After a decade of playing (mostly) other artists’ songs, Tuba Skinny has released its first album of all-original tunes, Magnolia Stroll. Featuring compositions from Erika Lewis, Shaye Cohn, Robin Rapuzzi, Barnabus Jones, Craig Flory and Max Bien-Kahn, it is their love song to all the musicians, living and dead, who have inspired the band, as well as to the neighborhoods of New Orleans that have nurtured them.

They recorded the album at The Tigermen Den in the Bywater. COVID was still at large so they opened the building’s French doors for circulation. Naturally, passersby stopped to listen and tip the band between songs.

The 15 tracks on Magnolia Stroll are laced together with Tuba Skinny’s favorite kind of gentle rhythms. Each song is a story of a place and time, pulling from their years of touring experiences and favorite musical influences. Robin Rapuzzi’s Benny Moten-influenced “Ida Wobble” came out of the long, powerless days after Hurricane Ida. Max Bien-Kahn’s “Magnolia Stroll” takes a wistful walk. Erika Lewis and Barnabus Jones’ “Six Feet Down” is instantly catchy. Shaye Cohn’s “Deep Bayou Moan” comes from a place of grief and heartbreak, as well as the determination to persevere.

This is the band’s most personal album yet and marks a new chapter in their evolution. What’s more, as a result of pandemic protocol, they’ve recorded what might be the truest reproduction of their busking sound. 

Tuba Skinny performs on the Economy Hall Stage at Jazz Fest on Sunday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m.