'VARI-COLORED SONGS: A TRIBUTE TO LANGSTON HUGHES' OUT FEB 4 – THREE DAYS AFTER HUGHES' BIRTHDAY
WALL STREET JOURNAL PREMIERS FIRST TRACK
Carolina Chocolate Drop and cellist Leyla McCalla pays tribute to
Langston Hughes on what would have been his birthday with 'Vari-Colored
Songs: A Tribute To Langston Hughes,' out February 4
on Music Maker Relief Foundation. (Hughes was born February 1, 1902.)
"I grew up with Langston Hughes' poetry and he inspired me to become an
artist," recalls McCalla, continuing, "I wanted to honor his life and
his legacy and my own creativity through him with 'Vari-Colored Songs.'"
She adapted his poetry to her original music. She says of the process,
"His poetry is so musical, so rhythmic. They're blues poems. I wrote
what I felt without having to fit the music into jazz or blues
constructs."
The Wall Street Journal premiered a track from the project, the jubilant "Mesi Bondye," last week.
"Langston's poetry encapsulates things that they don't teach in school
about black history. He writes about the human experience so elegantly,"
she says reverently.
Showing posts with label cello. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cello. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS' LEYLA MCCALLA PLANS SOLO DEBUT 'VARI-COLORED SONGS: A TRIBUTE TO LANGSTON HUGHES,' OUT FEBRUARY 4 ON MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION PEGGED TO HUGHES FEBRUARY 1 BIRTHDAY
MUSIC SET TO HUGHES' POETRY, TWO ORIGINAL SONGS, AND HAITIAN FOLK SONGS CAST "A CHARMING, RESONANT SPELL" (THE GUARDIAN)
"Haiti, land of blue sea and green hills… Nights full of stars, throbbing with Congo drums. At the capital lovely ladies ambergold, mulatto politicians, warehouse full of champagne, banks full of money. A surge of black peasants who live on the land, and the foam of the cultured elite in Port-au-Prince who live on the peasants."
- Langston Hughes, "I Wonder as I Wander," 1956
New Orleanian, cellist, and Carolina Chocolate Drop Leyla McCalla will release her solo debut 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes,' February 4 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. Hughes was born February 1, 1902. Bouncing cello, pulsing tenor banjo, and her rich voice accompany the original music set to Hughes' poetry; two original songs with original lyrics; and several Haitian folk songs, reflecting both McCalla's own heritage and Hughes' travels to Haiti.
See Leyla in performance.
There is already buzz in the UK, where she has played on three BBC programs and the Guardian made her subject of a profile and a four-star review, saying that the album casts "a charming, resonant spell."
Raised in the NYC area by Haitian-born parents, McCalla was inspired to become creative by reading Langston Hughes at a young age. She was classically trained in cello at NYU before moving to the Crescent City, where she began a creative rebirth. She would play Bach's Cello Suite #1 and Bach's Sarabande from Suite #3 on the streets of the French Quarter for tips and began to learn about the cultural relationships between Haiti and New Orleans. "The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continued to feel," she reflects.
'Vari-Colored Songs' was recorded in rural, southern Virginia with additional sessions in New Orleans, with special guests Rhiannon Giddens (also of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Hubby Jenkins (The Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Luke Winslow-King (now signed to Bloodshot Records).
Publicity photos.
McCalla is booked by Concerted Efforts and is presently touring Europe with Giddens.
"Haiti, land of blue sea and green hills… Nights full of stars, throbbing with Congo drums. At the capital lovely ladies ambergold, mulatto politicians, warehouse full of champagne, banks full of money. A surge of black peasants who live on the land, and the foam of the cultured elite in Port-au-Prince who live on the peasants."
- Langston Hughes, "I Wonder as I Wander," 1956
New Orleanian, cellist, and Carolina Chocolate Drop Leyla McCalla will release her solo debut 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes,' February 4 on Music Maker Relief Foundation. Hughes was born February 1, 1902. Bouncing cello, pulsing tenor banjo, and her rich voice accompany the original music set to Hughes' poetry; two original songs with original lyrics; and several Haitian folk songs, reflecting both McCalla's own heritage and Hughes' travels to Haiti.
See Leyla in performance.
There is already buzz in the UK, where she has played on three BBC programs and the Guardian made her subject of a profile and a four-star review, saying that the album casts "a charming, resonant spell."
