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 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Allen Toussaint |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
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Review and photos by Mary Andrews Preservation Hall Jazz Band (PHJB) and Allen Toussaint brought their "Oh, Yeah! Tour to Tucson, AZ. Allen Toussaint has been writing, producing and influencing popular music for over 50 years. Together, their performance was a testimony of how to keep a music legacy relevant for a century.The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (PHJB) was formed in 1961 by Allen and Sandra Jaffe when they transformed the preservation hall in the French Quarter to a music venue. The original band consisted members who were present during the birth of New Orleans Jazz in the early 20th century. The most famous members of the original band were "Sweet" Emma Barrett and George Lewis. Both had bands of their own by 1920. The Jaffe's felt that in order to promote New Orleans Jazz effectively, the bands had to tour across the country and internationally. The band has been touring since that time. Rock n' Roll Hall-Of-Famer, Allen Toussaint's first break in the music business came in 1964 when he played piano on Al Hirt's number one hit record "Java." He wrote and produced hit records for Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Art and Aaron Neville, and Lee Dorsey. His songs have been covered by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, the Yardbirds, Warren Zevon, The Who, The Hollies, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. The list continues. Mr. Toussaint has also had a very proliferative solo career as well. Hip-hop artists in recent years have sampled many of his tunes. This is the first tour that has blended the talents of these musical legends and the result was magic. The show started with an energetic PHJB four-song intro. Each member of the band is a first class musician and many members sing as well. "Dear Lord (Give Me Strength)" from their latest CD release, "That's It," was given a rousing, revivalist treatment by Ronell Johnson. Ronell has a knack for keeping the "joint jumping" whether he is singing or playing his tuba! The dapper Mr. Allen Toussaint joined the stage to give folks a sample of his songbook starting with "Certain Girl." His voice and piano merged seamlessly with the band. Mr. Toussaint has finesse with his piano that is unmatched in the business. Even an untrained ear can appreciate Toussaint as his fingers tickle the piano keys! After singing "Working In A Coal Mine," Toussaint told stories about the early days. "I wrote that a long time ago for brother Lee Dorsey whom I spent a lot of my life with. We used to do lots of things together. We used to do the clubs at night. We used to ride motorcycles together. We raced Cadillacs together. Got busted a couple of times together. For simple stuff like racing Cadillacs. That's all. We had a wonderful time. I must say that, that song has been covered by some interesting people like DEVO. An interesting group. I was glad to see the song went to Mars. Also. I was flipping through our three channels. We had three channels in New Orleans at that time. Didn't know what to do with all them channels. They used to sign off late at night. I was flipping through my channels and I came across Tom Jones and I said that's pretty hip. That was before the sock you know! And he had some ladies in bikinis and they had some pic axes and they were working in the coalmines! Get down! Way to go! I had a good time with it. The next song has been covered more artists than any other song I've written including the Grateful Dead." The song was "Get Out My Life." The show included plenty of references to Mardi Gras including Mr. Toussaint bringing a bag of lagniappes to the stage and pitching them out to the crowd. No one had to flash body parts to get them either. From there, the band departed from the stage and Mr. Toussaint performed a solo portion of the show on piano. No more spoilers from me. Oh, maybe one more. PHJB's rendition of "St. James Infirmary" was killer! What makes a band like the Preservation Hall Jazz Band so cool? Maybe you should ask people like Jim James, Brittany Howard, Robert Plant, Keb' Mo', or Flava Flav. These are just a few of the folks who show up when the Preservation Hall Jazz Band comes to town. Drop in to the Midnight Preserves during Jazz Fest if you don't believe me. This is a special tour! Don't miss them if they come to your neck of the woods. |
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Dippermouth Blues
(King Oliver cover) Jeannie Raspberry Jam Dear Lord A Certain Girl (with Allen Toussaint) Working in the Coal Mine (with Allen Toussaint) Get Out of My Life (with Allen Toussaint) Mr. Mardi Gras (with Allen Toussaint) Yes We Can Allen Toussaint solo All These Things Allen Toussaint solo |
Piano, Piano Allen Toussaint solo City Of New Orleans Allen Toussaint solo Preservation Hall Jazz Band Allen Toussaint solo Fortune Teller (with Allen Toussaint) Walkin' (with Allen Toussaint) St. James Infirmary (Louis Armstrong cover) (with Allen Toussaint) Encore: That's It! Southern Nights (with Allen Toussaint) |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Allen Toussaint |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Preservation Hall Jazz Band |
 Allen Toussaint |