Brunch With Allen Toussaint

The city was a gloomy and rainy this past Sunday, but inside Joe's Pub, the atmosphere was joyous and lively as fans of all ages-including a few little ones getting an early start on the brunch tradition-filled the room for Allen Toussaint's jazz brunch to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. The menu had a New Orleans flavor and the room buzzed with excitement when the lights dimmed and on stage stepped the elegant and graceful Mr. Toussaint. He took a seat in front of his baby grand and launched right into one wonderful tune after another, reaching far back into his vast catalogue, playing crowd pleasers, dedicating a gorgeous favorite to the late Ed Bradley, and engaging the audience with his witty banter. The highlight was the surprise appearance by Elvis Costello, who sang five songs from their recent fantastic collaborative album THE RIVER IN REVERSE. They started with my personal favorite from the CD, "The Sharpest Thorn" and got the audience to join in a sweeping "do do do do do" at the end. After a stunning 15-minute monologue about growing up and spending evenings with his Creole family members on their porch telling ghost stories, Toussaint closed the set with the great "Southern Sky." Two standing ovations followed and I must say I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day at the pleasure Allen got in playing and sharing his stories-what a thrill for us all!