The music from a carousel outside of Congo Square momentarily distracted me from the stages at the New Orleans Jazz Festival presented by Shell.
Brightly colored wooden horses, cars, buses and even a chicken filled the merry-go-round's platform. They looked more like handmade children's toys than elaborate carved carousel animals. In the center, sat a full band. And instead of a motor, two men ran around the musicians pushing the contraptions.
It was called a chouval bwa. They were first made in the French Caribbean at the end of the 18th century. By the time Claude and Joselita Germany of Martinique decided to build this replica in 1980s, none remained on the island.
Every seat on the chouval bwa was claimed by an adult. They smiled and moved to the beat of the traditional Martinique music. As the song's tempo increased and the men ran faster, the passengers cheered on their pushers. It spun so fast everyone stopped dancing and held on tight, but they kept smiling.