Nola Musicians for Palestine

Listen: Bandcamp

On January 6th, 2024, working musicians and hundreds of New Orleans community members commandeered the route for a parade that rings in the first night of Carnival season revelry. The sound of brass instruments and Arabic drums filled the air, punctuated with chants like “Resistance is justified, when people face genocide!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” This procession marked the inception of the collective, New Orleans Musicians for Palestine (NM4P).

NM4P took to the streets that night to draw attention to Israel’s attacks on Gaza and declare solidarity with Palestinian resistance and liberation. Since then, the collective has expanded, and now includes the Hanoun Brass Band; a Carnival krewe called Krewe of Zeitoun; and a musicians’ solidarity network. Together, they led a vibrant “right of return” parade last Lundi Gras, bringing Palestinian and Arabic music, culture, and a spirit of resistance to Mardi Gras.

On November 26th, 2025, Hanoun Brass Band will release their debut album, “From New Orleans to Palestine”, which is now available for digital purchase. “Hanoun” is a Palestinian word for poppy flower, which has long symbolized Palestinian national identity, culture, resistance, and every Palestinian martyred by settlers and the occupation forces.

The album was recorded at the Material Institute in May 2025 and mixed by Adam Keil. The songs were arranged by Simon Moushabeck, Ashlae Blum’e and Romain Beauxis. All proceeds from the release will be donated to organizations supporting Palestinian rights. The album includes arrangements based on songs like Mohammed Assaf’s “Ana Dammi Falastini,” which asserts the immutability of Palestinian identity; the traditional folk song, “Ya Zareef At-Toul,” about a handsome man yearning to leave their town, that has taken a more modern significance in the context of the ongoing Palestinian displacement and resistance struggle; and George Totari and Kofia’s “Leve Palestina,” which declares an unwavering solidarity with Palestinian liberation and an unapologetic rejection of Zionism.

Playing their renditions of these songs, the group has spent the last two years supporting protests, crashing parades and festivals, fundraising for Palestinian groups locally and abroad, and infusing joyous and unflinching solidarity with Palestine into the local music scene, the touristed streets of the French Quarter, and the public meetings of war profiteers. Through these songs, Hanoun asserts that, from New Orleans to Palestine, marginalized communities everywhere deserve to live free of the violence of occupation, genocide, state-sanctioned abductions, and any systemic attack designed to limit or erase the autonomy, humanity, and existence of any group of people.

With this album release, Hanoun Brass Band welcomes listeners to a confluence of Palestinian and Arabic music, New Orleans brass band instrumentation, and protest chanting — all contextualized in a lineage of defiance, steadfastness, and a fierce and joyful love for life.

Release credits

Musicians:

Cover art: Godzilla McGillicuddy

Recorded at the Material Institute on May, 2025

Album release

Release show