A lot of wonderful music has emerged from New Orleans, and much of
it from the 1950s on bears the stamp of Allen Toussaint as songwriter,
producer, arranger, and/or pianist. (He produced LaBelle’s “Lady
Marmalade.”) He also has a career as performer. Toussaint has plied his
trade for Paul Simon, the Meters, and many more, while his last disc
was in collaboration with Elvis Costello.
The Bright Mississippi is Toussaint’s first major-label foray
into (nearly) all-instrumental jazz. It’s a hometown New Orleans homage
— pop, gospel, jazz, and blues songs written in or about, or
associated with, the city. Rather than overproduced, Mississippi
is gloriously underproduced — you practically feel like you’re
eavesdropping on a private session. Toussaint’s piano, elegant and
blues-rich, is out front — and while he has a busy style, his
keys sound opulent rather than cluttered. Accompaniment is sparing and
inspired — Nicholas Payton’s crackling, emotive trumpet; Marc
Ribot’s delicate yet pointed guitar; Don Byron’s soulful clarinet; and,
on one track, the gorgeous, slightly rough, big-toned tenor sax of
Joshua Redman. Recommended to all lovers of American music.
(Nonesuch)
