Afropop Worldwide spent a thrilling week in New Orleans during the 38th annual gathering of the Folk Alliance International (FAI). Sean Barlow and I were invited to speak on a panel honoring the legacy of Dan Storper, founder of Putumayo Records, and the company’s strategies for life beyond CDs—once its stock-in-trade—and Dan, who, by the way, was a longtime resident of this storied Mississippi River city.
The theme for FAI 2026 was, appropriately, “Rise Up,” and the days were full of statements of resistance and solidarity in dark times, including a massive, spontaneous group chant in support of the recent victims of ICE violence Minneapolis. In the world of “folk” writ large, music and activism are historically inseparable.
While in New Orleans, we took full advantage of the myriad offerings of the Folk Alliance extravaganza—from Taj Mahal and Bounce diva Big Freedia to David Amram and the globetrotting Henhouse Prowlers—but also, the unique culture of this unique town, which I personally had not visited in decades.
What follows is a story, mostly in pictures, of a very happening five days and nights in, arguably, America’s coolest city.
Text and photos by Banning Eyre.
The highlight for me of the FAI opening Awards ceremony was a Lifetime Achievement Award for Taj Mahal. With a full band onstage, including Yasmine Williams on guitar, Taj reprised “Queen Bee,” a favorite of mine, as I was privileged to cover the Kulanjan recording session in 1999, where Taj remade that song with Toumani Diabaté and the late Ramata Diakité. This version sailed, putting an appropriate Black music stamp on this year’s New Orleans gathering.
Next, we skipped out on the town. Finding no action at Kermit Ruffins’ night spot, The Mother In Law Lounge, we took an off-night stroll on Frenchman St, popping into various night spots, Three Muses, Spotted Cat, Bamboulas, Snug Harbor and ultimately Blue Nile, where we got a blast of NOLA brass ecstasy from the New Breed Brass Band.
Back at the Sheraton, where all the FAI action went down, we popped in on a few late-night, hotel room sessions. For those unfamiliar with Folk Alliance, entire hotel room floors are turned into music venues, with converted hotel rooms turning over live acts every 30 minutes, until 3AM! Unbelievable. Favorites for us this first night were the Hip Horns Brass Collective, and Sally Baby’s Silver Dollar, a fast-rising band that generated outsize enthusiasm throughout the conference. Sally Baby’s band’s agent, David Garr, remarked to me that I would one day boast that I got to see this superstar band play “in a hotel room.” Sadly, that was the only one of their showcases I caught, but it was terrific!
Continuing the focus on Black, local music, the noon Keynote session featured a beautifully moderated conversation with trans Bounce star Big Freedia and Tarriona Tank Ball of Tank and the Bangas. It was a lively evocation of New Orleans history, Bounce and hip-hop lifestyles, creating art for kids, and how to be trans and a God-fearing Christian with equal commitment and pride.
Notable among the many daytime sessions was a celebration of The Legacy of Clifton Chenier. Smithsonian Records has recently absorbed the legendary Arhoolie music label, and a massive box-set with rare documentation on Chenier constitutes their flagship product. Chenier’s son, and our colleague Nick Spitzer, host of public radio’s American Routes, and contributor to the box set, joined the panel. This box set will be a must-have for true fans of cajun music.
In the afternoon, I took a stroll by the Mississippi in the one period of bright sunlight we were privy to over five days. The destination was the New Orleans Jazz Museum, where an excellent band called Bon Bon Vivant was giving a free concert.
Back at the Sheraton, we caught just a few showcases before once again hitting the town. The Henhouse Prowlers were particularly memorable. These are ace multi-instrumentalists and singers with clear bluegrass roots, but I would note that these guys have toured the world with State Department backing, learning and performing local songs from the Netherlands to Uganda. U.S. soft power diplomacy at its best!
Then it was off to a proper New Orleans feast at Jacques-Imo’s restaurant followed by a gig that all our local friends said was a must-see: jazz funk trombone maestro Cory Henry at a funky nightspot called Vaughan’s. There are lots of videos of this legendary gig on YouTube, but there’s nothing like being there for about the grooviest, hottest funk jam you can imagine.
Thursday was a late night, so we didn’t get back to the Sheraton until afternoon, when my main mission was to sit down for a long interview with Senegalese singer Cheikh Ibra Fam, whom we met in New York during the Arts Presenter’s gathering two weeks earlier. When you hear Cheikh sing, you understand why he was recruited to take the place of Rudy Gomis in Senegal's Orchestra Baobab some years back. These days, Cheikh lives in Isle de la Reunion in the Indian Ocean and has bands in Senegal, Europe and the U.S.. Our conversation covered all of that, and it was also great prep for Afropop’s impending return to Senegal for a reporting trip and research for our Afropop Music Tour there in Jan. 2027 (Sold out. Stay tuned for 2028.)
