By Ken Valenti

New Orleans is a long way from Connecticut, not just in miles, but in musical style. But when Joe Gelini was growing up in Westport, sailing with his father on Long Island Sound, the Big Easy was already on his mind.

“(My father) would travel a lot for business and New Orleans was his favorite city to go to,” Gelini recalled recently. “As a kid I would hear about all the different bands and musicians and nightclubs.”

Crescent City

Tales of storied venues such as Tipitina’s, Maple Leaf Bar and Snug Harbor and the music of Louis Armstrong, Neville Brothers and Dr. John helped draw him eventually to the Crescent City. He lives there with his wife and two young daughters – and leads a band of his own.

Cha Wa, a “New Orleans brass band-meets-Mardis Gras Indian outfit” that “radiates energy of the city’s street culture,” as described on the band’s website, is about to release its fourth album, “Rise Up.” Gelini is the band’s drummer as well as its leader.

Grammy nominations

“Rise Up” will debut in full on Aug. 29, exactly two decades after the catastrophic Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The band’s previous two albums – “Spyboy” (2018) and “My People” (2021) – were nominated for Grammy Awards in the Best Regional Roots Music Album category.

Cha Wa takes its name from a traditional shout of the Mardi Gras Indians, African Americans who participate in the Fat Tuesday celebration in colorful, elaborate suits. The culture “is meant to pay tribute, in song and spirit, to the Native American groups that gave shelter to fleeing slaves,” the band’s website says.

“Too spirited”

From its first album in 2016, the band has gained recognition from more than the music awards. A review of “Spyboy” in Off Beat Magazine says the music “is just too spirited and too freewheeling to build down to a mix of two genres,” and that it “also takes in reggae, gospel and old-school R&B, making the different grooves blend seamlessly and funkily.”

A 2016 article in the international online magazine PopMatters describes the band’s sound as “a grand gumbo of singing, intoxicating rhythms, and deep funk grooves that are impossible to resist.”

Gelini feels confident the latest album will build on a growing reputation.

“I think it’s our strongest work to date,” he said.

Born drummer

The 48-year-old bandleader always wanted to be a musician, and after trying several instruments, he realized that he was born a drummer.  

“Me and my friends had very supportive parents,” he said. “We would get together and form bands and play gigs. I’ve been performing professionally since I was 16.”

Westporters may remember him from the bands Melody Jones and Captain Beef and the Wonder Band. 

Staples ‘95

After graduating Staples High School in 1995, he studied at the Berklee College of Music, where he met renowned jazz drummer Idris Muhammad on tour with John Scofield. The student was captivated by the Muhammad’s skill and artistry.

“I just fell in love with it,” Gelini said. “I had never heard someone play the drums with that sort of dexterity.”

After college, he relocated to New Orleans. As much as he enjoys the city, he also likes to get back to Westport now and then for the memories it holds. One favorite spot: Westfair Fish and Chips on Post Road East.

“New Orleans has some of the best food in the world, but I miss my Rhode Island Clam Chowder and my lobster rolls,” he said.

Listen to the band on Spotify and learn more at chawaband.com. 

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}