Michot’s Melody Makers feat. Leyla McCalla
Tiny Island
Nouveau Electric Records
Tiny Island is about as close to sitting in on a campfire jam session as you’re likely to get. The work was filmed and recorded around a campfire on an island in a pond. Louis Michot has been working to keep Louisiana French Creole music and culture alive for most of his career. Cellist Leyla McCalla has been doing similar work with Haitian Kreyola music. They have played on each other’s records in the past. For Tiny Island, they set up and swapped song in about as informal setting as you can get.
Louis is in typically fine form on “Blues de Neg Francais” and “Two Step de Ste Marie.” The session’s informal nature is most evident on “Letibonit.” Leyla introduces the song saying it’s a sad song about a valley in Haiti. When she starts playing, a squeaking noise sounds like it is coming from the rhythm section. It’s the just the frogs joining in on the jam.
