Tightly: Cha Wa and "Hold 'Em Joe"

From New Orleans comes today's random tune, called Hold 'Em Joe. The song is performed by Cha Wa, a band that melds New Orleans brass band sounds with the Mardi Gras Indian musical tradition and explores contemporary interpretations of traditional Mardi Gras Indian songs through the vocals of Big Chief Monk Boudreaux of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indian tribe. Founded by drummer Joe Gelini, the band also features J'wan Boudreaux, grandson of Monk Boudreaux and himself the spyboy for the tribe. The name of the group, Cha Wa, means "we're coming for you" in the Mardi Gras Indian vernacular. You can find Hold 'Em Joe on Cha Wa's debut album Funk 'n' Feathers (2016).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://www.chawaband.com/#chawa-section

Here We Come: Voices of a Nation with "Voices of a Nation"

Today's random song is by Voices of a Nation, a group out of New Orleans that does music in the tradition of the Mardi Gras Indians. Unfortunately, I can't find much information on Voices of a Nation, however, it is a project led by Big Chief Juan Pardo of the Golden Comanche and includes Big Chief Kentrell Watson of the Wild Mohicans, 2nd Chief Jeremy Stevenson of the Monogram Hunters, and Romeo Bougere of the Ninth Ward Hunters. The Mardi Gras Indians are 38 organizations in New Orleans known as tribes, loosely separated into Uptown and Downtown tribes. The Indians base their history on escaped black slaves finding help and shelter from local Native Americans, though the first Indian tribe, the Creole Wild West, may have actually been created out of members of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. The Mardi Gras Indian tribes traditionally mask and parade during Mardi Gras season, and in the early days it was also a time for violence and to settle scores with other tribes. However, Mardi Gras Indian Chief Tootie Montana almost singlehandedly stopped the bloodshed in the late 1960s by promoting the creation of beautiful costumes. "I was going to make them stop fighting with the gun and the knife and start fighting with the needle and thread," he said, and today, when Mardi Gras Indian tribes meet on the streets of New Orleans, the "fight" is a show of elaborately sewn and beaded costumes and bluster, rather than violence. You can find this song, Voices of a Nation, on the Voices of a Nation CD (2017).

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras_Indians

Fly Swatter: Bo Dollis, Monk Boudreaux, Kermit Ruffins and Rebirth Brass Band with "Shoo Fly"

Some New Orleans music royalty comes together for a rousing song featuring Mardi Gras Indians and brass. Shoo Fly is performed by Mardi Gras Indian chiefs Bo Dollis and Monk Boudreaux, with Rebirth Brass Band and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. Bo Dollis was the big chief of the Wild Magnolias Mardi Gras Indians, and he passed away in January 2015. Monk Boudreaux was also a member of the Wild Magnolias until 2001 when he left the group due to disputes with the manager over payments. He is currently big chief of the Golden Eagles Mardi Gras Indians. Kermit Ruffins is an American jazz trumpeter who is influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan and has been known to hit a high C on his trumpet. He is the leader of the Barbecue Swingers, a traditional jazz quintet, and he not only plays at his shows but often cooks barbecue for the crowd. He also co-founded the Grammy Award winning Rebirth Brass Band in 1983 while attending high school in New Orleans' Treme neighborhood. The band combines traditional New Orleans brass band music with funk, jazz, soul and hip hop. Shoo Fly can be heard on The Mardi Gras Indians Super Sunday Showdown CD (1992).