For fans of New Orleans, or jazz and R&B piano, or singer-songwriter genius, or just great American music, Rounder Records has something special coming out Sept. 24: Allen Toussaint’s Songbook, a CD and CD/DVD set featuring the Crescent City ambassador in a solo setting. The performances were captured at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan in 2009, and the DVD includes a live set plus a 25-minute in-studio interview. As Ashley Kahn’s liner notes point out, Joe’s was essential to the rebirth of Toussaint’s career following his post-Katrina relocation to New York from New Orleans. Songbook isn’t the only big news for Toussaint of late; in July President Obama awarded him a National Medal of Arts.
JazzTimes is proud to premiere this clip of “Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further?” from the DVD:
