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USA Today reports -
The theme song for Showtime's Weeds, Malvina Reynolds' venerable Little Boxes, was once covered by Pete Seeger, but will receive a series of different interpretations in its new season. Elvis Costello sings it on the season premiere (Aug. 14), with later episodes featuring renditions by Engelbert Humperdinck, Death Cab for Cutie, Ozomatli, and Regina Spektor. Tough to get more eclectic than that.
The New Orleans Times Picayune wonders -
What, no "Born to Run"?
To mark the final night of their five-week North American tour, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint presided over a Tuesday night epic at the House of Blues that recalled Bruce Springsteen's indefatigable heyday. The marathon three-hour and 10-minute performance capped off -- and realized the full potential of -- the duo's post-Katrina partnership.
Backed by a seamless synthesis of their respective bands -- Toussaint's guitarist and horn section grafted onto Costello's Imposters -- they rendered most of "The River in Reverse," their joint Verve Records album, and recast Costello chestnuts with intriguing new arrangements by Toussaint.
At this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Costello made a brief appearance as a special guest of Toussaint's band. By reversing that dynamic, their collaboration hit its stride. Neither ceded his identity to complement the other.
Toussaint is a reluctant frontman; Costello relishes the spotlight. So Toussaint was in his element at the side of the House of Blues stage, dressing up arrangements with elegant flourishes on a grand piano, as Costello stood and sang front and center.
Both are legendarily prolific songwriters. "Allen has written 450,000 songs," Costello joked. "I'm catching up with him. I've written 350,000, including 17 since we arrived here this afternoon."
They dove into their respective, and joint, catalogs. Costello laced "Broken Promise Land" with a jagged guitar solo, then set aside the guitar to plead "Freedom for the Stallion." They revived "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," their collaboration from Costello's 1989 "Spike" album, and navigated the tricky topography of Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can."
The Crescent City Horns -- "all the way from right here," Toussaint cracked -- generated their own atmosphere with backing vocals, synchronized steps and brass. "Big" Sam Williams' trombone charge razzed "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further," as on the record. But his cohorts also distinguished themselves, from Amadee Castenell's flute intro to "Alison" to "Breeze" Cayolle's baritone sax to Joe "Fox" Smith's ever-present trumpet. Together, they overlaid Costello's "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea" with ska tones, spun his "Poisoned Rose" into a pure New Orleans rhythm and blues ballad and pumped up "Pump It Up."
Imposters keyboardist Steve Nieve's Hammond B-3 organ dueled with Toussaint's piano in "Nearer to You." Drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher found common ground between rock and funk. Toussaint guitarist Anthony Brown chimed in alongside them.
In the first encore, Toussaint delivered a solo piano discourse on "Tipitina," imagining the Professor Longhair classic in multiple settings. In the night's emotional climax, he rested his hands on his heart to quietly sing Paul Simon's "American Tune" against a soft cushion of Nieve's organ and Costello's acoustic guitar. "I don't know a soul who's not been battered/I don't have a friend who feels at ease/I don't know a dream that's not been shattered or driven to its knees," sang Toussaint, who lost his house in Gentilly. "But it's all right, for we lived so well so long/Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on, I wonder what's gone wrong."
His partnership with Costello has afforded him more national attention than he's received in decades. And Costello's proximity to an artist he has long admired has invigorated him, prompting his entry into a world of music he has always enjoyed.
As the show neared its conclusion, Costello wondered whether he'd ever share a stage with as fine a gentleman as Toussaint. Their time together, he said, had been "a privilege." As it was for those who witnessed its conclusion.
Times Picayune, LA
Farewell flourish
Costello and Toussaint end their musical partnership on a high note
Thursday, July 20, 2006
By Keith Spera
Music writer
What, no "Born to Run"?
To mark the final night of their five-week North American tour, Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint presided over a Tuesday night epic at the House of Blues that recalled Bruce Springsteen's indefatigable heyday. The marathon three-hour and 10-minute performance capped off -- and realized the full potential of -- the duo's post-Katrina partnership.
Backed by a seamless synthesis of their respective bands -- Toussaint's guitarist and horn section grafted onto Costello's Imposters -- they rendered most of "The River in Reverse," their joint Verve Records album, and recast Costello chestnuts with intriguing new arrangements by Toussaint.
At this year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Costello made a brief appearance as a special guest of Toussaint's band. By reversing that dynamic, their collaboration hit its stride. Neither ceded his identity to complement the other.
Toussaint is a reluctant frontman; Costello relishes the spotlight. So Toussaint was in his element at the side of the House of Blues stage, dressing up arrangements with elegant flourishes on a grand piano, as Costello stood and sang front and center.
Both are legendarily prolific songwriters. "Allen has written 450,000 songs," Costello joked. "I'm catching up with him. I've written 350,000, including 17 since we arrived here this afternoon."
They dove into their respective, and joint, catalogs. Costello laced "Broken Promise Land" with a jagged guitar solo, then set aside the guitar to plead "Freedom for the Stallion." They revived "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," their collaboration from Costello's 1989 "Spike" album, and navigated the tricky topography of Toussaint's "Yes We Can Can."
The Crescent City Horns -- "all the way from right here," Toussaint cracked -- generated their own atmosphere with backing vocals, synchronized steps and brass. "Big" Sam Williams' trombone charge razzed "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further," as on the record. But his cohorts also distinguished themselves, from Amadee Castenell's flute intro to "Alison" to "Breeze" Cayolle's baritone sax to Joe "Fox" Smith's ever-present trumpet. Together, they overlaid Costello's "(I Don't Want to Go To) Chelsea" with ska tones, spun his "Poisoned Rose" into a pure New Orleans rhythm and blues ballad and pumped up "Pump It Up."
Imposters keyboardist Steve Nieve's Hammond B-3 organ dueled with Toussaint's piano in "Nearer to You." Drummer Pete Thomas and bassist Davey Faragher found common ground between rock and funk. Toussaint guitarist Anthony Brown chimed in alongside them.
In the first encore, Toussaint delivered a solo piano discourse on "Tipitina," imagining the Professor Longhair classic in multiple settings. In the night's emotional climax, he rested his hands on his heart to quietly sing Paul Simon's "American Tune" against a soft cushion of Nieve's organ and Costello's acoustic guitar. "I don't know a soul who's not been battered/I don't have a friend who feels at ease/I don't know a dream that's not been shattered or driven to its knees," sang Toussaint, who lost his house in Gentilly. "But it's all right, for we lived so well so long/Still, when I think of the road we're traveling on, I wonder what's gone wrong."
