And 13 months after Katrina, he and New Orleans singer Irma Thomas were invited by producer Ken Ehrlich to sing the national anthem at the first NFL game to be played in the renovated Superdome, which had served as an emergency shelter for thousands of displaced residents.
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And Kravitz added, “I’m still in shock and heartbroken after hearing of the news of the passing of my longtime friend, brother in music, teacher, mentor and most gentle person you’ll ever meet, Allen Toussaint”. Perceptive, kind and always open to your input and feelings. “He knew how to listen and never offended”, she said in an email. His music had so much playfulness and depth, just as I had remembered it. He could conduct a rhythm section to percolate with a bubbly ferocity that inspired the audience to dance, his approach a blend of streetwise sensibility and high-brow sophistication. He wrote a special song for me, “Don’t Make Your Angel Cry”, and I’ll be singing that for him at my next show.
Producer Dave Bartholomew, best known for multiple million-selling hits with Fats Domino, asked Toussaint to sit in on a few of Domino’s recording sessions in the late 1950s.
There were also tributes on Tuesday (10Nov15) from John Oates, Questlove and Toussaint’s fellow New Orleans natives Harry Connick, Jr., Dr. John and Art Neville. Toussaint first performed at the festival in 1973 and just about every year after that.
“He was the ultimate gentleman”, Walker said. Toussaint performed there so often – frequently as a headliner – that Davis said he referred to it as his “annual concert”. In recent years he appeared on the HBO series “Treme”. Meanwhile, Robertson wrote on his Facebook page that Toussaint’s horn arrangements were vital parts of the Band’s live shows and noted that he had the “honor of inducting Allen into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame” in 1998.
During Hurricane Katrina, Toussaint left for Baton Rouge, then to Houston and later, New York, where he played with a few regularity at a quiet, handsome room on Lafayette Street called Joe’s Pub.
During Katrina he also lost most of his manuscripts, his gold records and many of his stage outfits, Davis said.
“There were so many musicians who needed to get back on their feet. He said ‘Now’s the time I need to do this, ‘” she said.
Like many New Orleanians, Toussaint couldn’t stay away from the Crescent City forever.
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He is survived by two children.
