18 Nov Matador Playlist 11/12/15

Gentle Reader(s), since the last installment of this weekly-ish report from the trenches of Santa Fe musical subterranea I have once again ventured to and from the land of my birth, the city that puts the ‘Id’ into ‘Humid,’ New Orleans. The day before my impending departure I woke to the sad news that a true titan of the city’s music scene—the great Allen Toussaint—had passed away suddenly following a gig in Madrid. There are few passings that could shake New Orleans to the core quite like the passing of this extraordinary man. He was an integral part of the city’s rich cultural life for 60 years, starting off as a fill-in sideman in Earl King‘s band in 1955. Toussaint was a pianist, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger, and musical ambassador for his native city, but above and beyond all that, to all reports (and I have heard a few) he was a lovely, humble, soft spoken person and a true gentleman. Toussaint didn’t shy away from stepping out in a bit of boldly colorful couture once in a while and his trademark about town was his succession of Rolls Royces, but he was a down-home guy and absolutely not a single person that I have ever spoken to has ever had a bad word to say about him.

 

Take a look at that photo at the top of the page. That’s Toussaint playing at Jazz Fest in 1979. The individual with the guitar in profile behind him is none other than the late, great Clark Vreeland. My one and only Toussaint story involves both of these iconic musicians. I related it in a much earlier posting in these pages in commemoration of Clark’s passing, but I’ll relate it again now. Just for the heck of it.

 

Clark had put together a band for a one-off (most likely) show at Tipitina’s. Featuring Clark on guitar and vocals, Ed Volker on keyboards and vocals, Marc Hoffman on bass, and Bunny Matthews on drums, this all-star ensemble bore the moniker of Vasco and Da Gamas. I believe I came in early for sound check—perhaps I had to work later in the evening or something—and I took a stool at the kitchen counter that was over on the Napoleon Avenue side of the establishment at that time. The band launched into a cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘2000 Light Years From Home’ and Allen Toussaint, the Man Hisself, wandered in and sat down on the stool next to mine. The band worked through the song’s three or four (?) verses and choruses and then Clark launched into a feedback-laden guitar solo that went on for five… ten… fifteen or so minutes before Ed started moaning the ‘It’s so verrrry lonely…’ chorus again and the song gradually wound down into something vaguely resembling a conclusion. Toussaint sat there next to me, turned towards the stage as the song meandered to a halt, and then slowly swiveled around on his stool to face me. His face had an expression on it that can only be characterized as something along the lines of ‘What the fuck was that??’ He didn’t say a word, just fixed me with this quizzical, bemused look. I shrugged my shoulders and said, ‘Ya know, drug abuse is a terrible thing.’ Toussaint laughed, said ‘Awrite!’ and slapped me on the back.

 

 

For whatever reason it was, I had to get up and leave and, indeed, there was Toussaint’s white Rolls parked outside. I was walking on a cloud. I made Allen Toussaint laugh! Pretty cool. Thank you Allen, for everything you’ve given us and for being such a cool guy.

 

This night’s set is a tribute to the great man and it contains no less than ten songs either written or produced by Toussaint and lawd only knows how many others that were influenced, either directly or indirectly, by his genius. (Just in case there’s anyone keeping track—and YOU know who you ain’t—I’m skipping last week’s playlist. No particular reason. I’m just gonna do it. So there.)

 

P.S. – One great idea circulating about via word of mouth and the intrawebs relates to my posting of July 11th: Rename Lee Circle as Toussaint Circle. It has a lovely ring to it and I can’t think of anyone more deserving. On the other hand, another petition is making its way around the virtu-sphere suggesting that such a renaming would have the opposite effect. Hmmm… cain’t nothing be Easy in the Big.

 

Grammar of Life – Charles Bukowski
Fortune Teller – the Rolling Stones
London Girls – the Vibrators
Forever Fades Away – Tiger Army
That Old Black Magic – Louis Prima & Keely Smith
Antenna – Sonic Youth
Workin’ In A Coal Mine – Lee Dorsey
Satellite of Love (live) – Morrissey
Boys From the County Hell – the Pogues
Release the Bats – the Birthday Party
Now Get Busy – Beastie Boys
America Runs on Duncan – Dananananaykroyd
Together – the Raconteurs
Mother In Law – Ernie K-Doe
Satellite – the Kills
Ooby Dooby – Roy Orbison
The Show’s About to Begin – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Stay – Mark Lanegan
Krokodil – St. Vincent
Lipstick Traces – Benny Spellman
The Swinging Man – Black Flag
Strange Desire – the Black Keys
Get Off – the Dandy Warhols
Flashlight – Parliament
High and Dry – Radiohead
Look-Ka Py Py – the Meters
No Horse – the Dead Weather
Moonage Daydream – David Bowie
Do the Strand – Roxy Music
Miserlou – Dick Dale & his Del-Tones
Heart Massage – Los Hermanos de Gein
Right Place, Wrong Time – Dr. John
Fopp – Soundgarden
Murder City Nights – Radio Birdman
Mean Man – Betty Harris
Society Makes Me Sad – Johnny Thunders
Out On the Tiles – Led Zeppelin
Police & Thieves – Junior Murvin
Broken Face – Pixies
The Last Time – the Rolling Stones
Blast Off – the Birthday Party
Set Me Free – the Kinks (for Micaela)
Heart of Steel (feat. Irma Thomas) – Galactic
Rush – Big Audio Dynamite
Double It (feat. Big Freedia) – Galactic (for Alan)
Hazy Shade of Winter – the Bangles
Dirty Knails – Les Savy Fav
Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
Suffragette City – David Bowie
Pulling Our Weight – the Radio Dept.
Yes We Can, Pt. 1 – Lee Dorsey
Back in Black – AC/DC
Do It Again (Again) (feat. Cheeky Blakk) – Galactic
Surgeon – St. Vincent (para El Veeno)
Train In Vain – the Clash
Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag – James Brown
Do You Wanna Dance – the Ramones
Fire of Love – Gun Club
Good Times, Bad Times – Led Zeppelin
Hey Ladies – Beastie Boys
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide ‘Cept for Me and My Monkey – the Beatles
The Great Salt Lake – Band of Horses
Every Tear Disappears – St. Vincent
From A Motel 6 – Yo La Tengo
Sweet Leaf – Black Sabbath
The Stations – the Gutter Twins
Cheerleader – St. Vincent
All Day and All of the Night – the Kinks
Anti-Pleasure Dissertation – Bikini Kill
Candy – Morphine
Animals – the GOASTT
Peek-A-Boo – Siouxsie & the Banshees

Lady Marmalade – Labelle
You Say You Don’t Love Me – Buzzcocks
Revolution Number Zero – the Brian Jonestown Massacre
2000 Light Years From Home – the Rolling Stones
Sunglasses After Dark – the Cramps
I Against I – Bad Brains
World Without Tears – Lucinda Williams
Buona Sera – Louis Prima
Happy Trails – Roy Rogers & Dale Evans (feat. Trigger on Marginal Buttsack)
Taxi – Bryan Ferry