I have often stated that we should ditch the horrid, militaristic “Star-Spangled Banner” and make Professor Longhair’s immortal “Tiptina” from 1953 our new culture clashing National Anthem, despite—or perhaps because of—its occasional nonsense lyrics,
There's a terrific Public TV documentary I saw in the 80s (and later purchased on DVD) called Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together. It features Fess, Allen Toussaint, and Tuts Washington, who pre-dated Fess a bit and was definitely an influence upon him. It shows the three of them rehearsing for a joint concert. Before the performance, however, Fess passes away. We see his funeral, as well as a song Toussaint wrote in his honor. My only minor complaint is that for some of the scenes Allen is playing a portable keyboard with a godawful tinny tone. But other than that, it's a real joy.
I was lucky to meet and chat with Allen in 2010, shortly after he had taped Elvis Costello's Spectacle show, in which he played with Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Levon Helm. A real gentleman, class all the way.
I loved the HBO show Treme and was very sad when it ended. The story and characters were good. I loved Steve Zahn in it. But what made it great for me was the music. The music was wonderful.
There's a terrific Public TV documentary I saw in the 80s (and later purchased on DVD) called Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together. It features Fess, Allen Toussaint, and Tuts Washington, who pre-dated Fess a bit and was definitely an influence upon him. It shows the three of them rehearsing for a joint concert. Before the performance, however, Fess passes away. We see his funeral, as well as a song Toussaint wrote in his honor. My only minor complaint is that for some of the scenes Allen is playing a portable keyboard with a godawful tinny tone. But other than that, it's a real joy.
I was lucky to meet and chat with Allen in 2010, shortly after he had taped Elvis Costello's Spectacle show, in which he played with Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Levon Helm. A real gentleman, class all the way.
I loved the HBO show Treme and was very sad when it ended. The story and characters were good. I loved Steve Zahn in it. But what made it great for me was the music. The music was wonderful.