Sunflower City

Sunflower City began as a concept for a recording project. In the year after hurricane Katrina when things often seemed as bad as they could be, Matt found inspiration and courage in the mysterious appearance of sunflowers all over the city of New Orleans, growing through cracks in the broken foundations of homes and turning a post-apocolyptic landscape into a garden of hope. Likewise, the people of New Orleans, fighting for their city and future, lit a fire to record music that drew from this inspiration. Music from the caribbean has long been an influence on New Orleans music, especially in the early days of jazz. It is in this vein that Sunflower City finds it's mission; the celebration of the marriage between the music of the islands and the northernmost port of the caribbean, New Orleans. This fusion of traditional jazz and calypso was so natural and original an idea, it instantly resonated, not only with listeners but the musicians who played it.

Two CD's, several awards and several years later, the Sunflower City band performs regularly in New Orleans with a rotating roster of local luminaries including  Matt Rhody (Hot Club of New Orleans), Aurora Nealand (The Royal Roses), Debbie Davis (The Pfister Sisters) and Stanton Moore (Galactic).  

Listen to Sunflower City

Winner of Gambit Weekly's Big Easy Award, Best Traditional Jazz, 2010

Bayou Road Suite, 2010