The Jazzman Cometh

New Orleans-based singer/producer Allen Toussaint is a walking monument to the Big Easy's musical history. He's worked as a session player with most of New Orleans' major heavyweights (the Meters, LaBelle, the Neville Brothers, and Dr. John) and got his start playing backup to Fats Domino in the 1960s. He's the unofficial ambassador of New Orleans jazz and was a media darling during the first days of Hurricane Katrina. But none of that explains what audiences will see when Toussaint comes to town this week for Hollywood's Mardi Gras fiesta. His ragtime piano playing style and Cajun roots music are captivating in person. This is the man who wrote "Lady Marmalade," which disco addicts are still humming even now. He's known for engaging audiences and has a string of hits you think you've never heard until the invisible eight-track in the back of your brain remembers "Right Place, Wrong Time" and half of the Neville Brothers' and Boz Scaggs' catalogs.

Allen Toussaint performs Tuesday, February 20, at Fiesta Tropicale, 510 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Show starts at 8 pm. Admission is free. Call 954-924-3377, or visit www.mardigrasfiesta.com.