Jazz Music News, Press Releases - New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint dies

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New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint dies

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Topic: New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint dies

Posted By: snobb
Subject: New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint dies
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2015 at 1:32pm

http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/breaking-news/13917-new-orleans-music-legend-allen-toussaint-dies-age-77" rel="nofollow - New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint dies aged 77

Allen-Toussaint

Allen Toussaint, the renowned pianist, songwriter and musical torchbearer for his native New Orleans, has died aged 77 after suffering a heart attack following a concert at Madrid’s Teatro Lara on Monday night. He was discovered in his hotel and resuscitated but suffered a second heart attack on his way to hospital. The BBC reported they had received confirmation of his death from Madrid’s Hospital Fundacion today. Toussaint was set to perform at this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival at the Barbican on 15 November.

A musical force for the last five decades his collaborations saw him work with the likes of Dr John, The Meters, Little Feat, Elvis Costello and Eric Clapton, while his songs were covered by a huge range of artists from The Rolling Stones and The Who to Bonnie Raitt, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Learning piano from the age of seven, with influences including Huey Smith and Ray Charles, Toussaint got his break when he had to fill in for Fats Domino. Signed up to Joe Banashak's Minit record label in 1960, Toussaint wrote many of the label’s big hits including ‘Ruler of My Heart’ and Benny Spellman's ‘Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)’.

After a brief spell of military service Toussaint wrote some of his biggest hits after 1965, including ‘Ride Your Pony’, ‘Get Out of My Life Woman’, ‘Working in a Coalmine’ and ‘Everything I Do Gon' Be Funky’. He also forged a successful solo career that began in 1970 with his debut, From A Whisper to a Scream. The subsequent years saw him release a further 12 albums, including 2007’s The River in Reverse with Elvis Costello (Verve Forecast) and his jazz-influenced The Bright Mississippi featuring a host of top US jazz musicians including clarinettist Don Byron, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarist Marc Ribot and, on a track a piece, pianist Brad Mehldau and saxophonist Joshua Redman.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he campaigned tirelessly for his hometown, raising money to support those left destitute by the disaster. In 2013, he was presented with America's National Medal of Arts, the highest honour given to an American artist. Toussaint is survived by his two children including his son Clarence, known as Reginald, and his daughter, Alison, both of whom managed his career in recent years.

from www.jazzwisemagazine.com