33 1/3 - The Wild Tchoupitoulas' The Wild Tchoupitoulas

The Wild Tchoupitoulas is a definitive expression of the modern New Orleans sound. From 'Hey Pocky A-Way' to 'Big Chief Got a Golden Crown,' the album draws on carnival traditions stretching back a century, adapting songs from the Mardi Gras Indians. Music chanted in the streets with tambourines and makeshift percussion is transformed throughout the album into electric rhythm and blues accented funk, calypso, and reggae. The album bridges not only genres but generations, linking the improvised flow from group leader George Landry, better known as Big Chief Jolly, to the stacked harmony vocals by his nephews Aaron, Art, Charles, and Cyril - the core members of the soon-to-be-formed Neville Brothers, playing together here for the first time.