for New Orleans characters like Ernie K-Doe (“Mother In-Law”) and Lee Dorsey (“Working In A Coal Mine”). His song “Fortune Teller” was covered by the Rolling Stones, trumpeter Al Hirt had a big hit with “Java,” and Herb Alpert scored with a Toussaint melody that ended up as the theme of the 60s TV show The Dating Game. It should be noted that Toussaint was more than dexterous on keys, playing jazzy, classically, R&B funky and just plain pretty.
As Toussaint played these songs and strung together these amazing stories, a far bigger picture of the man began to emerge. Talk about mailbox money? Can you imagine the songwriting royalties Toussaint must receive? His songs have been covered by artists like the Yardbirds and Warren Zevon (“A Certain Girl”), Boz Scaggs and Bonnie Raitt (“What Do You Want The Girl To Do?”) and, of course, the Pointer Sisters (“Yes We Can Can”). Don’t forget, Toussaint arranged the horns for The Band’s performance at The Last Waltz. And for every great tune I mention, there are dozens more; this would include his acclaimed CD with Elvis Costello, The River In Reverse. Toussaint even performed his ever-enduring motto “Everything I Do Is Gonna Be Funky (From Now On).”
The high point of the evening was Toussaint’s 20-minute discourse over the theme from “Southern Nights,” which was a huge hit for Glen Campbell in the ’70s. As his hands ruminated over the lovely melody, Toussaint recalled his early childhood and family car trips out to the countryside to see his Creole relatives who refused to come into the city. His words painted a picture of love and serenity and childlike wonder and evoked the quiet, beautiful evenings that obviously inspired this tune.
In 2009 Toussaint taped a two-hour edition of Austin City Limits, but somebody has to get this solo show down on film before it’s too late. The Gesù gig was an education, as well as an emotionally laden experience that served as a perfect tribute to this essential American artist. Tonight, Toussaint will perform again, this time heading a brilliant band and performing the classic jazz material found on his critically acclaimed CD from last year, The Bright Mississippi. As Toussaint explains it, New Orleans, La., is the jewel of the Mississippi River, hence the name The Bright Mississippi. Got it? For his encore, Toussaint played a couple of tunes from the LP and a short version of “On Your Way Down,” which was covered by Little Feat back in the day. This was a request from the Gesù audience shouted out by yours truly. Thanks again, Allen.
By the way, after dazzling the crowd for two hours, Toussaint went back to his hotel, cleaned up a bit and went out again to play onstage with Cyndi Lauper. Who Dat!