Raised in the NYC area by Haitian-born parents, McCalla was inspired to become creative by reading Langston Hughes at a young age. She was classically trained in cello at NYU before moving to the Crescent City, where she began a creative rebirth. She would play Bach's Cello Suite #1 and Bach's Sarabande from Suite #3 on the streets of the French Quarter for tips and began to learn about the cultural relationships between Haiti and New Orleans. "The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continued to feel," she reflects.
'Vari-Colored Songs' was recorded in rural, southern Virginia with additional sessions in New Orleans, with special guests Rhiannon Giddens (also of the Carolina Chocolate Drops), Hubby Jenkins (The Carolina Chocolate Drops), and Luke Winslow-King (now signed to Bloodshot Records).
Publicity photos.
McCalla is booked by Concerted Efforts and is presently touring Europe with Giddens.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Leyla McCall EPK & performance videos
Introduction to 'Vari-Colored Songs':
"Lonely House":
"Heart of Gold":
"Girl":
"When I Can See The Valley":
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Leyla McCalla bio
Leyla McCalla finds inspiration from a variety of sources, whether it
is her Haitian heritage, living in New Orleans or dancing at Cajun
Mardi Gras. Leyla, a multi-instrumentalist, is a cellist and singer
whose distinctive sound is impossible to replicate.
Leyla’s music reflects her eclectic and diverse life experiences, projecting a respect for eloquent simplicity that is rarely achieved. Born in New York City to Haitian emigrant parents, Leyla was raised in suburban New Jersey. As a teenager, she relocated to Accra, Ghana for two years. Upon her return, she attended Smith College for a year before transferring to New York University where she studied cello performance and chamber music. Armed with Bach’s Cello Suites, Leyla moved to New Orleans to play cello on the streets of the French Quarter.
It is the move to New Orleans that signaled a journey of musical and cultural discovery for Leyla. “New Orleans always felt like home to me,” she recalls. “The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continue to feel.” Most recently, Leyla has fallen in love with the late Louisiana Creole fiddlers Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carrière and has explored their fiddling styles on the cello.
Leyla’s move to New Orleans also signaled a new stage in her career. It was while playing on the street that she caught the attention of Tim Duffy, the founder and director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. He invited Leyla to join the Music Maker Relief Foundation family and introduced her to the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a renowned African-American string band. After appearing on the band’s GRAMMY-nominated album Leaving Eden and touring extensively with the group, she now focuses on her solo career.
Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, Leyla’s debut album, is set for a February 2014 release. The album, which has been years in the making for Leyla, was given a push after a successful Kickstarter campaign in which she surpassed her $5,000 goal by four times to ultimately raise over $20,000. Vari-Colored Songs consists of compositions she has written to Langston Hughes poetry, Haitian folk songs and original pieces. The album features musicians including Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins of the Carolina Chocolate Drops as well as New Orleans’ own Don Vappie on tenor banjo and Luke Winslow King on guitar.
Leyla’s music reflects her eclectic and diverse life experiences, projecting a respect for eloquent simplicity that is rarely achieved. Born in New York City to Haitian emigrant parents, Leyla was raised in suburban New Jersey. As a teenager, she relocated to Accra, Ghana for two years. Upon her return, she attended Smith College for a year before transferring to New York University where she studied cello performance and chamber music. Armed with Bach’s Cello Suites, Leyla moved to New Orleans to play cello on the streets of the French Quarter.
It is the move to New Orleans that signaled a journey of musical and cultural discovery for Leyla. “New Orleans always felt like home to me,” she recalls. “The more I learned about the history of Louisiana, its ties to Haiti and French speaking culture, the more sense of belonging I felt and continue to feel.” Most recently, Leyla has fallen in love with the late Louisiana Creole fiddlers Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carrière and has explored their fiddling styles on the cello.
Leyla’s move to New Orleans also signaled a new stage in her career. It was while playing on the street that she caught the attention of Tim Duffy, the founder and director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. He invited Leyla to join the Music Maker Relief Foundation family and introduced her to the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a renowned African-American string band. After appearing on the band’s GRAMMY-nominated album Leaving Eden and touring extensively with the group, she now focuses on her solo career.
Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, Leyla’s debut album, is set for a February 2014 release. The album, which has been years in the making for Leyla, was given a push after a successful Kickstarter campaign in which she surpassed her $5,000 goal by four times to ultimately raise over $20,000. Vari-Colored Songs consists of compositions she has written to Langston Hughes poetry, Haitian folk songs and original pieces. The album features musicians including Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins of the Carolina Chocolate Drops as well as New Orleans’ own Don Vappie on tenor banjo and Luke Winslow King on guitar.
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