One of life’s great thrills is being in the present of an awesome creative talent.
To be thus so, while sitting with one’s beloved, eating garlic fries in the grass on a sun-shiney day?
A moment of bliss.
Perhaps the great talent said it best himself.
As Allen Toussaint, my entire reason for hauling P to the San Jose Jazz festival, came upon the stage, he said: “What a beautiful city, a beautiful place you have here!”
The requisite cheers.
“I almost kind of feel sorry for y’all. After you die, there’s nowhere for you to go! You’ve got heaven right here already…”
Laughs all around.
What can I say about Allen Touissant? My announcement to P about Jazz festival was simple: “Toussiant is a living legend. I MUST see him.” I think the only reason he’s not a household name is that he is one of those behind the scenes talents who often write the material that others make famous.
He is in the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame mostly for these songwriting talents. Yet the man’s voice and piano playing carry a passion and a rhythm which is subtle yet intoxicating. Full or the sweets and sours of life itself, all marinated and muddled up in that New Orleans funk.
He introduced and performed songs I was not familiar with, making jokes about how he wrote this or that for the Pointer Sisters, for the Neville brothers etc. “I think I wrote this before the people here in the first four rows were even born! Hm. Make that the first five or six rows of you!”
Here’s one written for the Pointer Sisters that apparently pre-dates my existance. Toussaint re-recorded it himself for a post-Hurricane Katrina benefit album-and his version has become an anthem I use to pump myself up and remind myself of ideals:
Now is the time for all good men
To get together with one another
Iron out our problems
And iron out our quarrels
And try to live as brothers
And try to find a piece within
Without stepping on one another
And do respect the women of the world
Just remember you all have mothers
Make this land a better land
Than the world in which we live
And help each man be a better man
With the kindness that you give
I know we can make it
I know darn well we can work it out
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, why can’t we
If we wanna get yes we can can
I know we can make it a world
I know we can make it if we try
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, great, got your money
Yes we can, I know we can can
Take care of the children
The children of the world
They’re our strongest hope for the future
The little bitty boys and girls
Make this land a better land
Than the world in which we live
And help each man be a better man
With the kindness that you give
I know we can make it (I know that we can)
I know darn well we can work it out
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, why can’t we
If we wanna get yes we can can
I know we can make it a world
I know we can make it if we try
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, great, got your money
Yes we can, I know we can can
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