His partnership with Costello has afforded him more national attention than he's received in decades. And Costello's proximity to an artist he has long admired has invigorated him, prompting his entry into a world of music he has always enjoyed.
As the show neared its conclusion, Costello wondered whether he'd ever share a stage with as fine a gentleman as Toussaint. Their time together, he said, had been "a privilege." As it was for those who witnessed its conclusion.
. . . . . . .
Music writer Keith Spera can be reached at kspera@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3470.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
House Of Blues
New Orleans
LA
U.S.A.
July 18 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Tears Before Bedtime
09. Poisoned Rose
10. Broken Promise Land
11. Freedom For The Stallion
12. The River In Reverse
13. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
14. Nearer To You
15. Wonder Woman
16. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
17. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
18. Bedlam
19. Watching The Detectives
20. Episode Of Blonde
21. Pump It Up
22. Big Chief Variations
23. Ascension Day
24. American Tune
25. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
26. High Fidelity
27. Get Out Of My Life Woman
28. International Echo
29. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
30. Clubland
31. The Greatest Love
32. Six-Fingered Man
33. That's How You Got Killed Before
34. Yes We Can Can
35. Shoo-Ra
36. Slippin' And Slidin'
37. The Sharpest Thorn
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Chastain Park
Atlanta
GA
U.S.A.
July 17 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Broken Promise Land
09. Freedom For The Stallion
10. The River In Reverse
11. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
12. Nearer To You
13. Wonder Woman
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
16. Bedlam
17. Watching The Detectives
18. Pump It Up
Encore 1
19. Big Chief Variations - including Big Chief, Tipitina and Mardi Gras In New Orleans
20. Ascension Day
21. American Tune
22. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
23. High Fidelity
24. Get Out Of My Life Woman
25. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
26. Clubland
27. The Greatest Love
28. That's How You Got Killed Before
29. Yes We Can Can
30. Shoo-Ra
31. Slippin' And Slidin'
32. The Sharpest Thorn
(Submitted by spooky girlfriend/bicyclops/Donna )
The Akron Beacon Journal reports -
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint's collaboration, The River In Reverse, was born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which drove the New Orleans music legend from his hometown.
Friday night at Blossom, shortly before the nearly three-hour concert featuring Costello, his band, the Imposters, Toussaint and The Crescent City Horns, Mother Nature seemed to remind stalwart concertgoers of the project's impetus with frequent lightning, thunder and torrential rain.
The pavilion-only show was sparsely populated, which allowed the sound to bounce off the empty seats, muddying the mix a bit.
The folks who were there spent the first two songs -- a peppy (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? and the more recent Monkey To Man -- making an exodus to the empty seats in the front, followed by a reluctant trickle to the back with quickly tightened Blossom security at their heels as Toussaint entered and sang A Certain Girl, an early hit for The Yardbirds. The duo played nearly all of The River In Reverse, which features a mix of classic Toussaint tracks with new songs co-written by the two. They also sprinkled in Costello's hits and rhythmically appropriate album cuts with new horn arrangements by Toussaint, which added interesting twists.
The taut faux Watching The Detectives became a fussy but fun jazz-noir ska with a typically dramatic piano solo from original Attraction Steve Nieve. Alison got a new elegaic horn and flute intro, plus Toussaint's lovely piano figures.
Just as on the The River In Reverse, Costello, wearing an understated black western-themed suit, did the bulk of the singing. While his familiar, nasal voice and sharp enunciation would seem at odds with the smooth R&B sound of the music, his vocals were soulful and powerful -- particularly on the ballads The Greatest Love, Costello's Poisoned Rose and Deep Dark Truthful Mirror, with Toussaint's modest tenor providing a nice contrast on a funky Get Out My Life Woman.
The set list contained more than 30 songs, and Toussaint's elegant yet rollicking piano was featured prominently throughout, including an encore of variations on a classic Professor Longhair tune that led into the bitter new song Ascension Day.
The overwhelmingly Costello-loving crowd showed its appreciation for Toussaint's music and lively piano playing with dancing and standing ovations, and reacted to Costello's references to the injured city and the government's slow reaction with cheers of support.
Akron Beacon Journal, OH
Posted on Sat, Jul. 15, 2006
Costello, Toussaint impress rainy Blossom
Unlikely duo unite in wake of Katrina
( no writer credit)
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint's collaboration, The River In Reverse, was born in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which drove the New Orleans music legend from his hometown.
Friday night at Blossom, shortly before the nearly three-hour concert featuring Costello, his band, the Imposters, Toussaint and The Crescent City Horns, Mother Nature seemed to remind stalwart concertgoers of the project's impetus with frequent lightning, thunder and torrential rain.
The pavilion-only show was sparsely populated, which allowed the sound to bounce off the empty seats, muddying the mix a bit.
The folks who were there spent the first two songs -- a peppy (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding? and the more recent Monkey To Man -- making an exodus to the empty seats in the front, followed by a reluctant trickle to the back with quickly tightened Blossom security at their heels as Toussaint entered and sang A Certain Girl, an early hit for The Yardbirds. The duo played nearly all of The River In Reverse, which features a mix of classic Toussaint tracks with new songs co-written by the two. They also sprinkled in Costello's hits and rhythmically appropriate album cuts with new horn arrangements by Toussaint, which added interesting twists.
The taut faux Watching The Detectives became a fussy but fun jazz-noir ska with a typically dramatic piano solo from original Attraction Steve Nieve. Alison got a new elegaic horn and flute intro, plus Toussaint's lovely piano figures.
Just as on the The River In Reverse, Costello, wearing an understated black western-themed suit, did the bulk of the singing. While his familiar, nasal voice and sharp enunciation would seem at odds with the smooth R&B sound of the music, his vocals were soulful and powerful -- particularly on the ballads The Greatest Love, Costello's Poisoned Rose and Deep Dark Truthful Mirror, with Toussaint's modest tenor providing a nice contrast on a funky Get Out My Life Woman.
The set list contained more than 30 songs, and Toussaint's elegant yet rollicking piano was featured prominently throughout, including an encore of variations on a classic Professor Longhair tune that led into the bitter new song Ascension Day.
The overwhelmingly Costello-loving crowd showed its appreciation for Toussaint's music and lively piano playing with dancing and standing ovations, and reacted to Costello's references to the injured city and the government's slow reaction with cheers of support.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Blossom Music Center
Cuyahoga Falls
OH
U.S.A.
