A River beyond imagining: deep and cold, cold and wide, got so wide, it’d take a miracle to get you to the other side.

These 3 New Orleans-based fellas have been around the sun quite a few times, are masters of their instrumentsamong them trumpet, accordion, banjo, guitar, bass, alto horn, fluegelhorn, percussion, tuba, several unnameable sound generators and sometimes–electronics, between them have been musically involved with a Who’s Who of international Global, Jazz and Classical artistsYo Yo Ma, Hilario Durán, Bad Livers, Osvaldo Golijov, Treme Brass Band, Rhiannon Giddens, Frank London, Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band, Taraf de Haïdouks and many more, and are each musical innovators, who bring the spirit of inquiry, experimentation and play to their earthy, deeply connected sounds. The musical tributaries flowing into this new ensemble include music of Jews, Roma, African Americans (New Orleans and the Delta), the Riverboats, the Salons, and the Laboratories of the Mad Scientist. But that doesn’t tell you all of it. They work with these traditions in which they are deeply, authentically grounded to give voice to their connection with each other, to the ancestors and to the unseen Spirits.

The most accurate name for what they play would be “Mississippi Music” because it almost exclusively represents their re-imaginings of the sounds created by the people and cultures found along its banks and from its watershed: Blues, Gospel, Country, New Orleans Jazz, a song from an actual Riverboat calliope, and more than a touch of Americana. But their music represents no pastiche or survey of undigested ‘covers’ of disparate styles. Instead it is deeply rooted in their direct experience with the culture and culture-bearers in each of the related traditions. And they write some beautiful songs..

“…Center of the River has already proved to be a project that’s connecting with audiences on a spiritual level.”

— The Georgia Straight

Center of the River is an imaginative deep dive into the sound of the Great River, the Mississippi, which figures centrally in each of the trio’s personal and creative journeys. The project combines original and traditional music along with text that evokes the river’s many faces over time. It got rolling in 2021 and since then has performed in New Orleans, Toronto, Vancouver, and with a special collaboration at the University of Minessota. The band has been hard at work on the music for their debut recording. Camp Meeting–the first track of the new album–was released worldwide on March 5, 2024. Please pop over to the social media icons on the left side of the website to visit and like our project pages on Facebook and Instagram, and then visit the Spotify or YouTube links to hear Camp Meeting.

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Center of the River performing with the University of Minnesota Choir under the direction of Yulene Velasquez

Our Agent: Marilyn Gilbert Artist Management

MGAM embraces change with a roster of musicians whose work challenges all boundaries and whose sparkling musicianship gives them broad appeal. We partner with artists who reach beyond the stage and who create community. They are dedicated to working closely with presenters to develop programmes that transcend the concert hall and foster a better understanding and openness between people. Contact Marilyn and Luisa here.