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Translation from Swedish via Google Translate:
Hurricane brought forward Costello
For Elvis Costello became Hurricane Katrina beginning of a musical collaboration with New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint. In the evening they stand on stage together in Dalhalla.
A nature throw stanza reunited them. Hurricane Katrina got Elvis Costello approached R & B veteran Allen Toussaint and propose a collaboration. Their common traveling tonight brought them to Dalhalla in Sweden.
The title track to the album "The River in Reverse" is filled with grief over a ruined city. Elvis Costello wrote it before he seen the devastation in New Orleans. Once he got there, he realized that words were not enough - everything was much worse than it was possible to imagine. Then he increased his admiration for his friend Allen Toussaint, producer, songwriter and masterful pianist who always had his base in New Orleans.
- Allen has been busy trying to play in public now, more than he ever did in his career. It is an admirable reaction. Rather than mourn and become apathetic, he has written songs he never would have done otherwise, says Elvis Costello.
Allen Toussaint and Elvis Costello began working together in 1983 when Costello did a cover of Yoko Ono's " Walking on Thin Ice". After Katrina, reopened the two musicians connected and played together at several charity concerts . Last year as " The river in reverse" which is mostly filled with new interpretations of Toussaint and Costello materials.
- We sat at the piano and worked , but I was almost ashamed to be playing on it when Allen was around because he's such a wonderful pianist, says Elvis Costello.
It is a relaxed Costello doing the interview on the phone from his home in the United States. This year is the thirty years since he made his debut as a recording artist with the album " My aim is true."
Self summarizes his career with the words " I think I've made it quite good, without ever making a success".
- If you have a big success, the risk is great that people remember only that. I kind of accumulated fame for my songs over the years and the listeners know of me from lots of different reasons. Some just want to hear me play rock'n'roll, others are only interested in my ballads.
In the background Frank and Dexter whimper, the seven-month-old twin sons he has, along with jazz singer Diana Krall. The myth of the irascible rock star with a nasty ability to find scathing response will almost completely to shame. But only almost - for it is something that Elvis Costello can not tolerate is the PR catchphrases . The question " how do you keep reinventing yourself time and time again " it triggers something butt adjuster side of him.
- Personally I do not give much for that sort of claptrap. Reinventing ? I do not see it like I'm reinventing. I only do things I like. It may be with a rock band, a symphony orchestra, a jazz band or a bluegrass group.
Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, the Swedish opera singer Ann Sofie von Otter and the 52 -strong jazz band Metropole Orkest are just some of his many collaborators. But there have been so many collaborations over the years is mostly a coincidence , he claims .
It is gambling that occupy his interest nowadays . The studio and recording session were not attractive at all.
- I'm through with making albums. I just don't need it anymore.
What's the point of making an album with the songs in a specific track order, when anyone with an mp3 player can re-set this track-order? When I'm doing a concert, people will actually have to listen to the songs in whichever order I put them. In the future, I'll probably stick to performing my songs in live shows."
Freedom to decide the direction - whether it be a narrow opera set in Denmark, or a commercially viable rock effort - is his breath of life. Elvis Costello not ashamed of being a musical chameleon.
- The people make the mistake of thinking that you are always the same person as when you made a particular song . But we who write the songs are humans and can not live up to the listeners or critics neurotic needs of eternal identification. I think that has hurt major artists like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.
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