Have You Heard This One?

The Bright Mississippi-Allen Toussaint--If you don't know his name, you haven't been paying attention. Pianist Toussaint, based in New Orleans, has been an important composer, producer and musician for a long time. His songs include: "Yes We Can Can," a hit for The Pointer Sisters; "Southern Nights," a hit for Glen Campbell; "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley," covered by Robert Palmer and the name of one of his albums; and "Play Something Sweet (Brickyard Blues)," a hit for Three Dog Night. And he produced "Lady Marmalade (Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi), a hit for LaBelle. I could go on. The Bright Mississippi was not produced by Toussaint (it's a Joe Henry project), nor are there any Toussaint songs--the tunes are by Duke Ellington, "Jelly Roll" Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, Django Reinhardt, and others. Producer Joe Henry writes in the CD's booklet that he'd been wanting to do a "covers" CD with Toussaint after he heard Toussaint, for fun, play a Fats Waller song between takes in a Los Angeles studio. "I was stunned," writes Henry. "It was a revelation to hear this music...interpreted through Allen's very unique point of view...'Have you ever considered making a record like that?' I quickly asked him over the talkback. 'Never,' he said with a slight grin, and kept playing by way way of assuring me that he most certainly had." The Bright Mississippi is almost entirely instrumental, except for one track on which Toussaint sings. Musicians include Narrows alum Marc Ribot on acoustic guitar, along with Joshua Redman and others. Since this is pretty much all instrumentals, it's important to CRANK IT UP so it's not just background music. This is classy and classic, and not to be missed especially if you're interested in the roots of American jazz. It was a 2010 Grammy nominee.

My One and Only Thrill---Melody Gardot--Move over Diana Krall! This 25 year old out of New Jersey has one of the hottest CDs on the Billboard Jazz Chart. She's an excellent chanteuse, with a hint of the great Peggy Lee, plays piano and guitar, and wrote or co-wrote all the songs, except for her bossa nova cover of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The CD has a lush sound, but also a bluesy "after hours" feel that takes it to a hipper place. The artist has an interesting backstory: although a child piano prodigy, she didn't plan on becoming a professional musician as an adult. Then she sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car, and had to use music as therapy. She learned to play the guitar and started writing songs. Today, she has to wear shades day and night due to light sensitivity, but the accident didn't hurt her voice. If you enjoy musical excellence, check this one out.