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New Orleans native PJ Morton is a Grammy-winning artist and has traveled the world as a member of Maroon 5.

Now, he’s back home with a new album and some big concerts coming up.

The album is called Gumbo, and Morton recorded it on his own label in New Orleans. It’s full of his brand of funk and soul that he crafted playing in front of huge audiences around the world.

Morton says he had to leave home to achieve that type of success.  But, home never left him.

“I wasn’t a jazz musician. So, I was hitting a ceiling here.  And, I knew that to find the things I wanted to find, I had to leave,” he says. “But I never let go. And, we wear it as a badge of honor outside of here. If you say you’re from New Orleans you get instant cool points.”

You can see PJ Morton live at the CD release party for Gumbo at Tipitina’s Saturday (Apr. 22) at 10 p.m. Then, you can see him twice at Jazz Fest — the first Saturday with Maroon 5, and the second Friday with his own band.