Five years after meeting in New Orleans the emblematic figures of the Big Easy, Skokiaan Brass Band is about to release its first album, The French Touch. Kirk Joseph (Dirty Dozen Brass Band), a repository of traditional jazz and a pioneer of sousafunk, has been in charge of its production. The trumpeter Kevin Louis (New Orleans) and singers Cindy Pooch and Lisa Caldognetto (Lyon) are also invited.Four French standards and five original compositions get the New Orleans brass bands treatment : a musical parade of jazz, second line, funk and afro-caribbean rhythms. This album is a message of love and gratitude to New Orleans and its musicians. It is also a tribute to French culture, highlighting the great values it has been built upon : hospitality, tolerance, brotherhood and liberty.The French Touch is a jubilant back-and-forth between two cultures linked by History and human experiences.