Podcast

Alluvial soil and sediments of large parts of the USA are deposited on the southern banks of the Mississippi. In the opposite direction, from the mouth of the river and its delta, cultural riches were brought north and from there to the entire world: the globally understood languages of blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and soul. The musicians Swamp Dogg, Donald Harrison, Leyla McCalla and Logan Schutts talk about their relationship to the waters and sounds along the Mississippi.

Music:
Mattie Dellaney – Tallahatchie River Blues,
Donald Harrison – Congo Square Movement I,
Twins Seven Seven – Oshun (Pt. 2),
Leyla McCalla – Changing Tide,
Sidney Bechet – Maple Leaf Rag,
Porgy Jones – The Dapp,
Bessie Smith – St. Louis Blues,
Swamp Dogg – The White Man Made Me Do It.

The Mississippi River traverses the United States for 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico as a route of migration, trade, exploitation, and cultural exchange. The musicians Swamp Dogg, Donald Harrison, Leyla McCalla and Logan Schutts explain how influences from West Africa and the Caribbean find new forms in places like Congo Square in New Orleans and how important rhythm and dance were and still are on the sorrow-stricken banks of the river.

Music:
Donald Harrison – Hu-ta-Nay,
Leyla McCalla – Fort Dimanche,
Kumasi – Runoff,
Skip James – Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues,
Swamp Dogg – The World Beyond,
Kumasi – Slough City,
Leyla McCalla – Artibonite,
Donald Harrison – Dat's Jazz,
Allen Toussaint – Bright Mississippi.