July 15 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Wonder Woman
14. Nearer To You
15. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
16. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
17. Dust
18. Watching The Detectives
19. Pump It Up
Encore 1
20. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
21. High Fidelity
22. Get Out Of My Life Woman
23. International Echo
24. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
25. Clubland
26. The Greatest Love
Encore 2
27. Big Chief Variations
28. Ascension Day
29. What Do You Want The Girl To Do?
30. That's How You Got Killed Before
31. Yes We Can Can
32. Shoo-Ra
33. Slippin' And Slidin'
34. The Sharpest Thorn
(Submitted by Vern Morrison)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Bank Of America Pavilion
Boston
MA
U.S.A.
July 12 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
14. High Fidelity
15. Get Out Of My Life Woman
16. International Echo
17. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
18. Clubland
19. The Greatest Love
Encore 1
20. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
21. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
22. Nearer To You
23. Watching The Detectives
24. Pump It Up
Encore 2
25. Big Chief Variations
26. Ascension Day
27. American Tune
28. Wonder Woman
29. Yes We Can Can
30. Shoo-Ra
31. Slippin' And Slidin'
32. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted by S. Dalzell)
Costello biographer Graeme Thomson reviews River In Reverse -
Costello is an American artist now. His laser-pen is no longer trained on the provincial jackals, political hypocrites and poor-me celebrity whores of little Britain. Now, it’s all Fifth Avenue torch songs (North), Southern Gothic concept albums (The Delivery Man) and, with The River In Reverse, drawing inspiration from one of the United States’ great songwriters.
Costello re-established an occasional acquaintance with Allen Toussaint while the legendary New Orleans writer and pianist was holed up in New York, having been evicted by Hurricane Katrina. Inevitably — this is Costello, after all — the idea of a full collaboration soon followed, half of it cut in still-ravaged New Orleans with a combination of local players and Costello's Imposters. The result is his most enjoyable record for a decade: ribald, melodic, funky, tear-stained when appropriate , above all drenched in soulful humanity.
Scattered amongst vibrant new readings of Toussaint gems like Tears, Tears And More Tears and Freedom For The Stallion, the handful of co-compositions need to be on their game and generally are: International Echo is the theme from Only Fools And Horses married to Costello’s own Fish ‘N Chip Paper, reverberating with the joy of making music. The title song, by contrast, is funereal, its merciless beat slow-marching relentlessly to the morgue, the words picking their way through the nightmare of an unnamed but hellishly evoked New Orleans. It’s the only time The River In Reverse doesn’t wear its political anger lightly, and is all the more effective for it.
In terms of Costello, the song simply reaffirms that Uncle Sam’s gain is our loss. However, there is no doubting the album’s true star. The River In Reverse is a timely reminder of the stature of the super-talented Toussaint, emphasising the fluidity of his playing and the brilliance of his songbook, not to mention how many of his lyrics remain depressingly relevant today. Indeed, weighted as it is towards Costello, the album’s only drawback is that you end up aching for more of his collaborator.
Elvis Costello would probably be the first to admit that he wasn’t the greatest songwriter onstage Wednesday.
True, Costello’s catalog is far from shoddy. But he tends to aim high when he collaborates, having already worked with Burt Bacharach and, earlier this summer, with the Boston Pops. Now he’s upped the ante by working with Allen Toussaint - not only one of New Orleans’ master tunesmiths, but a pianist with decades of tradition at his fingertips.
From the start, when Toussaint strolled onstage during Costello’s New Orleans-inspired “Monkey to Man,” it was clear this wasn’t going to be a competition. Instead, a spirit of collaboration ruled, as Costello brought along his Imposters - two-thirds of whom have been with him since 1978 - and Toussaint his four-piece Crescent City Horns (plus guitarist Anthony Brown, who stayed in the shadows while Costello played leads). Toussaint’s horn arrangements added an elegant touch to a few handfuls of Costello favorites; in turn, Costello got Toussaint to drop his gentlemanly reserve and pound the Steinway grand with abandon.
Hurricane Katrina was invoked often in songs from their newalbum, “The River in Reverse” - Costello’s title track was a rare show of righteous anger - but so was the eternal spirit of New Orleans. The songs that sounded most topical were “Freedom for the Stallion” and “Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further,” both of which asked if America still cares about its less fortunate. Yet both songs were written by Toussaint in the early ’70s.
Gregarious as always, Costello made a few pointed political comments between tunes. And it must be noted that he sounded far more at home with r & b than he has with the torch and art songs he’s tried in recent years. During “On Your Way Down,” he bounced a nasty fuzztone guitar off Toussaint’s elegant piano runs: punk meets funk. And “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” from Costello’s younger days, benefited from a slightly chaotic but appropriate horn chart.
The last encore of a nearly three-hour show built from Paul Simon’s “American Tune” - by far the oddest choice of the night but given real soul by Toussaint’s vocal - to a rave-up on Little Richard’s “Slippin’ & Slidin’.” It’s a longstanding tradition for Costello to end the night with something unfamiliar and a bit jarring, but in this case “The Sharpest Thorn,” a song about a dimly remembered night of excess, ended with the horns alone on a note of jubilation
( extract)
“The best time, personally, I’ve ever had on stage,” is how Costello summed it all up. Toussaint played second fiddle on his grand piano for most of the set, but shone on “A Certain Girl” and on a Professor Longhair variation that began the second encore. And there was an implicit, positive message in Toussaint’s exuberant “Yes We Can Can,” vis-à-vis the New Orleans wreckage.
Boston Globe -
(extract)
Most of the brightest colors were supplied by the four-man Crescent City Horns who added noir tones to ``Watching the Detectives," a calypso-style liveliness to ``Clubland," and punctuated Toussaint's playful ``A Certain Girl" with a series of bright brass exclamation points.
Toussaint sang only a handful of songs but made his presence known on the Steinway, enlivening the evening with licks both rollicking and solemn, sometimes on the same song as on the deceptively upbeat lament ``Who's Gonna Help a Brother Get Further?"
Costello seemed especially energized and was in strong voice -- crooning R&B tunes, yelping rockers, and applying his acidic bark to vigorous new protest songs -- and made it easy to believe him when he said that this was the most fun he'd ever had onstage.
Near the end of the evening the regal Toussaint transformed the lyrics of Paul Simon's gently weary ``American Tune" into both an elegy for lost ideals and a poignant rebuke of those who've lost them. It was stunning.
MUSIC REVIEW
Costello stages a Big Easy revival show
By Sarah Rodman, Globe Staff | July 13, 2006
The best advertisement for a visit to post-Katrina New Orleans isn't being produced by the Louisiana tourism office. Veteran rock tunesmith Elvis Costello and Big Easy musical treasure Allen Toussaint have teamed up for a tour this summer that serves as a striking reminder of the ebullient music of the city.
Last night at the Bank of America Pavilion Costello exhorted the three-quarters-capacity crowd to take a journey to the region to support its economic recovery. But if anyone is buying plane tickets today it was not Costello's words that did the trick but the mighty rock and soul performance that he, Toussaint, the Imposters, and the Crescent City Horns cooked up for more than two hours.
Part protest -- an action figure of President Bush was the only stage prop -- and part jamboree, the assembled group played most of the pair's recent album, ``The River in Reverse," and, as Costello put it, slapped ``a new coat of paint" on a passel of his greatest hits and deep cuts.
Most of the brightest colors were supplied by the four-man Crescent City Horns who added noir tones to ``Watching the Detectives," a calypso-style liveliness to ``Clubland," and punctuated Toussaint's playful ``A Certain Girl" with a series of bright brass exclamation points.
Toussaint sang only a handful of songs but made his presence known on the Steinway, enlivening the evening with licks both rollicking and solemn, sometimes on the same song as on the deceptively upbeat lament ``Who's Gonna Help a Brother Get Further?"
Costello seemed especially energized and was in strong voice -- crooning R&B tunes, yelping rockers, and applying his acidic bark to vigorous new protest songs -- and made it easy to believe him when he said that this was the most fun he'd ever had onstage.
Near the end of the evening the regal Toussaint transformed the lyrics of Paul Simon's gently weary ``American Tune" into both an elegy for lost ideals and a poignant rebuke of those who've lost them. It was stunning.
At the two-hour and 15-minute mark we reluctantly skipped out of the party to make our deadline to the determined grooves of ``Yes We Can Can." The band seemed as tireless as the crowd.
While there is nothing about Hurricane Katrina for which to be grateful, this collaboration, which Costello said wouldn't have happened without the storm, proved that devastation needn't be total when it comes to the essential spirit of a place.
That Costello and Toussaint are able to bottle that New Orleans essence and sprinkle it liberally across the country on this tour is a fine testament to that spirit.
Boston Herald
Costello, Toussaint make for joyous union
By Brett Milano/ Music
Friday, July 14, 2006
Elvis Costello would probably be the first to admit that he wasn’t the greatest songwriter onstage Wednesday.
True, Costello’s catalog is far from shoddy. But he tends to aim high when he collaborates, having already worked with Burt Bacharach and, earlier this summer, with the Boston Pops. Now he’s upped the ante by working with Allen Toussaint - not only one of New Orleans’ master tunesmiths, but a pianist with decades of tradition at his fingertips.
From the start, when Toussaint strolled onstage during Costello’s New Orleans-inspired “Monkey to Man,” it was clear this wasn’t going to be a competition. Instead, a spirit of collaboration ruled, as Costello brought along his Imposters - two-thirds of whom have been with him since 1978 - and Toussaint his four-piece Crescent City Horns (plus guitarist Anthony Brown, who stayed in the shadows while Costello played leads). Toussaint’s horn arrangements added an elegant touch to a few handfuls of Costello favorites; in turn, Costello got Toussaint to drop his gentlemanly reserve and pound the Steinway grand with abandon.
Hurricane Katrina was invoked often in songs from their newalbum, “The River in Reverse” - Costello’s title track was a rare show of righteous anger - but so was the eternal spirit of New Orleans. The songs that sounded most topical were “Freedom for the Stallion” and “Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further,” both of which asked if America still cares about its less fortunate. Yet both songs were written by Toussaint in the early ’70s.
Gregarious as always, Costello made a few pointed political comments between tunes. And it must be noted that he sounded far more at home with r & b than he has with the torch and art songs he’s tried in recent years. During “On Your Way Down,” he bounced a nasty fuzztone guitar off Toussaint’s elegant piano runs: punk meets funk. And “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” from Costello’s younger days, benefited from a slightly chaotic but appropriate horn chart.
The last encore of a nearly three-hour show built from Paul Simon’s “American Tune” - by far the oddest choice of the night but given real soul by Toussaint’s vocal - to a rave-up on Little Richard’s “Slippin’ & Slidin’.” It’s a longstanding tradition for Costello to end the night with something unfamiliar and a bit jarring, but in this case “The Sharpest Thorn,” a song about a dimly remembered night of excess, ended with the horns alone on a note of jubilation
The Phoenix, MA
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
Foray to Funkytown
By: JIM SULLIVAN
7/14/2006 12:45:50 PM
Elvis Costello long ago established himself as the best songwriter of his generation. But he remains determined to explore every genre under the sun, collaborating with everyone from Billy Sherill to Paul McCartney, from the Brodsky Quartet to his wife Diana Krall, and Emmylou Harris to, most recently, New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint. The downside for fans of Costello the pop genius is that every now and again he overreaches and you just want him to go back to what he does best.
That was the case when Costello and Toussaint landed at the Bank of America Pavilion a week ago last Wednesday night to fend off a major downpour with a two-and-a-half hour workout in support of their new The River In Reverse (Verve Forecast). It was clearly the Costello show, but Toussaint, Costello pointed out, wrote new charts to nine Costello-penned tune they performed, and it was Toussaint’s four-piece Crescent City Horns who imbued classics like “(I Don’t Want To Go to) Chelsea)” with sass and brass, trombonist Sam “Big Sam” Williams in particular emerging as a star soloist.
This was a trip to funkytown. Costello returned, in large part, to the soul man styling of 1980’s Get Happy!!, and they played “High Fidelity” from it, too. The band — which included longtime Costello compadres Steve Nieve on keys and Pete Thomas on drums — were on point for the 10 tracks that made the cut from River In Reverse, an album Costello said would never have been recorded if Toussaint hadn’t relocated to NYC after Hurricane Katrina. And Costello went on to bash Bush for his bungling of the disaster as an intro to “Broken Promise Land.”
“The best time, personally, I’ve ever had on stage,” is how Costello summed it all up. Toussaint played second fiddle on his grand piano for most of the set, but shone on “A Certain Girl” and on a Professor Longhair variation that began the second encore. And there was an implicit, positive message in Toussaint’s exuberant “Yes We Can Can,” vis-à-vis the New Orleans wreckage.
OVER his enduring career, Elvis Costello has been a genre-jumping pied piper who has led his fans on musical sojourns as diverse as new wave, classical, country and opera.
At the Beacon Theatre on Monday, the first of his two-show engagement, Costello bowed low to old-fashioned New Orleans R&B with Crescent City piano icon Allen Toussaint as his guide and muse. While the hairlines of both men have steadily traveled north, this performance demonstrated that their skills haven't gone south.
For a point of reference to the music, forget about the kind of soul and R&B that's infused into contemporary hip-hop. Instead, travel back to the rolling piano work and earthy vocals of a young Fats Domino singing songs that weren't quite country, blues or rock, but a little of each.
Over the course of the 21/2-hour concert, the pair traded licks on their individual hits and the songs they penned together for their recent CD "The River in Reverse," inspired by Hurricane Katrina.
These men have very different styles - Costello's tenor is nimble, reaching both highs and lows, but it has an abrasive quality. Toussaint is always smooth, his tones are soulful, and his delivery has an unexpected sincerity and humbleness.
During some of the songs, like Toussaint's "Freedom for the Stallion," the pair complemented one another. And then there were songs where they seemed at odds, as on "Ascension Day," a stripped-down retooling of the bright New Orleans standard "Tipitina" disguised in a solemn minor key.
When Costello laid down one of his own classics, such as the concert opener "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," or the late show rave "Pump It Up," the crowd matched his performance energy, but it was mostly an easy, relaxed night of music that the audience members enjoyed from their seats.
Still, there was no doubt about whom the crowd was there to hear.
At this show, Costello dominated the fans' attention, strumming and humming center stage. Toussaint's soul and R&B production served as the concert's glue, and he seemed content to be the pianist for Costello's band.
Toussaint did do a bit of lead vocal work, the best of which was on a cover of Paul Simon's "American Tune" and his own "Yes We Can Can," which was made popular by the Pointer Sisters back in the '70s.
The Costello songs that fared best with this old-school soul treatment were the midset rendering of "Poison Rose" and the encore song, "Alison." Each demonstrated how a stylistic shift can make you hear a time-tested oldie in a new way.
New York Times -
(extract)
The unusually sympathetic rapport between the two headliners was the evening’s finest feature. It worked beautifully on “Ascension Day,” an apocalyptic tone poem by Mr. Costello based on Mr. Toussaint’s minor-key translation of Professor Longhair’s New Orleans classic “Tipitina.” And it worked again on the next number, a cover of Paul Simon’s “American Tune,” with Mr. Toussaint on lead vocal.
“I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered,” he sang in a quiet voice, accompanied only by Steve Nieve on Hammond organ and Mr. Costello on acoustic guitar. Mr. Toussaint carried the line, and the rest of the song, with masterly understatement. When he repeated the phrase “I’m all right,” it came with a complex and subtly powerful mixture of emotions.
Hollywoodd Reporter -
(extract)
Costello was the perfect foil for Toussaint's cool and hammed it up as ringmaster and emcee, serving as a street barker slyly beckoning listeners to consider the gravity of the lyrics beneath the horn-driven romps. The new songs "On Your Way Down" and "Tears, Tears and More Tears" were lively, piano-driven compositions that Costello crooned over, pleasantly masking the aching inspiration the New Orleans-based Toussaint must have felt when he wrote them. Imposter Steve Nieve slammed out a groove on a Hammond B3 alongside Toussaint's piano while Costello sang "Broken Promise Land"; the audience could not help but sway along.
New York Times
July 12, 2006
Music Review
Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint: A Bouncy Take on the Grim
By NATE CHINEN
“There must be something better than this,” Elvis Costello sang on Monday night at the Beacon Theater, “ ’cause I don’t see how it can get much worse.” Mr. Costello was belting the chorus to “The River in Reverse,” the acerbic and topical title track from the recent album he made with the venerable New Orleans pianist, producer and songwriter Allen Toussaint.
A moment earlier Mr. Costello had recounted his collaborative history with Mr. Toussaint, beginning with a couple of scattered album tracks in the 1980’s and skipping ahead to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina less than a year ago. During one frenzied week in New York last September, the two reconnected onstage at a series of benefit concerts. By week’s end, Mr. Costello had written “The River in Reverse,” performed it with Mr. Toussaint and discussed plans for an album with Verve Forecast executives.
Like the recording, Monday’s concert featured Mr. Costello and his band the Imposters alongside Mr. Toussaint on piano, Anthony Brown on rhythm guitar and the four-piece Crescent City Horns. The chief tone of this ensemble, over the course of nearly three hours and more than 30 songs, was an unflagging warmth and exuberance, even when the subject matter was grim.
Some of the evening’s most buoyant moments involved vintage songs by Mr. Toussaint, like “Who’s Gonna Help a Brother Get Further?,” which he wrote for the New Orleans rhythm and blues singer Lee Dorsey. Mr. Toussaint sang lead, his relaxed, conversational baritone providing a contrast to Mr. Costello’s plangent and slightly adenoidal vocal style.
But Mr. Costello, a well-tested musical chameleon, managed to sound at home in Mr. Toussaint’s world. He sang the hymnlike plea “Freedom for the Stallion” with sensitivity and authority, stamping one aside — “it’s a doggone sin” — with a definitive sense of exasperation. He did nearly as well with “Tears, Tears and More Tears,” a lovelorn plaint that has acquired a double meaning since the devastation in New Orleans.
Mr. Toussaint’s influence reached well beyond his own material; his arrangements were incorporated throughout the concert: not only on “Deep Dark Truthful Mirror,” one of his early collaborations with Mr. Costello, but also on a host of other Costello originals. So “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” was retrofitted around a meaty horn part, while “Poisoned Rose” heeded a stately gospel cadence. Mr. Toussaint’s ebullient pianism was often as central as Mr. Costello’s tightly controlled guitar playing.
The unusually sympathetic rapport between the two headliners was the evening’s finest feature. It worked beautifully on “Ascension Day,” an apocalyptic tone poem by Mr. Costello based on Mr. Toussaint’s minor-key translation of Professor Longhair’s New Orleans classic “Tipitina.” And it worked again on the next number, a cover of Paul Simon’s “American Tune,” with Mr. Toussaint on lead vocal.
“I don’t know a soul who’s not been battered,” he sang in a quiet voice, accompanied only by Steve Nieve on Hammond organ and Mr. Costello on acoustic guitar. Mr. Toussaint carried the line, and the rest of the song, with masterly understatement. When he repeated the phrase “I’m all right,” it came with a complex and subtly powerful mixture of emotions.
The River in Reverse Tour stops tonight in Boston and concludes next Tuesday in New Orleans.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Costello, Toussaint bring Bourbon St. to NYC
Tue Jul 11, 2006
By Mick Stingley
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello brought their collaborative talent and charm to the first of two sold-out shows here to celebrate the spirit of the city of New Orleans.
It was a joyous evening mitigated only by the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, which led Costello and Toussaint to write their new album, "The River In Reverse" (Verve), which the legendary songwriters performed during the course of three hours.
