Leyla McCalla @ Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris - November 7th, 2025

Leyla McCalla returned to Paris a year after her exquisite concert at La Maroquinerie, this time performing in the Palais de la Porte Dorée. The venue, which houses the Immigration History Museum, could not have been a more fitting setting. The exchange of cultures and stories lies at the very core of McCalla’s art, which draws from blues, folk, Caribbean rhythms, country, jazz, soul, and funk.

On stage, she alternates between cello, banjo, and guitar, each instrument carrying its own emotional charge, all anchored by that extraordinary voice of hers. Her band is remarkable, lifting the songs into new heights with playful improvisation and infectious groove. This music engages the body, the mind, and the heart: it tells stories shaped by displacement and resilience, giving meaning to the struggles and bloodshed of history, and perhaps inviting us to imagine a more conscious and compassionate tomorrow.