Allen Toussaint - The Wild Sound Of New Orleans '2021

Tracks list

These dozen sides represent Allen Toussaints earliest solo recordings for RCA
Records circa 1958. Toussaint was essentially discovered by Danny Kessler
— an early version of what would now be considered an A&R man. It was
during another artists studio time — featuring Toussaint as the
accompanying pianist — that Kessler first heard and approached Toussaint
to prepare a few instrumentals of his own. On January 29, 1958, Toussaint
(piano) was joined by a local crew that included Alvin Red Taylor (baritone
sax), Nat Perrilliat (tenor sax) or Lee Allen (tenor sax), either Justin Adams
(guitar) or Roy Montrell (guitar), Frank Fields (bass), and Charles Hungry
Williams (drums). As intimated above, the precise personnel has long been
debated. Kessler produced an outing that yielded the infectiously up-tempo blues
Whirlaway and the Ray Charles-inspired gospel-meets-barrelhouse-meets-swing
title Happy Times. Kessler turned the pair into a locally successful single and
was so encouraged by the results, less than a month later the same assemblage
gathered to record the remainder of what would be the Wild Sound of New Orleans
(1958). The soulful Up the Creek is a dark waltz with Toussaints stirring
keyboard runs emphasizing the haunting refrain. On the opposite side of the
emotive spectrum, the hearty Tim Tam is impelled by Williams hard and heavy
backbeat with Allen blowing his lungs out. Another contrast follows with the
whimsical Me and You. The melody is decked out with a classy early 20th century
pop standard feel, while all the more striking is the percussive accompaniment
replicating a tap-dancer doing an old soft shoe. Immediately, Toussaints
expressive keyboarding on Bono and Nashua give props to the performance style of
Professor Longhair before settling into their respectively catchy, mid-tempo
rhythms. The horns have plenty of room to strut their proverbial stuff and the
syncopation of the latter immediately brings Mardi Gras to mind. Perhaps the
best-known tune among the lot is the jaunty Java, which took on new life thanks
to a chart-topping remake by Al Hirt. The trumpeter turned it into his
unofficial theme song, ultimately making a 30-plus-year career out of it. Wham
Tousan and Pelican Parade each quickly rev up to full throttle with the saxes
taking on and going head-to-head with Toussaints rollicking runs up and down the
88s. The German-label import Complete Tousan Sessions (1992) from Bear Family is
a good way to get the 12 songs found here. It also boasts the complete and rarer
Seville label material that the artist cut and issued under the moniker Al
Tousan. ~ Lindsay Planer

Tracklist:
01 - Allen Toussaint - Whirlaway (Remastered, Mono) (2:21) 
02 - Allen Toussaint - Happy Times (Remastered, Mono) (2:09) 
03 - Allen Toussaint - Up The Creek (Remastered, Mono) (1:52) 
04 - Allen Toussaint - Tim Tam (Remastered, Mono) (2:01) 
05 - Allen Toussaint - Me And You (Remastered, Mono) (2:09) 
06 - Allen Toussaint - Bono (Remastered, Mono) (2:08) 
07 - Allen Toussaint - Java (Remastered, Mono) (1:55) 
08 - Allen Toussaint - Wham Tousan (Remastered, Mono) (2:25) 
09 - Allen Toussaint - Nowhere To Go (Remastered, Mono) (1:44) 
10 - Allen Toussaint - Nashua (Remastered, Mono) (2:35) 
11 - Allen Toussaint - Po Boy Walk (Remastered, Mono) (2:35) 
12 - Allen Toussaint - Pelican Parade (Remastered, Mono) (1:46) 
13 - Allen Toussaint - Chico (Remastered, Mono) (2:19) 
14 - Allen Toussaint - Back Home Again In Indiana (Remastered, Mono) (2:24) 
15 - Allen Toussaint - Second Liner (Remastered, Mono) (2:32) 
16 - Allen Toussaint - Cow Cow Blues (Remastered, Stereo) (2:42) 
17 - Allen Toussaint - Moo Moo (Remastered, Stereo) (2:25) 
18 - Allen Toussaint - Sweetie Pie (Twenty Years Later) (Remastered, Stereo)
(2:49) 
19 - Allen Toussaint - You Didnt Know, Did You? (Remastered, Stereo) (3:56) 
20 - Allen Toussaint - Up Right (Remastered, Stereo) (3:05) 
21 - Allen Toussaint - A Blue Mood (Remastered, Stereo) (2:35) 
22 - Allen Toussaint - A Lazy Day (Remastered, Stereo, without organ) (2:19) 
23 - Allen Toussaint - Naomi (Remastered, Stereo) (2:15) 
24 - Allen Toussaint - Als Theme (Remastered, Stereo) (1:57) 
25 - Allen Toussaint - Real Churchy (Remastered, Stereo, without organ) (2:31) 
26 - Allen Toussaint - A Lazy Day (Remastered, Stereo, with organ) (2:20) 
27 - Allen Toussaint - Real Churchy (Remastered, Stereo, with organ) (2:28)

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