INTRODUCTION

For New Orleans, music is a treasure. From the traditional brass bands that march in jazz funerals, to the famous blues, jazz, funk and R&B clubs and the street parades of Mardi Gras, music is a way of life; it is embedded in the hearts, souls and minds of the people.

As hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans on August 29, 2005, it also proved catastrophic to the city's famed music culture. Many of the city's talented musicians are now living in exile, forced to disperse to different parts of the country. Some of them lost everything, all of them lost something, including their instruments, to hurricane Katrina.

New Orleans Music in Exile tells the story of some of these musicians.

Since the hurricane struck, musicians who made a living performing and recording in New Orleans have kept on playing music elsewhere - much of it devoted to their beleaguered city. New Orleans Music in Exile presents personal stories of horror and heartbreak from musicians who lived through the storm that wreaked havoc on the Big Easy.

In this revealing Starz InBlack Original production, musicians we know and love share their experiences of loss and displacement. Musicians featured in the production include Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Kermit Ruffins, Irma Thomas, the Iguanas, the ReBirth Brass Band and others. In addition to performing they share their personal stories of how Katrina affected their lives, scattering them to other cities, and how they're getting back on their feet.

New Orleans Music in Exile is directed by noted music documentarian Robert Mugge (Last of the Mississippi Jukes, Blues Divas). The film's co-producer is Diana Zelman.

Filming of New Orleans Music in Exile began two months after the muddy waters, drenched homes and neighborhoods such as the Lower Ninth Ward, St. Bernard Parish, Treme' and Algiers, where many musicians lived but were forced to leave.

On Saturday, May 13, 2006, Starz Entertainment Group, in conjunction with the Tipitina's Foundation will host the New Orleans Music in Exile Benefit Concert at Tipitina's French Quarter, New Orleans. This event is part of SEG's commitment to fund-raising efforts for the Tipitina Foundation's Instruments A Comin' and Artist Relief Fund. For more information visit tipitinas.com.

Theresa Andersson, Dr. John, Cyril Neville, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Irma Thomas, Stephen Assaf, Eddie Bo, Marcia Ball, Kermit Ruffins, ReBirth Brass Band, The Iguanas, World Leader Pretend, Cowboy Mouth, beatinpath, Jon Cleary, and Papa Grows Funk.

"I left that Saturday before Katrina to go play a gig in Austin, Texas. We were watching TV to see the aftermath... and we found out that the levees had breached and our houses were under water." - Irma Thomas

"The music culture there is something that traditionally has been unique. It was always passed down from our elders… I pray to the spirit world … to heal my New Orleans." - Dr. John

"It's really crushing to contemplate the idea that you wouldn't be able to go back; that it wouldn't be like it once was, at least to some degree. So we have to hold out hope that... we will go back." - Rene Coman of The Iguanas

"Right now, we're stationed in Houston. We had to leave New Orleans due to the storm. We have five guys here. Everybody is spread out." - Philip Frazier, ReBirth Brass Band

"I live in the tour bus. We all live in the tour bus." - Fred LeBlanc, Cowboy Mouth

"I came to Houston, Texas; I moved my whole family here because of Hurricane Katrina. All of the musicians here have opened their arms to us, like you would not believe. They have been taking care of us…getting my drummer a new set of drums, my bass player a bass, helping to get my piano player an electric piano. You wouldn't believe the love. God bless their hearts. - Kermit Ruffins