AMERICAN ROUTES
American Routes Live: Creole Songlines of Leyla McCalla and Saxophonist Donald Harrison's Jazz Journey American Routes Live: Creole Songlines of Leyla McCalla and Saxophonist Donald Harrison's Jazz Journey January 13th, 2021 (Hour 1)
American Routes Live: Creole Songlines of Leyla McCalla and Saxophonist Donald Harrison's Jazz Journey

We go live in concert and conversation with two New Orleans artists each of whom bring their family heritage forward into contemporary music. Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla has called New Orleans home for many years, but her family ties are to Haiti. She draws on French Creole roots for inspiration, as well as from the poetry of Langston Hughes. Then jazz saxophonist Big Chief Donald Harrison, whose musical journey includes time in New York with drummer Art Blakey’s band, talks about “Afro-New Orleans” culture and demonstrates how to bring soul, funk, and Black carnival traditions into modern jazz.

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ABOUT AMERICAN ROUTES

“In the history of American radio, no series has come close to Nick Spitzer’s American Routes in exploring the many streams of this nation’s music.”
— Nat Hentoff, Wall Street Journal

American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program produced in New Orleans, presenting a broad range of American music — blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical. Now in our 20th year on the air, American Routes explores the shared musical and cultural threads in these American styles and genres of music — and how they are distinguished.

The program also presents documentary features and artist interviews. Our conversations include Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, B.B. King, Dr. John, Dave Brubeck, Elvis Costello, Ray Charles, Randy Newman, McCoy Tyner, Lucinda Williams, Rufus Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. Join us as we ride legendary trains, or visit street parades, instrument-makers, roadside attractions and juke joints, and meet tap dancers, fishermen, fortunetellers and more.

The songs and stories on American Routes describe both the community origins of our music, musicians and cultures (the “roots”) and the many directions they take over time.

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • January 13th, 2021

    AMERICAN ROUTES LIVE: CREOLE SONGLINES OF LEYLA MCCALLA AND SAXOPHONIST DONALD HARRISON'S JAZZ JOURNEY

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  • January 6th, 2021

    LOVE IS STRANGE WITH JUDY COLLINS AND JIM LAUDERDALE

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  • December 30th, 2020

    AR LIVE: LOUISIANA NEW YEAR'S PARTY WITH CAJUN & ZYDECO AND NEW ORLEANS PIANO & SONG

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