#4619, With Leyla McCalla

Hear pieces from Breaking The Thermometer, a multidisciplinary music-theatre performance and full-length album from Haitian-American musician Leyla McCalla. 

This music theater work, commissioned by Duke University, was created using archival material from Radio Haiti, the country’s first independent Creole-speaking radio station. This bilingual record - featuring lyrics and speech in both English and Kreyol - combines archival clips with new arrangements of traditional Haitian music and original compositions to create a unique sonic experience. When performed live, it is accompanied by dance, video projections, and other visual storytelling elements to portray the history of not only Radio Haiti, but McCalla’s personal story.

During her recent performance of Breaking The Thermometer at the 2022 Big Ears Festival, McCalla sat down with John Schaefer to discuss the tracks on this album. She shares her experience exploring Haitian history and culture through traditional rhythms and the ways music allowed her to examine her identity and ancestry. – Laura Boyman

Program #4619, with Leyla McCalla (First aired on 5/5/2022)

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Artibonite [2:51]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Dodinin [3:24]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Ekzile [3:13]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Vini We [4:29]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Nan Fon Bwa [4:25]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Bon Appétit Messieurs [1:13]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Le Bal est Fini [4:24]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Boukman's Prayer [2:15]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer 

ARTIST: Leyla McCalla
WORK: Pouki [2:09]
RECORDING: Breaking The Thermometer
SOURCE/INFO: https://leylamccalla.bandcamp.com/album/breaking-the-thermometer