Papa Mali To Make European Debut

Papa Mali has announced his debut European Tour, as well as several North American Festivals including High Sierra Music Festival, Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest, Dogstock, Guitar Town, FunkFest and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.

Papa Mali, born Malcolm Helm Welbourne spent most of his childhood years in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Shreveport was only a short distance from his mother’s family who lived in New Orleans. 

Papa Mali’s latest album documents his pre-Katrina New Orleans summit with some of the city’s most celebrated and talented players, brought together with one request: Do your thing.  More than a recording session, the atmosphere that developed feels almost like a seance, as friends gather in a circle and invoke the ghosts of their pasts… look deeper, and you can almost see those spirits weaving through the air like curls of smoke, conjuring visions of snake handlers and tent revivals, spy boys and street parades, proceeding with a broke-leg swagger to a place that’s less about being funky and more about being Southern.                                                                            

  While in New Orleans with his grandparents, Malcolm spent his time soaking up the musical flavor and witnessing the heyday of The Meters, The Wild Tchopitoulas, James Booker, Professor Longhair and most of the city’s now-legendary acts. Although he himself has been playing the clubs of New Orleans for over 20 years, this recording makes his musical roots more obvious. Featured guests for the journey are representatives from three of the Crescent City’s deepest traditions; Kirk Joseph (founding member of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Kirk is responsible in large part for the modern New Orleans brass band sound), Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (worldwide ambassador of the proud Mardi Gras Indian tradition) and Henry Butler (Henry Butler is no less than the singular New Orleans piano giant of his generation, and keeper of the torch previously held by James Booker and Professor Longhair) along with Chuck Prophet, J. J. Grey and Victoria Williams.

8.1.2007:  Kulturarena.                        Jena, Germany 

 8.2.2007:  Schlachtof.                            Bremen, Germany

 8.3.2007:  Kulturzelt.                            Kassel, Germany

 8.4.2007:  Burg Wilhelmstein.              Wurselen, Germany

 8.7.2007:  The Jazz Café.                      London, UK

 8.9.2007:  Musictheater Rex.                Benheim/Frankfurt, Germany

 8.10.2007: Jazz Tage.                             Lichtensteig, Switzerland

 8.11.2007: Guca Festival.                       Guca, Serbia

 8.13.2007: Stadium.                                Beograd, Serbia

 8.14.3007: Bluesiana.                              Velden, Austria

 8.20.2007: Badenfahrt Music Festival.  Baden/Zurich, Switzerland

 8.21.2007: Badenfahrt Music Festival.  Baden/Zurich, Switzerland

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