Opening the show with his band, the Imposters, Costello set the tone with a smoldering version of Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding." Loud, angry and in excellent voice, Costello asked the question, "Is all hope lost?"
Costello then was joined by Toussaint, the Crescent City Horns and guitarist Anthony "AB" Brown. The formidable presence of the ensemble brought the mirth and pathos of a Bourbon Street juke joint as the group ranged through songs from the new album and trinkets from Costello's and Toussaint's catalogs.
Costello was the perfect foil for Toussaint's cool and hammed it up as ringmaster and emcee, serving as a street barker slyly beckoning listeners to consider the gravity of the lyrics beneath the horn-driven romps. The new songs "On Your Way Down" and "Tears, Tears and More Tears" were lively, piano-driven compositions that Costello crooned over, pleasantly masking the aching inspiration the New Orleans-based Toussaint must have felt when he wrote them. Imposter Steve Nieve slammed out a groove on a Hammond B3 alongside Toussaint's piano while Costello sang "Broken Promise Land"; the audience could not help but sway along.
Costello did not disappoint his fans, fleshing out a few of his old songs with the horn section. The gentle reggae skank of "Watching the Detectives" was remade as a hot jazz waltz; "Pump It Up" became more buoyant; befitting the evening, "Alison" was bittersweet. Costello and Toussaint closed with "The Sharpest Thorn," leading the audience through its mournful chorus.
It would seem that all hope is not lost, but, like the New Orleans about which the two men wrote and sang so passionately, merely mired in mud and bureaucracy.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
PAIRED WITH PIANIST, COSTELLO'S AIM STILL TRUE
By DAN AQUILANTE
July 12, 2006 -- ELVIS COSTELLO with ALLEN TOUSSAINT
OVER his enduring ca reer, Elvis Costello has been a genre-jumping pied piper who has led his fans on musical sojourns as diverse as new wave, classical, country and opera.
At the Beacon Theatre on Monday, the first of his two-show engagement, Costello bowed low to old-fashioned New Orleans R&B with Crescent City piano icon Allen Toussaint as his guide and muse. While the hairlines of both men have steadily traveled north, this performance demonstrated that their skills haven't gone south.
For a point of reference to the music, forget about the kind of soul and R&B that's infused into contemporary hip-hop. Instead, travel back to the rolling piano work and earthy vocals of a young Fats Domino singing songs that weren't quite country, blues or rock, but a little of each.
Over the course of the 21/2-hour concert, the pair traded licks on their individual hits and the songs they penned together for their recent CD "The River in Reverse," inspired by Hurricane Katrina.
These men have very different styles - Costello's tenor is nimble, reaching both highs and lows, but it has an abrasive quality. Toussaint is always smooth, his tones are soulful, and his delivery has an unexpected sincerity and humbleness.
During some of the songs, like Toussaint's "Freedom for the Stallion," the pair complemented one another. And then there were songs where they seemed at odds, as on "Ascension Day," a stripped-down retooling of the bright New Orleans standard "Tipitina" disguised in a solemn minor key.
When Costello laid down one of his own classics, such as the concert opener "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding," or the late show rave "Pump It Up," the crowd matched his performance energy, but it was mostly an easy, relaxed night of music that the audience members enjoyed from their seats.
Still, there was no doubt about whom the crowd was there to hear.
At this show, Costello dominated the fans' attention, strumming and humming center stage. Toussaint's soul and R&B production served as the concert's glue, and he seemed content to be the pianist for Costello's band.
Toussaint did do a bit of lead vocal work, the best of which was on a cover of Paul Simon's "American Tune" and his own "Yes We Can Can," which was made popular by the Pointer Sisters back in the '70s.
The Costello songs that fared best with this old-school soul treatment were the midset rendering of "Poison Rose" and the encore song, "Alison." Each demonstrated how a stylistic shift can make you hear a time-tested oldie in a new way.
dan.aquilante@nypost.com
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Beacon Theater
New York
NY
U.S.A.
July 11 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. Tears Before Bedtime
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Nearer To You
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Get Out Of My Life Woman
16. Watching The Detectives
17. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
18. Pump It Up
19. Yes We Can Can
20. Shoo-Ra
21. Slippin' And Slidin'
22. That Day Is Done
Encore 1
23. Big Chief Variations
24. Ascension Day
25. American Tune
26. Wonder Woman
27. International Echo
28. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
29. Clubland
Encore 2
30. The Greatest Love
31. Six-Fingered Man
32. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
33. High Fidelity
34. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted by C. David)
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Beacon Theatre
New York
NY
U.S.A.
July 10 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Nearer To You
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
16. Bedlam
17. Watching The Detectives
18. Episode Of Blonde
19. Pump It Up
Encore 1
20. Big Chief Variations
21. Ascension Day
22. American Tune
23. Wonder Woman
24. International Echo
25. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
26. Clubland
27. The Greatest Love
Encore 2
28. That's How You Got Killed Before
29. Yes We Can Can
30. Get Out Of My Life Woman
31. Slippin' And Slidin'
32. High Fidelity
33. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted by C. David )
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Fallsview Casino Resort
Niagara Falls
ON
Canada
July 9 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Nearer To You
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Get Out Of My Life, Woman
16. Watching The Detectives
17. I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down
18. High Fidelity
19. Pump It Up
20. Yes We Can Can
21. Shoo-Ra
22. Slippin' And Slidin'
23. That Day Is Done
24. Big Chief Variations
Encore 1
25. Ascension Day
26. American Tune
27. Wonder Woman
28. International Echo
29. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
30. Clubland
31. That's How You Got Killed Before
32. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted by TPPD)
The Buffalo News comments -
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. - There are ways to acknowledge tragedy, to shine a light on suffering, that seem forced and, at their worst, opportunistic. Then there is the musical marriage of English pop maestro/renaissance man Elvis Costello and legendary New Orleans soul/r&b composer, arranger and pianist Allen Toussaint. That relationship crystallized around their post-Katrina celebration of N'Awlins soul, "The River in Reverse," and the subsequent concert tour supporting the album, which brought Costello, Toussaint, and their musical collaborators to the Avalon Ballroom for the first of two nights on Friday.
There is nothing contrived about the pair's work mining the deep musical history of New Orleans on "The River in Reverse," and that is doubly so of the way Costello and Toussaint, with the former's Imposters and the latter's Crescent City Horns in tow, translated that material in the concert setting.
It was fiery, fun, funky and fueled by a reverence for Louisiana soul that was never too heavy-handed or overtly studied. It was also a celebration of the indomitability of the human spirit and the bodies of work of two remarkable songwriters from remarkably different cultures who found much common ground.
