Allen Toussaint, fresh off the heels of his JazzFest performances in New Orleans, is set to play a free outdoor performance at the Clark County Amphitheatre in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saturday night, for the city's Jazz in the Park series; picnics encouraged.

Toussaint's solo Nonesuch debut, The Bright Mississippi, was recently released to great critical acclaim. New York Daily News music critic Jim Farber adds to the accolades in his review today, exclaiming, "It's a marvel on every level."

Farber has kind words for the band assembled by Toussaint and producer Joe Henry for the occasion—clarinetist Don Byron, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, guitarist Marc Ribot, bassist David Piltch, percussionist Jay Bellerose, and special guests Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman —calling them "ideal company" and writes of the pianist: "Toussaint has always been known for the grace of his playing, but seldom has he rounded his chords with such erudition."

He concludes: "The feel for New Orleans music offered on the CD defies every garish cliché of the region, epitomizing instead a subtlety and dignity that have marked Toussaint's music from the start."

Read the full review at nydailynews.com.

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All About Jazz reviewer Mike Perciaccante says The Bright Mississippi "has the feel, vibe and cadence that only an Allen Toussaint project has. Toussaint, with producer Joe Henry, has crafted a sound that is modern yet traditional, jazzy yet funky, soulful yet pristine and completely elegant." Echoing Farber's praise of the band, Perciaccante adds that they "make the recording come alive with a warmth and texture that is usually only heard in live performances."

He goes on to call the album "a rich and multi-layered CD. Each track deftly mines the musical milieu of what many just categorize as New Orleans music." Perciaccante concludes: "To paraphrase producer Henry, the CD is loaded with performances of classic songs that sound both completely fresh and entirely familiar."

Read the full review at allaboutjazz.com.

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The Ottawa Citizen gives the album four stars. Reviewer Peter Hum says it's "a killer ... The performances, while reverent, feel incredibly immediate and grounded in a timeless, groovy sense of beauty."

Says Hum, Toussaint and company "tackle songs that could easily be caricatured but pull them off without a whisper of affectation. The CD's dozen tracks are arrestingly good, mixing early earthiness and sophistication, secular passion and gospel appeals."

While jazz fans of a certain type might find it to be "a slam dunk," it's appeal is much broader, Hum concludes. "Really, it will be hard for any fan of good music not to be intoxicated."

Read more at canada.com.