PRESENTING

A CONTEMPORARY ANTHOLOGY
OF LOUISIANA MUSIC IN
FRENCH AND CREOLE*

* PRESENTED WITH THE SUPPPORT OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

6 INTERVIEWS
118 PAGES

A MUSICAL ANTHOLOGY TO CELEBRATE WHO WE ARE.

EN MUSIQUE(S).

In August 2024, with the support of the Library of Congress, we invited two Grammy-winning musicians & four musical ensembles from Louisiana — for a total of 28 artists — to record an original album to document their musical practices and show how they perpetuate a centuries-long tradition of music sung in French and Creole.

Musique(s), Le Livre, includes the transcriptions of each artist’s interview, along with the lyrics of their songs, merging music and language into one.

The book was released on May 7, 2025, and is available for purchase online and at our gallery at 602 Toulouse St, in the French Quarter.

THE ARTISTS

001 002

  • Leyla McCalla was born in New York City to Haitian emigrants and activists, and her music draws inspiration from the past and present: three centuries of history and contemporary influences from around the globe. McCalla is a master of the cello, tenor banjo, and guitar, as well as a multilingual singer and songwriter.

  • Louis Michot is best known as the fiddle player and lead singer for the Grammy-award-winning Lost Bayou Ramblers. He is passionate about Louisiana French and local folklore, and about sustainability in the fastest disappearing landmass in the world. With over 20 LPs to his name, his music career continues to push the boundaries of the Louisiana French music traditions.

003 004

  • ‘Sunpie’ is a renowned musician, ethnographic photographer, actor, author, and former pro football player (Kansas City Chiefs) — and current Big Chief of the Northside Skull and Bones Gang Mardi Gras group. Performing will fellow Louisiana Creole-singing musician, Leroy Etienne, Sunpie is one of New Orleans’s most beloved cultural advocates.

  • The New Orleans Baby Dolls tradition emerged around 1912 in the segregated red-light district of Black Storyville, as women of color challenged societal norms by parading during Mardi Gras in doll-like attire, expressing their identities and challenging taboos. Today, there are multiple groups of Baby Dolls who continue to participate in Mardi Gras and other events.

005 006

  • A contemporary string ensemble exploring the Creole diaspora through melody and memory to honor Afro-descendent cultural ancestors and preserve the plurality of their experiences through a prismatic and contemporary lens.

  • Sweet Crude are an indie pop and rock band formed in 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The lyrics of their songs combine English and Louisiana French, a variety of French spoken by members of singers’ Sam Chachere Craft and Alexis Marceaux’s families. The band released their debut album, Créatures, early in 2017, and have garnered a worldwide fan base.

PURCHASE NOW!

CREDITS

Edited by
Rudy Bazenet, Scott Tilton

Designed by
Katya Vaz, Rudy Bazenet

Photographs
Stills from Musique(s), Le Film (2025)
Director: Cory St. Ewart
Director of Photography: Autumn Palen

Translation & Transcription
French: Rudy Bazenet, Scott Tilton, Katya Vaz
Louisiana Creole (Kouri-Vini): Clif St. Laurent

Cover Art by Katya Vaz featuring a close-up cross-section of a bald cypress tree’s rings. This tree symbolizes not only resilience and adaptability but also strength. The outward motion of the rings mirrors the flow of sound waves, linking the concept of growth to music. Together, these elements reflect the enduring and evolving nature of both Louisiana’s music and our collective creativity.

Published by Nous, the New Orleans Foundation for Francophone Cultures' independent publishing house, with the generous support of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. 

ISBN: 979-8-9987930-0-4

Merci to our partners:

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie

Gauthier Family Foundation

James Douglas Hislop

CreateLouisiana

TV5Monde

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Gauthier Family Foundation James Douglas Hislop CreateLouisiana TV5Monde

Video
Excerpts from Musique(s)!, Le Film (2025)