Allen Toussaint - "The Wild Sound of New Orleans by Tousan"

Allen Toussaint
"The Wild Sound of New Orleans by Tousan"
Edsel/RCA
Originally released 1958
Currently out of print

Before he was producing hits for Patti LaBelle and Dr. John, before he was writing funk and soul classics like "Whisper to a Scream" and "Working in a Coalmine," the legendary Allen Toussaint was the Crescent City's hottest session piano player.

Recorded in 1958 with a crack band that included saxophone legend Lee Allen, Toussaint's debut album is a raucous instrumental romp through N'Awlins.

Toussaint was already a name amongst New Orleans R&B players, his dextrous ivory-tickling, heavily influenced by Professor Longhair, had earned him sessions subbing for Fats Domino and other New Orleans hitmakers. But "Wild Sound" was the first opportunity for him to show off his arranging and songwriting chops.

Tracks like "Whirlaway" and "Tim Tam," which features a tremendous solo by Allen, show hints at where Toussaint would go over the next two decades. It also features "Java," an infectious little ditty which would become New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt's signature tune.

At 25 minutes, "The Wild Sound" is little more than a musical apertif - a chance to wet your whistle on Toussaint's beautifully funky piano playing. But it tastes so sweet it should inspire anyone to check out his later work, especially his '60s sides with Lee Dorsey and his '70s work with the Meters, not to mention his post-Katrina collaboration with Elvis Costello, "The River in Reverse."