The Carolina Chocolate Drops’ launch their 2011 tour with a special engagement on Lincoln Center’s prestigious American Songbook series at The Allen Room overlooking a wintry Central Park in New York City tonight. The show follows last week's release of their new four-song EP, a collaboration with the New York City–based Romanian gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii, along with human beatboxer Adam Matta. Another 20 shows follow in the coming months around the Northeast, South, and Midwest. Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins will join the band on the road. See below for the currently scheduled tour dates, including select early-announced festivals and shows into the summer and fall, and visit nonesuch.com/on-tour for further details.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii project began when both bands, longtime admirers of each other’s music, were performing at the Folk Alliance festival in Memphis, Tennessee. Every day in Memphis, the Lumiis would set up in the hall and do a short set for the passersby. One day the Lumiis’ Sxip Shirey noticed that the Drops’ Rhiannon Giddens was watching and asked her to join them. What followed was “magic … one of those rare festival moments that never happens again,” as Shirey said.

The Chocolate Drops were soon invited to Brooklyn to join the Luminescent Orchestrii and their friend Adam Matta to record “Knockin’,” from the Lumiis’ record Too Hot to Sleep, and Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ’Em Up Style,” which was on the Drops’ Grammy-nominated Nonesuch debut album, Genuine Negro Jig. Next the Lumiis and Matta went down to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to record a new version of the Sam Morgan jazz classic, “Short Dress Gal,” and the Lumii song “Escoutas (Diga Diga Diga).” These four songs comprise Carolina Chocolate Drops / Luminescent Orchestrii, which is available digitally and on vinyl and CD in the Nonesuch Store.

Paste recently premiered a performance video of the EP's opening track, "Short Dress Gal," which you can watch here: