Allen Toussaint indeed has six degrees of separation (or less) from many of the giants still alive and working it in the music business, but Tommy Bolin alumni? In this case, it’s Jeff Cook, writer of Bolin’s “Dreamer” and his number one compatriot in those heady fusion days. So who better to orchestrate a tribute to Toussaint and sing on it?

Actually, Cook does a solid job steering these songs through the murky waters of nostalgia, complete with Toussaint on piano, Reggie Toussaint on percussion, and other notables like Tinsley Ellis and Nicholas Payton sitting in. And that’s even more impressive considering how quickly the Club wanders from its stated intent.

Three Toussaint rarities dot the opening of this disc, including the Willie West tracks “Hello Mama” and “Greatest Love” and Diamond Joe’s long-forgotten “Don’t Set Me Back.” After that, the focus shifts to merely recreating the classic early-’60s soul of the city on such diverse and tangentially-related tracks as the Lieber-Stoller “Down Home Girl,” “Born Under A Bad Sign” (more William Bell than Albert King) and Mose Allison’s “Days Like This.”

However, tracks such as “Days Like This” do serve as a gentle reminder of just how versatile a pianist Toussaint really is, handling jazz, R&B, blues, and boogie with equal aplomb. As a result, this brief affair may appeal more to fans of Toussaint the musician than those of Toussaint the songwriter. If nothing else, Groove Approved does prove both sides are equally important in his legacy.