Allen Toussaint And The Preservation Hall Jazz Band
On tour

The traditional tourist spot in New Orleans has long been Preservation Hall, a museum of living music opened by an art-dealer jazz fan in the 1950s to provide work for the city's jazz veterans. Eventually, Preservation Hall developed a resident band, and the latest version begin a long UK tour this week under the inspired direction of charismatic singer/pianist Allen Toussaint. Toussaint has been a star over four decades, writing R&B and soul hits and becoming a favourite hip-hop sampling source for classics such as Ride Your Pony. Toussaint's 10-piece band reflects another of his talents, powerfully grooving horn-arranging.

· The Anvil, Basingstoke, Sat 2; Barbican, EC2, Mon 4; Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Tue 5; De Montfort Hall, Leicester, Wed 6; Colston Hall, Bristol, Thu 7; Lighthouse, Poole, Fri 8