My People by Cha Wa
GRAMMY-nominated New Orleans band Cha Wa will return on April 2 with My People, a new collection that honors and builds upon the rich culture and traditions of the city’s Mardi Gras Indian community. Arriving via the renowned southern independent label Single Lock Records, My People is an exuberant homage to the sounds of the Mardi Gras Indians - a group predominantly made up of New Orleans' African American community which pays respect to the area's Native American tribes with their wardrobe, music and dialect. Packed with a vivid assemblage of New Orleans sounds and stories, this new Cha Wa record infuses the traditional chants of the Mardi Gras Indians with grooves reminiscent of a ‘70s New Orleans funk band like The Meters (particularly on offerings like “Wildman” and “Bow Down”) and takes clear influence from the city's rich history of 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).
Tracklist
| 1. | My People | 3:50 |
| 2. | Wildman | 4:31 |
| 3. | Bow Down | 3:24 |
| 4. | Morning Glory (Intro) | 1:02 |
| 5. | Morning Glory | 2:50 |
| 6. | Uptown | 4:38 |
| 7. | Firewater | 4:50 |
| 8. | Love in Your Heart (feat. Anjelika Jelly Joseph) | 3:47 |
| 9. | Second Line Girl | 4:21 |
| 10. | Masters of War (feat. Alvin Youngblood Hart) | 5:02 |
| 11. | Shallow Water | 3:17 |
Credits
Band Member Performance Credits:
Joe Gelini - Drums & Percussion, Backing Vocals
Joseph Boudreaux Jr. - Lead & Backing Vocals, Tambourine
J'wan Boudreaux - Lead & Backing Vocals, Tambourine
Ari Teitel - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Bass, Percussion
Joseph Maize Jr. - Trombone, Lead & Backing Vocals
Aurélien Barnes - Trumpet, Lead & Backing Vocals, Percussion
Andriu Yanovski - Fender Rhodes, Piano, Hammond Organ, Clavinet, Wurlitzer, Moog, Backing Vocals, Percussion
Isaac Eady - Bass
Guest Performance Credits:
Weedie Braimah (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10) - Congas & Djembe
TJ Norris (tracks 1, 3, 6, 10) - Trombone, Bass, Backing Vocals
Dan Oestreicher (tracks 1, 2, 3, 6, 7) - Saxophone
Kendrick Marshall (tracks 3, 8) - Organ
Mike Dillon (tracks 4, 5, 8, 10) - Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Tabla
Raja Kassis (track 5) - Guitar
Brad Walker (tracks 5, 8, 10) - Saxophone
Gregory Warner (track 7) - Trumpet
Anjelika Jelly Joseph (tracks 3, 8) - Lead & Backing Vocals
Amari Ansari (track 9) - Saxophone
Chris Alford (track 10) - Guitar
Alvin Youngblood Hart (track 10) - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Terrence Williams, Tyrell Williams, Simeon Israel, Eric ‘Yeti’ Boudreaux, Marwan Pleasant, Jerome Carter, Irving “Honey” Bannister (track 11) - Vocals & Percussion
Co-Produced by Andrew Block and Ari Teitel
Mixed by Bassy Bob Brockmann
Mastered by Dan Millice
Engineered by Andrew Block
Additional engineering by Andriu Yanovski, Aaron Boudreaux, and Ari Teitel
Tracks 1-10 recorded at Neutral Sound Studio, New Orleans, LA
Track 11 recorded at Handa Wanda’s, New Orleans, LA
This album is dedicated to all the brave people fighting for social justice and civil rights all over the world.
We want to thank our families for their unending support.
Many thanks for the incredible support and assistance from our Cha Wa family:
Single Lock Records
Tom Gold at Concerted Efforts
Dino Gankendorff, Esq.
Blind Ambition Management:
Charles Driebe
Andrew Hoffman
Ethan Langston
Sue Schrader
Our exceptionally talented Production Crew:
Andrew Block & Ari Teitel
Bassy Bob Brockmann
Dan Millice
Kennie Takahashi
Neutral Sound Studios
Handa Wanda’s
We are grateful to all the musicians and special guests who contributed to this album, and to our ongoing inspiration Big Chief Monk Boudreaux and The Golden Eagles.
License
All rights reserved.
New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardi Gras Indian outfit Cha Wa radiates the energy of the city’s street culture. Their Grammy-nominated album “Spyboy” is a modern mix of fiery, toe-tapping sounds. Popmatters describes the band as "a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”