It’s a travesty that the great pianist Isadore “Tuts” Washington wasn’t recorded more often. Besides this new live release, Washington’s recorded work consists of a handful of sides he made with Smiley Lewis in the early 1950s, the solo album “New Orleans Piano Professor” he recorded just before his death in 1984, and a CD assembled from live tapes made by Larry Borenstein. (Washington also appears with Professor Longhair and Allen Toussaint in Stevenson Palfi’s documentary “Piano Players Rarely Play Together.”) Being from the old school, Washington was so confident in his ability that he felt he didn’t need to make records. He considered records a means to attain work — he had all the work he needed.

This CD captures a typical Washington set — lots of variety and lots of nimble piano work. Personally I like the blues and boogies like “Yancey Special,” “Tee-Na-Nah” and “Pool Hall Blues.” Standards like “Blue Moon and “Sweet Georgia Brown” are kind of piano bar-ish, but they have Washington’s style built into them.

Overall this is a fine example of New Orleans piano by one of the underrated masters. Considering this is a board tape, sound quality isn’t too bad, especially if one recalls the condition of the piano in the old Tips (Washington used to grimace when he had to play it) and the acoustics of the room. If you dig New Orleans piano, you’ll dig Tipitina’s ’78.