Lafayette, Louisianna, was on display this night on the Grand Ballroom stage, the largest of the many stages running at the Sheraton. The Lafayette Sheauxcase featured top Cajun and Zydeco acts, including Jourdan Thibodeaux et Les Rôdailleurs.
On the late-night scene, special shoutout to a rising local band called Kota Dosa, who delivered a lively acoustic version of their New Orleans-flavored, original funk/boogie with special guest, the delightfully eccentric and Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Poltz. Steve followed up with a highly amusing hotel room showcase—gonzo folk comedy extraordinaire. The night also included memorable showcases from Folk Alliance legend David Amram, a renaissance man still going strong in his mid-90s!, and the sensational neo-flamenco guitarist Pipo Romero.
The Putumayo session—From CD Racks to Streaming Tracks: Honoring and Evolving Putumayo’s Legacy—proved a rich and moving exchange, moderated by Jacob Edgar, curator of most of the label’s compilations and head of the Putumayo spinoff, Cumbancha Records. There were wonderful, often humorous, reminiscences from Putumayo’s innovative journey from a clothing store to one of the most consequential promoters of global music of our era. Dan Storper was hailed and honored, and occasionally roasted, and Edgar laid out an impressive record of Putumayo’s transition from a business model based on selling CDs to a new one all about streaming, playlists and artist promotion. There was brief mention of Edgar’s collection of
“terrifyingly good” AI world music, eliciting a few gasps from the audience. (Not for release!) Venture there if you dare… Afropop CEO Sean Barlow and I regaled the audience with tales of Afropop collaborating with Dan back in the early 90s when he was just launching Putumayo. Good memories...
Saturday evening posed a challenge. It was the night of the Krewe of Chewbacchus pre-Mardi Gras parade, perhaps the most whimsical, and certainly family-friendly, of the city’s many parades during this period. This year the theme was Star Wars, and the spectacle was endless and joyful, with all manner of characters handing out goodies to kids and marching through the city despite foggy humidity and impending cold weather.
But for most of this night, Africa was on display, starting with balafon maestro Mamadou Diabaté (not to be confused with the kora player of the same name) and his band Percussion Mania. Hailing from Burkina Faso and recently arrived in Boston after a stretch in Vienna, Austria, this Mamadou is a monster on his instrument. This band was a revelation for me—super strong West African pentatonic boogie. Watch this space for more on Mamadou.
Egyptian rebel rocker Ramy Essam, armed just with an acoustic guitar—as when we first met him in Cairo in 2011, following his star turn during the Tahrir Square uprising—gave this folkie crowd a visceral shot of his roaring passion. Congolese Montrealer Kizaba followed with a kick-ass dance set. Kizaba is widely recognized as one of the knowledgeable and accomplished Congolese percussionists in North America, and he’s also a true original. With his bespoke drum kit—including a back-handed crash cymbal—and just a guitarist and keyboardist, Kizaba had everyone on their feet dancing, including me, which is not easy.
Cheikh Ibra Fam had his Official Showcase this night as well, rousing an enthusiastic audience to song. And the after-hours showcases included a transcendently beautiful set from Cuban-French singer/songwriter Niuver, a veteran of Putumayo offerings, and a participant in our earlier daytime panel.
On Sunday, as the rain and temperature fell, and much of the U.S. succumbed to deep winter madness, Putumayo staged a Celebrate The World Festival at an indoor/outdoor venue called The Broadside. Given the weather, the music had to move indoors, but that was fine. The vibe was warm and intimate. The show had to go on, and it did, in style.
BUT, we had to pop out for a stretch to experience a New Orleans second line, in this case, the Ladies and Men of Unity Social & Pleasure Club, featuring Sporty’s Brass Band. It was raining when we arrived on Danneel Street and the musicians and revelers were packed into Sportsman Bar, but just in time, the rain eased, and the music and marching began, transforming a cold grey Sunday into a moving party. How fine it would be do this on a bright sunny day, but as it was, the sunshine came from within. Special shout-out to veteran Afropop Hip-Deep scholar Chris Dunn of Tulane University. Chris was our guide to New Orleans’s hidden treasures, including this second line.
Back at the Broadside, the music went on for hours, including sets from Niuver, Cheikh Ibra Fam and Mamadou Diabaté.
The finale of our visit was the closing party at legendary Tipitinas. Back in 1991, I saw Mahlathini and the Maholtella Queens here, and I hadn’t been back since. Sean, on the other hand, can’t forget presenting Thomas Mapfumo and the Blacks Unlimited at Tipitinas in 1993 during that year’s Public Radio Producers’ conference. Tonight, it was all about New Orleans, with the New Poboys Brass Band, another excellent brass, percussion and vocal outfit. Then there was a creative folk-DJ set from a spinner whose name I did not catch, but I was impressed by his skilled merger of folk and dancefloor idioms.
So that was it, five fun-packed days in New Orleans with Afropop Worldwide and Folk Alliance International. Now, it’s off to Dakar and Casamance. As we say: Watch this space! Never a dull moment with Afropop.
