Cirque du Freque

Cirque du Freque is a new band led by a two-time Grammy and Latin Billboard winning artist.

Irvin Mayfield is a two-time Grammy and Billboard Award-winning trumpet player, producer, turntablist, and songwriter from New Orleans. He is one of the most recorded musicians of his generation, has authored 2 books, and has recorded and produced over 40 Records. His latest project Cirque du Freque is the marriage of technology and soul.

Cirque du Freque’s debut album, LOVE BOX 101 Playlist, features 101 original songs in the form of a 6-hour playlist and is available worldwide on all streaming platforms.

Mayfield’s credits include, collaborations with Frank Ocean, Lenny Kravitz, George Clinton, Wyclef Jean, Bob Weir, Ani DiFranco, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Hailey Reinhart, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John, Ernest Gaines, and Gordon Parks. His career started in Latin music as a cofounder of the celebrated group, Los Hombres Calientes with veteran percussionist Bill Summers in 1998. Since then, Mayfield has been named the Jazz Artist in Residence at the Apollo Theater in 2014, Artistic Director of Jazz from 2009 to 2014 at the Minnesota Orchestra, and Founder and Artistic Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra from 2002 to 2016.

Mayfield’s catalogue includes live recordings at the prestigious Blue Note Jazz Club, the Village Vanguard, and most recently a live recording at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Domestically, Mayfield has headlined all major performing arts centers including Carnegie Hall and has twice performed at the White House for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Internationally, Mayfield has headlined major Jazz festivals from North Sea in Europe to the Sydney Jazz Festival in Australia and has toured extensively throughout four continents.

Mayfield was awarded an honorary doctorate from Dillard University.

Mayfield was nominated by President George W. Bush and appointed by President Barrack Obama to the National Council on the Arts. He was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his recording with Dee Dee Bridgewater.

In celebration of Basin Street Records’ 20th anniversary, Mayfield and fellow trumpeter and long time friend Kermit Ruffins (the big easy ambassador of good times and Rebirth Brass Band co-founder, HBO's Treme), joined forces to create the #1 Jazz album on the Billboard charts, A Beautiful World.
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Gabi Cavassa, 24, is a singer-songwriter from Oakland, CA. From a family of artists, she was part of American Idol at age 17. A chance encounter with the recordings of Billie Holiday inspired her to study Jazz in San Francisco and an affinity for adventure found the young vocalist in New Orleans. During an escapade in France, she joined Marseille Hip Hop group, La Thérapie du Singe, a sound she continued to explore whilst returning home. In the Fall of 2017, she began working with Irvin Mayfield and Cirque du Freque. She is now featured on 46 of the 101 songs on LOVE BOX 101 Playlist. When not enchanting audiences around the globe or taking awkward selfies, she works with Pop legend Donny Markowitz (The Time of My Life) at Esplanade Studios.
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Ronald Markham, is a pianist, producer, sound designer, and visual artist. His affinity for dismantling electronics led him to school for mechanical engineering. When not in the studio working on the next 101 songs with Cirque du Freque, he makes music under the moniker HelloNegro. In his spare time he watches Billions, refurbishes mid-century modern furniture, and paints in his studio.
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John Díaz-Cortés, is a saxophonist, producer and songwriter from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The son of a Preacher man, his first musical influence came from Puerto Rican Pentecostals. After receiving a Master's degree in Jazz Studies and working for years as an activist and community organizer in Colorado, he was drawn to New Orleans to better understand the birthplace of American music. When not on the road, you can find him working at Esplanade Studios. He is the associate producer of the Billboard charting record, A Beautiful World, by Kermit Ruffins and Irvin Mayfield and the recording debut of New Orleans Hip Hop collective, Supreme Beings.
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Urban poet Rodja Fields aka Flighteous is a New Orleans born artist. At 26 years old, his autobiographical style presents the triumphs, trials, and tribulations of a young man in New Orleans, post-Katrina. As an MC, producer, and engineer, he’s found throughout many of the most important productions of New Orleans' recent history. Featured on over 40 songs of LOVE BOX 101 Playlist, he still has a lot more to say. Stay tuned.