Leyla McCalla

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Leyla McCalla
Carolina Chocolate Drops
in September 2012
Born
Leyla Sarah McCalla

(1985-10-03) October 3, 1985 (age 38)
New York City, United States
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • cellist
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • Cello
  • Banjo
  • Guitar
Labels
Websiteleylamccalla.com

Leyla Sarah McCalla

Carolina Chocolate Drops,[6] but left to focus on her solo career.[7]

Background

Both of McCalla's parents were born in Haiti.[6] Her father Jocelyn McCalla[8] was the Executive Director of the New York-based National Coalition for Haitian Rights[9] from 1988 to 2006[10] and is credited as translator on her album Vari-Colored Songs.[11] Her mother Régine Dupuy arrived in the United States at age 5, and is the daughter of Ben Dupuy who ran Haïti Progrès, a New York-based Haitian socialist newspaper.[9] McCalla's mother went on to found Dwa Fanm, an anti-domestic violence human rights organization.[9] McCalla's younger sister, Sabine McCalla, is also a musician in New Orleans.[12][13]

McCalla was born in Queens, New York City, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey,[14] where she attended Columbia High School.[15][9] She lived in Accra, Ghana for two years as a teen. After a year at Smith College, she transferred to New York University to study cello performance and chamber music. In 2010 she then moved to New Orleans[9] where she honed her craft playing music on the streets of the French Quarter. In addition to cello, she also plays banjo and guitar.[15]

Career

From 2011 to 2013, McCalla was a member of the

Carolina Chocolate Drops.[16] As of 2019 she is a member of Our Native Daughters
.

As of 2017, McCalla was touring with her New Orleans-based trio, which also included Québécois Daniel Tremblay on guitar, banjo, and iron triangle (ti fer); and Free Feral on vocals and guitar.[16]

In 2019–20, McCalla toured with her Leyla McCalla Quartet, which included New Orleans musicians Dave Hammer (electric guitar), Shawn Myers (drums/percussion), and Pete Olynciw (electric and acoustic bass).[17][18]

First album

McCalla's critically acclaimed album Vari-Colored Songs is a tribute to

Carolina Chocolate Drops appear on the album.[5] The album was financed at least in part through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter which exceeded its goal of $5,000 to raise $20,000.[15]

Personal life

McCalla lives in the New Orleans area and has three children.[9][16][20][21]

Discography

Collaborations

References

  1. ^ American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. "Heart of Gold Work ID No. 886049205 Leyla Sarah McCalla IPI No. 715028763". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2016. Heart of Gold Work ID No. 886049205 Leyla Sarah McCalla IPI No. 715028763
  2. ^ Leyla McCalla (leylamccallamusic) (September 11, 2015). "October 3rd is my birthday!". Facebook. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  3. ^ Leyla McCalla (leylamccallamusic) (September 3, 2015). "my 30th BIRTHDAY!!". Facebook. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Tassell, Nige (September 26, 2013). "Cellist Leyla MacCalla: From Bach on the Street to Haitian Folk Jazz". The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Fensterstock, Alison (February 5, 2014). "Leyla McCalla's tribute to Langston Hughes, out this week, plus more New Orleans albums to look forward to". Nola.com/The Times Picayune. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Orr, Dacey. "Album Stream: Leyla McCalla – Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes". Paste. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  7. ^ Steinoff, Jessica (September 23, 2014). "Carolina Chocolate Drops give vintage string-band music a very bright future". Isthmus. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "Leyla McCalla at the BRIC". Loumacfotos. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Dwyer, Andrea (April 6, 2015). "A Conversation with Cellist and Singer Leyla McCalla". AfroPunk. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  10. ^ "Jocelyn McCalla". LinkedIn. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  11. ^ "Vari-Colored Songs". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  12. ^ Hobbs, Holly (September 16, 2019). "Gambit's 2019 Music Issue: Sep 16, 2019". Gambit. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  13. ^ Cugny, Noé (June 27, 2018). "Power Players: Sabine McCalla Speaks From The Heart". OffBeat. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Rentner, Simon. "Cellist, Banjoist, and Singer-Songwriter Leyla McCalla Revisits Her Own Root System, on The Checkout", WBGO, December 4, 2017. Accessed January 15, 2020. "Leyla McCalla has traveled a winding path as a musician, from the European classical canon to the folkways of her Caribbean heritage. Born into a Haitian-American family in Queens, she was raised in Maplewood, and brought up in the New Jersey public school system."
  15. ^ a b c "About". Leyla McCalla. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  16. ^
    Mercury News
    . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  17. San Francisco Classical Voice
    . Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  18. ^ "Leyla McCalla: Shows". Leyla McCalla. 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  19. ^ a b Ruehl, Kim. "Folk Alley Presents: Leyla McCalla". NPR. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  20. ^ "Leyla McCalla Facebook Page". Facebook. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  21. ^ "Leyla McCalla Facebook Page". Facebook. Retrieved November 15, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leyla McCalla.
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