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Leyla McCalla

Cellist Leyla McCalla was looking for creative inspiration when she left New York for New Orleans. She easily drew crowds on the streets of the Big Easy by performing classical music in a sea of jazz acts. Now, McCalla is working on recording an album of songs, some of which are inspired by the poetry of Langston Hughes. She joins host Frank Stasio to perform live in the studio, discuss her brilliant approach to busking and talk about experimenting with the musical possibilities of the cello.

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.