Allen Toussaint and his Bright Mississippi Band, featuring most of the players from his recently released Nonesuch album of that name, begin a week's residency at the Village Vanguard in New York City tonight. Joining Toussaint are Don Byron on clarinet, Mark Ribot on guitar, David Pilch on bass, Jay Bellerose on drums, and Christian Scott on trumpet, with the album's trumpeter, Nicholas Payton, performing nearby at Birdland this week. NPR member station WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM will broadcast Wednesday night's 9 PM set live from the Vanguard on air and online at npr.org, where there will be a live video feed as well.

"True to form," says NPR, "The Bright Mississippi has been well-received, and is likely to be remembered as one of the best of 2009 ... The resulting album, a predominantly instrumental effort, is full of gentle and warmly familiar sounds, subtly reconfigured: second-line piano riffs, four-on-the-floor guitar, clarion trumpet calls and warm clarinet insinuations. But it's also dangling with elegant, tactful production at every turn (courtesy of Joe Henry, himself a talented producer-musician)."

Read more and set up a reminder for the live broadcast at npr.org.

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The New York Times, in recommending the sets, says, "On The Bright Mississippi, his sharp and spirited new album, Mr. Toussaint—an eminent New Orleans pianist and songwriter, but not, strictly speaking, a jazz man—takes a crack at some old-time jazz standards, with refreshing results."

Toussaint's Vanguard residency is a "Voice Choice" this week from The Village Voice. The paper's Jim Macnie says the pianist has "some of the most graceful fingers in N’awlins," and the new album "suggests that his affection for the city’s bedrock tunes ... is contagious." Macnie expects the band "should have everyone moving slow and easy" this week.

For more upcoming tour dates from Allen Toussaint, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.