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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

A Guide to Recognizing Toussaint

Posted By Dan Bolles on Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 2:11 PM

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Last week, I had a great conversation with New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint, for the cover story of tomorrow's paper. Among other things — discussing the art of songwriting, returning to New Orleans post-Katrina, collaborating with Elvis Costello, etc. — my chat with the legendary songwriter confirmed something I've long suspected: that when I grow up, I want to be an old, black piano player from New Orleans. Dude is just one smooth cat, even at 72.

Anyway, here's an older clip from a British TV show that sort of illustrates what I mean. In it, Toussaint describes how his mentor, Professor Longhair, subtly helped shape the course of N'awlins jazz piano.

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About The Author

Dan Bolles

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@DanBolles

Bio:
Dan Bolles is Seven Days' assistant arts editor and also edits What's Good, the annual city guide to Burlington. He has received numerous state, regional and national awards for his coverage of the arts, music, sports and culture. He loves dogs, dark beer and the Boston Red Sox.