New Orleans artists release "Swamp Romp" Louisiana Dance Party album on February 15

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Inviting her many fans to "pass a good time" in the new year, Johnette Downing, a multi-award-winning and internationally touring musician, author, and former educator, will release SWAMP ROMP on February 15, 2019. This festive "Louisiana Dance Party" is Downing's first project with partner Scott Billington, a GRAMMY Award-winning record producer and musician. Featuring a stellar array of Louisiana musical talent, SWAMP ROMP arrives in plenty of time for Mardi Gras celebrations. The first single "How To Dress a Po' Boy" (also the title of one of Downing's many picture books) is available now from www.johnettedowning.com.

Five years in the making, and debuted publicly at a recent GRAMMY Museum concert, this record is an homage to the place, people, music, and culture that both Downing (a New Orleans native) and Billington hold dear. A tasty mélange of musical styles is reflected in these 15 original child-friendly songs (and one adapted traditional Cajun tune). The physical album includes 16 pages of lyrics and colorful liner notes, offering teachers and families a useful resource for learning about Louisiana's rich heritage.

The laissez les bon temps roulez spirit comes alive with the first title track, a jaunty harmonica-laced "swamp pop" party song. From there, Johnette and Scott take listeners for a ride through the landscape of Louisiana roots music, from New Orleans R&B to Cajun to traditional jazz. Supporting musicians include Irma Thomas, Roddie Romero, Joel Savoy, James Singleton, Doug Belote, Lee Allen Zeno, Matt Perrine, Wilson Savoy, Jake Eckert, C.R. Gruver, "Washboard Chaz" Leary, members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris and Kirk Joseph), members of the Dukes of Dixieland (Kevin Clark, Craig Klein and Tim Laughlin), the McCrary Sisters and members of the ReBirth Brass Band (Keith Frazier and Derrick Tabb).
"What a thrill to record these songs with such world-class musicians, " says Downing, who herself is known as the "Pied Piper of Louisiana musical traditions." Adds Billington, "These are all people I've known and loved working with over the years. This is the real deal; we tried to capture as many Louisiana musical styles as we could with this record." In working together, Downing and Billington were able to meld her heritage and educational work, with his extensive community of roots musicians. Billington enlisted longtime collaborator Steve Reynolds as recording engineer for SWAMP ROMP. "There were so many smiles and so much laughter as we recorded these songs, " he says. "I had to pinch myself that we were able to gather so many absolutely great musicians to participate."
Johnette and Scott will share the new songs at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park in January and February. Johnette also launched her new music video and book Who Got the Baby in the King Cake? The song for the book appears on SWAMP ROMP. More concerts and music videos are planned to celebrate the release of SWAMP ROMP during 2019. To extend the cultural learning, Downing is developing an activity guide for classrooms and playgroups.

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