Costello's name is the better-known one outside of New Orleans, but in many ways, Friday's show was all about the brand of soul Toussaint has been perfecting for decades. Aside from the set opener, Costello's revered take on Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" - which appropriately set up the concert's subtle underpinning theme of hope amid despair - the concert consisted of Costello and the Imposters (Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas and Davey Faragher) coming to Toussaint's table. They accorded themselves amazingly well in that endeavor.
Toussaint penned new arrangements and horn parts for several Costello classics, notably the poetic, piano-led masterpiece from Costello's late-'80s tour de force "Spike," "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," which was simply (and snarlingly) sublime. "Poisoned Rose," another impeccable ballad, this time from the "King of America" album, was also given a fresh arrangement, courtesy of Toussaint, who wrapped Costello's eloquent vocal and acoustic guitar in tasteful horn harmonies.
Costello the singer pushed himself to considerable heights when singing Toussaint's tunes. "Nearer to You" found him reaching for - and hitting, dead-on - high notes, blending jazzlike phrasing with old-school gospel, and it was pretty much mind-blowing. "On Your Way Down" was French Quarter soul of the highest degree, and Costello really wrung the sponge of every drop of emotion, while the band - particularly Toussaint guitarist Anthony "AB" Brown, who was so deep in the pocket, it's a wonder he ever found his way out again - swung with agility and grace. "Tears, Tears and More Tears" was another corker, sung with complete, full-throated commitment by Costello, and bolstered by vigorous kicks from the horns. Toussaint took the lead vocal on his own barn-burner, "A Certain Girl," which brought the audience to its feet. Another Toussaint spotlight, "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" tied the man's street-savvy funk to the evening's recurring references to class and race warfare, which was wrapped beneath the post-Katrina New Orleans umbrella most ably and passionately by Costello, as he intoned the title song of "The River in Reverse," which was the evening's highest high point.
New Orleans might have been abandoned by those whose job it was to help it, as Costello (like so many other high-profile rock composers and musicians, from Bruce Springsteen to Dr. John) has suggested, but its greatest gift to our country - the music that we call our own and offer to the world - is clearly alive and well. Costello, Toussaint and their collaborators offered us a glorious evening celebrating that fact.
Buffalo News , July 8 '06
CONCERT REVIEW
Elvis Costello and the Imposters
Friday night in Avalon Ballroom, Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. Another show at 8:30 tonight.
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. - There are ways to acknowledge tragedy, to shine a light on suffering, that seem forced and, at their worst, opportunistic. Then there is the musical marriage of English pop maestro/renaissance man Elvis Costello and legendary New Orleans soul/r&b composer, arranger and pianist Allen Toussaint. That relationship crystallized around their post-Katrina celebration of N'Awlins soul, "The River in Reverse," and the subsequent concert tour supporting the album, which brought Costello, Toussaint, and their musical collaborators to the Avalon Ballroom for the first of two nights on Friday.
There is nothing contrived about the pair's work mining the deep musical history of New Orleans on "The River in Reverse," and that is doubly so of the way Costello and Toussaint, with the former's Imposters and the latter's Crescent City Horns in tow, translated that material in the concert setting.
It was fiery, fun, funky and fueled by a reverence for Louisiana soul that was never too heavy-handed or overtly studied. It was also a celebration of the indomitability of the human spirit and the bodies of work of two remarkable songwriters from remarkably different cultures who found much common ground.
Costello's name is the better-known one outside of New Orleans, but in many ways, Friday's show was all about the brand of soul Toussaint has been perfecting for decades. Aside from the set opener, Costello's revered take on Nick Lowe's "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" - which appropriately set up the concert's subtle underpinning theme of hope amid despair - the concert consisted of Costello and the Imposters (Steve Nieve, Chris Thomas and Davey Faragher) coming to Toussaint's table. They accorded themselves amazingly well in that endeavor.
Toussaint penned new arrangements and horn parts for several Costello classics, notably the poetic, piano-led masterpiece from Costello's late-'80s tour de force "Spike," "Deep Dark Truthful Mirror," which was simply (and snarlingly) sublime. "Poisoned Rose," another impeccable ballad, this time from the "King of America" album, was also given a fresh arrangement, courtesy of Toussaint, who wrapped Costello's eloquent vocal and acoustic guitar in tasteful horn harmonies.
Costello the singer pushed himself to considerable heights when singing Toussaint's tunes. "Nearer to You" found him reaching for - and hitting, dead-on - high notes, blending jazzlike phrasing with old-school gospel, and it was pretty much mind-blowing. "On Your Way Down" was French Quarter soul of the highest degree, and Costello really wrung the sponge of every drop of emotion, while the band - particularly Toussaint guitarist Anthony "AB" Brown, who was so deep in the pocket, it's a wonder he ever found his way out again - swung with agility and grace. "Tears, Tears and More Tears" was another corker, sung with complete, full-throated commitment by Costello, and bolstered by vigorous kicks from the horns. Toussaint took the lead vocal on his own barn-burner, "A Certain Girl," which brought the audience to its feet. Another Toussaint spotlight, "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" tied the man's street-savvy funk to the evening's recurring references to class and race warfare, which was wrapped beneath the post-Katrina New Orleans umbrella most ably and passionately by Costello, as he intoned the title song of "The River in Reverse," which was the evening's highest high point.
New Orleans might have been abandoned by those whose job it was to help it, as Costello (like so many other high-profile rock composers and musicians, from Bruce Springsteen to Dr. John) has suggested, but its greatest gift to our country - the music that we call our own and offer to the world - is clearly alive and well. Costello, Toussaint and their collaborators offered us a glorious evening celebrating that fact.
e-mail: jmiers@buffnews.com
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Cape Cod Melody Tent
Hyannis
MA
U.S.A.
July 5 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
--Enter Crescent City Horns, Allen Toussaint and Anthony Brown
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
08. Poisoned Rose
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Nearer To You
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
16. Bedlam
Exit A.T.
17. Watching The Detectives
18. Pump It Up
19. Yes We Can Can
20. Get Out Of My Life Woman
21. Big Chief Variations - including Big Chief, Tipitina, Tipitina And Me and Tribute To Fess (Thank You Lord)
22. Ascension Day
23. Wonder Woman
24. International Echo
25. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
26. Clubland
27. The Greatest Love
28. Slippin' And Slidin'
29. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted by Crimson/Jorke/TPPD )
The Columbus Dispatch comments -
(extract)
Call the Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint tour—which arrived in the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion last night—the campaign trail. With the tour and his duet album with Toussaint, Costello is not angling for office but rather is on a mission to re-acquaint this country with itself.
