Recess! Media

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That’s the famous Heritage Hall Jazz Band with their version of the classic Christmas song, “Silver Bells,” on a new recording from Putamayo called New Orleans Christmas. As the reconstruction of the city continues after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, one of the ways that this most unique of American places has chosen to give birth to itself again is through its music. And, fittingly, part of the proceeds of this CD will go to the area’s Musician’s Village project that will create new homes for a good number of those artists who were displaced by the storm.

The performances on this recording blend the old and the new. The Dukes of Dixieland, with their familiar sound are in harmony with Ingrid Lucia and her right-now vocals. Together, the eleven numbers here call the listener back to a shared memory, along with James Andrews in his homage to the singer and the song that was made famous by one of the Big Easy’s best known musicians, Louis Armstrong:

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It’s important to remember this place, this music, and the people who made and still make it — especially at this time of the year, when we think about home and family and traditions. Here’s Banu Gibson to take us there.

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