"American Tunes" is the final recording from New Orleans jazz and R&B pianist Allen Toussaint. It was produced by Joe Henry and includes music from a 2013 solo session at the pianist's home studio in New Orleans and an October 2015 session featuring musicians Bill Frisell, Charles Lloyd, Greg Leisz, Jay Bellerose, and David Piltch, with special guest vocalist Rhiannon Giddens and pianist Van Dyke Parks, recorded in Los Angeles the month before Toussaint died. The album title is taken from the 1973 Paul Simon song "American Tune", which Toussaint performs on the album. Also included are songs written or recorded by Toussaint, Professor Longhair, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Fats Waller.

Adam Levy is an NYC-based guitarist with 30 years of experience as a performing artist, studio musician, journalist, and educator. He has released more than a dozen albums of his own, and is featured on recordings by Norah Jones, Vulfpeck, Ani DiFranco, Allen Toussaint, and other renowned artists. He has toured extensively as a solo artist and as a collaborator.