Specifically, the shows pay tribute to New Orleans and the popular culture that owes a great debt to composer, producer and pianist Toussaint. At its broadest, the program views the destruction of the Crescent City as a symbol of a nation in trouble, largely because it is losing respect for its people and their rich cultural heritage, much of which originated in New Orleans.
The “River In Reverse” album and the tour aren't without pointed political statement. Among the most potent Friday night were the co-written songs “Broken Promise Land”; Toussaint's “Freedom For The Stallion,” recorded by Three Dog Night more than 30 years ago; and Costello's harrowing album title track.
That brilliant song, in particular, displayed Costello's maturation as an artist and the clear and compassionate vision of the album and tour, as it joined the desperation felt by flood victims with the larger erosion in the quality of the lives of the poorest among them.
The jacket of Costello's 1980 album “Trust,” from which Friday's smoking “Clubland” was drawn, features an impish Elvis peering suspiciously over sunglasses and symbolically aiming a very pointed finger. With the material and design of the current tour, Costello no longer is the sometimes shrill and easy to dismiss bull-in-a-China shop of old. He's found that a fading musical snapshot coupled with an unforgiving mirror are considerably more potent tools.
Some of Toussaint's classic soul tunes resonated deepest. The cautionary tale “On Your Way Down,” the uplifting “Yes We Can Can” and the soulful “Tears, Tears And More Tears” witnessed a musical style and supporting culture that was dealt a daunting blow by Hurricane Katrina.
Costello didn't ignore his long-faithful audience, most of whom must have had some inkling of his love of r&b long before now, with plenty selections from his own catalogue. From hits to obscurities, though, the band adapted them terrifically and frequently with a great deal of political or stylistic relevance.
The core band of keyboardist Steve Nieve, who partnered nicely on organ with Toussaint on piano, bassist Davey Faragher and ace drummer Pete Thomas rocked hard and always found the groove augmented by guitarist Anthony Brown and the Crescent City horns. While Costello's voice strained to reach the limits of his range, his performance still was inspiring.
Toussaint created nearly all of the arrangements for the 10-piece band including Costello's chestnuts. All of them were on the money. The extended reading of the needless “Dust,” one of two Costello arrangements, was one of the few missteps of the evening.
As a whole, though, the two-and-a-half hour program was smartly constructed, paced to keep the energy high, Costello fans happy and the cause near at hand. Plenty hopeful, Costello's message was guarded. “Like New Orleans,” he seemed to be saying, “what you hear tonight is rapidly going, going … ”
Costello, Toussaint keep energy high
By Curtis Schieber
The Columbus Dispatch
Saturday, July 1, 2006 7:02 AM
Elvis Costello, with special guest Alan Toussaint on piano, plays at the Lifestyles Communities Pavillion last night.
Call the Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint tour—which arrived in the Lifestyle Communities Pavilion last night—the campaign trail. With the tour and his duet album with Toussaint, Costello is not angling for office but rather is on a mission to re-acquaint this country with itself.
Specifically, the shows pay tribute to New Orleans and the popular culture that owes a great debt to composer, producer and pianist Toussaint. At its broadest, the program views the destruction of the Crescent City as a symbol of a nation in trouble, largely because it is losing respect for its people and their rich cultural heritage, much of which originated in New Orleans.
The “River In Reverse” album and the tour aren't without pointed political statement. Among the most potent Friday night were the co-written songs “Broken Promise Land”; Toussaint's “Freedom For The Stallion,” recorded by Three Dog Night more than 30 years ago; and Costello's harrowing album title track.
That brilliant song, in particular, displayed Costello's maturation as an artist and the clear and compassionate vision of the album and tour, as it joined the desperation felt by flood victims with the larger erosion in the quality of the lives of the poorest among them.
The jacket of Costello's 1980 album “Trust,” from which Friday's smoking “Clubland” was drawn, features an impish Elvis peering suspiciously over sunglasses and symbolically aiming a very pointed finger. With the material and design of the current tour, Costello no longer is the sometimes shrill and easy to dismiss bull-in-a-China shop of old. He's found that a fading musical snapshot coupled with an unforgiving mirror are considerably more potent tools.
Some of Toussaint's classic soul tunes resonated deepest. The cautionary tale “On Your Way Down,” the uplifting “Yes We Can Can” and the soulful “Tears, Tears And More Tears” witnessed a musical style and supporting culture that was dealt a daunting blow by Hurricane Katrina.
Costello didn't ignore his long-faithful audience, most of whom must have had some inkling of his love of r&b long before now, with plenty selections from his own catalogue. From hits to obscurities, though, the band adapted them terrifically and frequently with a great deal of political or stylistic relevance.
The core band of keyboardist Steve Nieve, who partnered nicely on organ with Toussaint on piano, bassist Davey Faragher and ace drummer Pete Thomas rocked hard and always found the groove augmented by guitarist Anthony Brown and the Crescent City horns. While Costello's voice strained to reach the limits of his range, his performance still was inspiring.
Toussaint created nearly all of the arrangements for the 10-piece band including Costello's chestnuts. All of them were on the money. The extended reading of the needless “Dust,” one of two Costello arrangements, was one of the few missteps of the evening.
As a whole, though, the two-and-a-half hour program was smartly constructed, paced to keep the energy high, Costello fans happy and the cause near at hand. Plenty hopeful, Costello's message was guarded. “Like New Orleans,” he seemed to be saying, “what you hear tonight is rapidly going, going … ”
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Allen Toussaint
The Crescent City Horns
Anthony "AB" Brown
Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Columbus
OH
U.S.A.
June 30 '06
01. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?
02. Monkey To Man
03. On Your Way Down
04. A Certain Girl
05. Clown Strike
06. Tears, Tears And More Tears
07. Tears Before Bedtime
08. (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea
09. Broken Promise Land
10. Freedom For The Stallion
11. The River In Reverse
12. Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?
13. Nearer To You
14. Deep Dark Truthful Mirror
15. Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)
16. Bedlam
17. Dust
18. Watching The Detectives
19. Yes We Can Can
20. Shoo-Ra
21. Fortune Teller
22. The Greatest Love
23. Big Chief Variations
24. Ascension Day
25. Wonder Woman
26. International Echo
27. Alison / Tracks Of My Tears
28. Clubland
29. That Day Is Done
30. Slippin' And Slidin'
31. High Fidelity
32. Six-Fingered Man
33. That's How You Got Killed Before
34. The Sharpest Thorn
( Submitted Rozy Stevens )