The GRAMMY-nominated band Cha Wa explode onto the scene again with 'My People', a new collection that draws from the rich and vibrant street culture of New Orleans.
Arriving via the renowned southern independent label Single Lock Records, 'My People' exuberantly infuses contemporary sounds with the music of street parades and the Mardi Gras Indian community a group of Black New Orleanians who pay respect to Native American tribes their wardrobe, music and dialect.
Packed with a vivid assemblage of New Orleans sounds and stories, this collection of new original songs draws from the grooves of ‘70s New Orleans funk bands like The Meters (particularly on offerings like “Wildman” and “Bow Down”) and takes clear influence from the city's history of Brass band music, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, rock, soul and African-inspired arrangements (including a chilling cover of Bob Dylan’s “Masters Of War” in this style).
Cha Wa was formed by bandleader Joe Gelini shortly before the release of the group’s 2018 debut album Spyboy, which was recognised with a Best Regional Roots Album nomination at the GRAMMYs that year. A student of the legendary New Orleans drummer Idris Muhammad, Gelini was taken by the city’s street culture along with the sounds of the Mardi Gras Indians and began to immerse himself in that world after moving to the area.
Working with vocalist Joseph Boudreaux Jr, a lifelong member of those New Orleans musical circles, and many of the top musicians from the city's Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs and Second Line brass bands, Cha Wa quickly became a staple of that street culture before bringing their spin on Mardi Gras Indian music to the GRAMMYs and around the world.With roots dating back to the 19th century, Mardi Gras Indians are most commonly associated with internationally-known New Orleans celebrations like Fat Tuesday, but the tradition is said to have started as a way for the city’s Black community to express gratitude to Native Americans for giving shelter to New Orleanians fleeing enslavement.
In more recent years, Mardi Gras Indians have displayed their role as community leaders with front line responses to both Hurricane Katrina and the unlawful NOPD conduct that resulted in investigations by the Obama administration.
“Mardi Gras Indian songs are inherently songs about freedom,” Gelini says. “That struggle is as relevant today as it’s ever been.”

偉大的James Booker，被稱為紐奧良鋼琴王子，新月城·紐奧良音樂傳奇的奠基人之一，也是最多姿多彩的人物之一。他是一個與眾不同的鍵盤手，將R&B、福音、布魯斯、boogie-woogie、傳統和現代爵士樂融合成一種獨特的音樂。
這張CD包含了Booker在1954年到1962年的職業生涯初期，為Imperial、Chess、Ace和Peacock等廠牌所錄製的所有單曲。還包含了James Booker為其他傑出藝術家擔任伴奏的曲目。

妮娜西蒙(Nina Simone, 1933-2003)是位不喜歡被稱為爵士歌手的歌手。原因是她的作品風格涵蓋了節奏藍調、藍調、古典、和靈魂樂多樣風格。西蒙是一位飽富人文素養、古典教育和人道精神關懷的藝人。音樂對她而言，不僅僅只是糊口或是娛樂消費者的工具，還是一種表達情感、人道訴求的重要管道。這一點，讓她和大部份將爵士演唱簡化為輕鬆娛樂音樂的藝人有很大的不同。
西蒙很早就展露在鋼琴彈奏上的天份，十歲舉行第一場古典鋼琴獨奏會，當天連白人都搶著來聽她的演奏，逼她的父母要坐到後方去。這種南方對待黑人的不平等態度，讓她日後成為美國黑人平權運動的積極擁護者。靠著彈奏才華一路拿到資助，並在十七歲開始成為鋼琴老師謀生的西蒙，後來更進茱莉亞音樂院，在美國歷史上的黑人爵士歌手中，沒有人有過這麼出色的背景的，可惜因為貧窮，導致她不能完成自己當職業鋼琴家的夢想。但是天份讓她轉而尋求藍調和爵士音樂作為抒發的管道，她在一九五四年取了妮娜西蒙這個藝名，一九五九年靠著生平唯一進入美國暢銷榜四十大的單曲受到樂壇注目，為她打開了進入演藝圈的大門。六零年代將別人的歌曲重新翻唱，注入新的生命力而為人津津樂道，同一時間，她開始選唱許多別具人權寓意的歌曲，大力抨擊當時的黑白不平等種族問題。
聆聽她的歌曲，不管是唱片還是演唱會，在她那沙啞深具磁性的嗓音之中，傳遞出一種獨特的音樂性，那是不受表面音色所掩蓋，真情流露而又充滿對歌曲旋律、節奏有敏銳洞察力的天生歌唱家所獨具的，而更讓人動容的是，她像是爵士、藍調界的巴布狄倫一樣，演唱的歌曲總是一針見血地提醒著人對於種種不平等的省思。她從來不是那種擁有討好人喜歡音色或選曲傾向流俗的歌手，相反的，她的人文素養讓她避開了那些膚淺的流行歌曲；她選唱的歌曲總是別有深意，用懷爾（Weill）的舞台劇歌曲來諷刺美國黑人的處境，用法國的香頌來要求平權、用古老的美國歌曲「House of the Rising Sun」來唱出那種不平之鳴，都顯示她那深刻而帶有顛覆性的性格。而她不管唱什麼樣的歌曲，都帶有強烈靈魂歌曲色彩的演唱特色，則是她最明顯的音樂特質，但偏偏也是這項特質讓她無法受到更廣大的聽眾喜愛。她太直接、太坦承、也太獨特。她甚至會在現場演唱會上，就和聽眾直接就某些議題吵起來，這一點，後來成為她最大的障礙，卻是她最為人談論的地方。她在六零年代寫了一些經典歌曲，內容都在談論黑人人權和「黑色榮耀」，這是她最具代表作的經典，也最直接地展露出她在歌手以外的作曲才華。
這位充滿爭議的歌手，七零年代後逐漸淡出美國，在瑞士、賴比瑞亞、法國和英國各地流浪，也很少灌錄唱片，八零年代末期因為五零年代一首舊歌重新被英國電視廣告炒紅，帶動了她的復出，也連帶的促成她在九零年代重新灌錄唱片，西蒙於2003年過世在位於法國的家中。

Allen Toussaint was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer, who was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, described as "one of popular music's great backroom figures".

Allen Toussaint was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer, who was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, described as "one of popular music's great backroom figures".

Lianne Charlotte Barnes (born 23 August 1989), known professionally as Lianne La Havas ) is a British singer and songwriter.