Levon Helm enlisted his old friend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint to join the Levon Helm Band in arranging two covers - Randy Newman's “Kingfish" and Billy Taylor's “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" - for Helm's new album 'Electric Dirt, ' out June 30.
Helm claims he has wanted to record the latter since hearing Nina Simone's version in 1967 - and he has known Toussaint for almost as long.
Toussaint first worked with The Band on 1971's Cahoots, on which he arranged the New Orleans-style horns for “Life Is a Carnival." They followed up that successful collaboration with an extended partnership for 1972's double-live album 'Rock of Ages.'
The Levon Helm Band horns are Jay Collins (tenor sax), Steve Bernstein (trumpet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Howard Johnson (tuba), and Erik Lawrence (soprano saxophone).
Helm claims he has wanted to record the latter since hearing Nina Simone's version in 1967 - and he has known Toussaint for almost as long.
Toussaint first worked with The Band on 1971's Cahoots, on which he arranged the New Orleans-style horns for “Life Is a Carnival." They followed up that successful collaboration with an extended partnership for 1972's double-live album 'Rock of Ages.'
The Levon Helm Band horns are Jay Collins (tenor sax), Steve Bernstein (trumpet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Howard Johnson (tuba), and Erik Lawrence (soprano saxophone).
For more information contact All About Jazz.
