29/10
Leyla McCalla (US)
McCalla has developed a sound that reflects the meeting of her cultural heritage and personal experiences. Her music is deeply influenced by Creole tradition, American jazz, and folk music – earthy, elegant, soulful, and witty. It vibrates with three centuries of history while feeling fresh and contemporary at the same time.
Born in New York City to Haitian immigrants and activists, McCalla draws inspiration from both her origins and the present. She is a multilingual multi-instrumentalist with a unique artistic voice. In addition to her solo work, she is a founding member of Our Native Daughters (alongside Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Allison Russell) and a former member of the Grammy-winning band The Carolina Chocolate Drops. She has toured successfully in Europe for several years and performed at many prestigious folk and jazz festivals.
Her new album Sun Without the Heat (Anti Records, April 2024) is her fifth studio recording – a playful and vibrant album that simultaneously carries pain and inner transformation. Across its ten tracks, McCalla balances the heavy and the light with melodies and rhythms inspired by afrobeat, Ethiopian scales, Brazilian tropicalismo, highlife, American folk, and blues. The emotional cello playing and rhythmic guitars lend weight to the lyrics, reinforcing her search for identity.
However, Sun Without the Heat is more than just an album – it is a profound reflection on self-discovery and belonging. McCalla draws lyrical inspiration from Black feminist Afrofuturist thinkers such as Octavia Butler, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and adrienne maree brown. Like them, she uses songwriting as a means to create hope, promote community, and pave the way for both inner and outer transformation. ”Songwriting is a way to tell the stories that need to be told,” she says. ”Sometimes, they are painful stories.”
On stage:
Leyla McCalla – vocals, cello, banjo, and guitar
Caito Sanchez – drums
Pete Olynciw – electric bass and upright bass
Nahum Zdybel – guitar
McCalla has developed a sound that reflects the meeting of her cultural heritage and personal experiences. Her music is deeply influenced by Creole tradition, American jazz, and folk music – earthy, elegant, soulful, and witty. It vibrates with three centuries of history while feeling fresh and contemporary at the same time.
Born in New York City to Haitian immigrants and activists, McCalla draws inspiration from both her origins and the present. She is a multilingual multi-instrumentalist with a unique artistic voice. In addition to her solo work, she is a founding member of Our Native Daughters (alongside Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Allison Russell) and a former member of the Grammy-winning band The Carolina Chocolate Drops. She has toured successfully in Europe for several years and performed at many prestigious folk and jazz festivals.
Her new album Sun Without the Heat (Anti Records, April 2024) is her fifth studio recording – a playful and vibrant album that simultaneously carries pain and inner transformation. Across its ten tracks, McCalla balances the heavy and the light with melodies and rhythms inspired by afrobeat, Ethiopian scales, Brazilian tropicalismo, highlife, American folk, and blues. The emotional cello playing and rhythmic guitars lend weight to the lyrics, reinforcing her search for identity.
However, Sun Without the Heat is more than just an album – it is a profound reflection on self-discovery and belonging. McCalla draws lyrical inspiration from Black feminist Afrofuturist thinkers such as Octavia Butler, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, and adrienne maree brown. Like them, she uses songwriting as a means to create hope, promote community, and pave the way for both inner and outer transformation. ”Songwriting is a way to tell the stories that need to be told,” she says. ”Sometimes, they are painful stories.”
On stage:
Leyla McCalla – vocals, cello, banjo, and guitar
Caito Sanchez – drums
Pete Olynciw – electric bass and upright bass
Nahum Zdybel – guitar