[Dixielandjazz] Allen Toussaint and "The Bright Mississippi"

[Stephen G Barbone]

Has anyone else heard this record, "The Bright Mississippi",  
Toussaint's first "jazz" album? I love it but then, I am not your  
usual traddie. Songs on it include what he calls re-imaginations of:

Morton's  "Winin Boy Blues", Bechet's "Egyptian Fantasy", Oliver/ 
Armstrong's "West End Blues", plus "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "St  
James Infirmary Blues". "Singing The Blues", etc. Then just to confuse  
us, the title track "Bright Mississippi" is a Thelonious Monk  
adaptation of "Sweet Georgia Brown".

But what I really wonder about is why Toussaint chooses to make a  
Dixieland album. What does he know about the popularity of the genre  
that most of us don't? <grin> BTW, here's the last comment of the All  
About Jazz review:

"To paraphrase producer Henry, the CD is loaded with performances of  
classic songs that sound both completely fresh and entirely familiar."



Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband



Allen Toussaint reinvents Dixieland
June 9, 11:38 PM ·
 From Examiner.com
The legendary producer, arranger, songwriter, pianist, singer, and  
studio owner has come up with a classic recording in The Bright  
Mississippi. Mixing traditional New Orleans piano jazz with a very  
contemporary feel, this spectacular disc sounds almost sui generis. It  
helps to have some of the smartest younger jazz musicians on board  
such as Don Byron (clarinet), Nicholas Payton (trumpet), Marc Ribot  
(guitar), with guests Brad Mehldau (piano) and Joshua Redman (tenor  
saxophone), who play with taste and passion.

But it’s the leader who sets the tone. Drawing upon five decades as a  
mover and shaker in the vibrant New Orleans music scene, Toussaint  
gets everything exactly right. The first thing one notices is the  
sultry mood that pervades this session. But unlike lesser Crescent  
City jazzers, Toussaint evokes the steamy South through subtlety and  
nuance rather than bombast: The Big Easy has seldom sounded this  
relaxed yet rigorous. The sparseness of the arrangements also stand  
out. Indeed, the music is almost stripped to its bare essentials. It  
takes a rare genius to risk paring things this close to the bone.  
Don’t be fooled either by the leisurely pace. Some of the tunes are  
taken so slow as to almost provoke drowsiness in listeners were they  
played by lesser musicians, but these players, true masters, reveal  
the deepest heart of the music.

In the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer admits to never  
having much liked New Orleans music, be it Dr. John, the Meters, or  
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. But The Bright Mississippi changes  
all that. The Japanese have a phrase for it: “Things gone right.” And  
everything certainly sounds exactly right on this wonderful recording.