(out of 5)
Just call April the month of Joe Henry. A few weeks ago, we saw the release of Ramblin’ Jack Elliott’s terrific new set, A Stranger Here, and now we have another album with Henry at the helm and here again Henry is working with a living legend, Mr. Allen Toussaint. It certainly isn’t inappropriate to begin this review with reference to Henry, since this record would never have been made had Henry not pestered Toussaint to make it. Allen Toussaint has had a long, lauded career and solidified himself as one of the preeminent jazz and R&B songwriters of the twentieth century. Though he has worked in a fairly wide vein of music, he has never recorded an entire album of the music of his youth, the music that he heard in the city streets while growing up in a shotgun shack in New Orleans. It’s this New Orleans music which he has loved and played his entire life and which Henry finally convinced him to put to tape for The Bright Mississippi. And, boy, I’m glad Toussaint and Henry made this one.
Though Henry’s contribution is important (he provides the backing band as well as a crystal clear production that brings these songs the clarity they deserve), this is clearly Allen Toussaint’s record. He functions not merely as a bandleader, but as a song interpreter, jazz prophet, and an elder statesman of a forgotten style of music as he communicates these old “standards” to a new generation.
And Toussaint is not merely playing it safe by selecting these old songs, he is taking some serious risks. Just as Brian Blade recently made a bold move from instrumental jazz to adult singer-songwriter, Toussaint is making an equally bold shift from his typical R&B stylings (with singing) to a mostly instrumental New Orleans jazz album on The Bright Mississippi. Though both men ought to be praised for their courage, Toussaint’s album proves to be a more successful effort (though had Henry produced Blade’s album, it may be a different story).
Though The Bright Mississippi isn’t merely a jazz album, but a rich combination of the genres and styles that have made up the history and spirit of this one-of-a-kind Southern city. Toussaint brings in healthy servings of gospel music (including a rendition of the old hymn, “Just a Closer Walk with Thee”), R&B, blues, old parade music, and funeral marches to craft an album that is free, spirited, and continually surprising and engaging.
One of the strengths of The Bright Mississippi is that Henry has brought his oft-used backing band into the studio to jam with Toussaint. This is smart movce because, first of all, these guys are just terrific musicians. Henry has amassed a terrific band that gels well together and there can be no greater compliment paid to them than that Henry uses them for his own studio albums as well as many of the albums he produces. He brings in David Piltch on the upright bass, Marc Ribot on guitar, Don Byron on clarinet, Nicholas Payton on the trumpet, the secret weapon, Jay Bellarose on drums, and also a cameo from Joshua Redman’s saxophone. Another reason that using these talented guys is a good choice is that they get into the studio and allow Toussaint to truly lead them through these old songs that flow through his bloodstream.
Toussaint’s piano provides the foundation as he travels through these terrific, old songs. Among the twelve tracks here, Toussaint includes songs by “Jelly Roll” Morton, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and a handful of traditional songs. Though these songs have been recorded plenty of times before, Toussaint fills them with new life and purpose as he tells them in his own way– and he is able to communicate a whole lot through these songs. As I already stated, this is a mostly instrumental record, though Toussaint sings on the second-to-last song, “Long, Long Journey,” yet, all of these songs burst with the vision and life of a people, a city, and a history.
The opener, “Egyptian Fantasy,” immediately removes the listener from the 21st century (while still managing to sound fresh and bright) and transports them to the streets of New Orleans. The next track, “Dear Old Southland,” is played as a beautiful, breezy funeral dirge which marches through the streets of a long forgotten city, changing slightly with the turn of each city corner. And it’s Henry’s crystal clear production that brings these funeral marches and celebratory parades from the streets of New Orleans right into your living room.
The Bright Mississippi is a lively, hypnotic record which is immediately in the running to be among the best records of 2009. It is a rare recording as it captures a living legend at the height of his powers making the music near and dear to his heart. There may be a couple records yet to be released this year that will be slightly better than The Bright Mississippi, but it’s likely that any will be as enchanting. This one is the real deal.
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Listen to The Bright Mississippi at Lala.
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Allen Toussaint
The Bright Mississippi
Nonesuch, 2009
July 6, 2009 at 12:06 am |
[...] Allen Toussaint — The Bright Mississippi Terrific set of old jazz standards by one of the elder statesmen of [...]