Sneak Peek: Donald Harrison Podcast

Donald Harrison: Congo Square is a place in New Orleans where Africans were allowed to play their drums and sing and dance, according to their affiliations in Africa. So if you were Yoruba, you could gather with people who were from Nigeria and other areas, and participate in the culture you did in Africa. That became a core lesson to a New Orleans sound, but it still has African roots in it, and you still can hear that music today. It influenced the music of New Orleans in a profound way. It still is influencing the music of New Orleans in a profound way. I call it a root incubator. What's was tremendous to me is that it helped to inform music that went worldwide, so not only did it contribute to New Orleans music, it contributed to the music of the world.