“sweetest man in the world”
Variety comments on New Orleans Jazzfest -
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Just prior to Springsteen, local producer-singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello previewed three songs from their upcoming collaboration, "The River in Reverse" (Verve Forecast). As he did with 2004's "The Delivery Man," Costello shows New Orleans is a very good stylistic fit for him. "Tears, Tears and More Tears" (which included the lyrics "There must be something better than this because it can't get much worse," "You think the sun rises and set for you/but it rises and sets for poor people, too" and "I myself would like some higher ground") and "Nearer to You" found the sweet spot where Toussaint's rolling melodies and Costello's vocals meet. Costello also lent his vocals to a few of Toussaint's classics, including "On Your Way Down" and "Wonder Woman."
In their comments from the stage, both Costello and Toussaint echoed the prevailing spirit of Jazz Fest '06: a heartfelt appreciation for the crowds coming out.
A blogster -
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Just before Bruce, Elvis Costello and Allan Toussaint played. Awesome stuff. Toussaint’s stuff sounds just like Elvis’s stuff. So natural and perfect together. What impressed me most is that Toussaint called Elvis his “blood brother,” and said that he’d never met a man with a bigger heart, and at the end of Bruce’s set Bruce talked about how honored he was to play on the same stage as Elvis and Toussaint, and he said not only is Elvis a great musician, but he’s the “sweetest man in the world.”