Dr Mike White was one of those affected by the Hurricane Katrina. The storm caused a lot of destruction and death to the residents of New Orleans. White is a well known jazz musician. He had a museum in his home in Gentilly that was completely destroyed by the storm. The archive was a collection of an assortment of memorabilia that he had gathered over his life as a musician.

He had made the collection with so much passion. It was therefore devastating when he lost all he had put together in his life as a musician. In order to aid in recovering from the blow, he retreated into a studio. His stay in the studio was not wasted as he wrote the album Blue Crescent. This album helped him win a national award in 2008.

There are various songs in the album. One of them is entitled Katrina and it captures the troubles he and other New Orleans residents went through in the storm. His decision to narrate the experience musically is an encouragement to many people wallowing in difficult situations in life. Many people go through difficult situations and their success over them is a motivation to others.

The archive in the home of Dr Mike had so much importance to jazz enthusiasts. The song Katrina is a painful reminder to them, of what they lost. Part of the collections included more than 4,000 books on jazz. Other items included records by different jazz musicians, vintage musical tools and other collections that would enthrall any jazz lover.

A visit to his home after the storm clearly revealed to him the seriousness of the damage. He was not able to locate the items in their places. Some people share in his pain and have made donations to help him rebuild the museum once again. Despite the kind gesture, he says it will not be easy to have the original museum back as some of the items were rare.

After trying to rebuild his home for two years, he sought residency for a month at A Studio in the Woods. This is a retreat for artists on West Bank where he had gone in 2003. When taking the residency in December 2007, he had no compositional ideas. He says he got inspiration from the tranquil environment, distance from his every day activities and connection with nature. This cleared his mind and he came up with the new album.

The blow dealt by the hand of the hurricane was so severe that he could not imagine himself rising up again. The time he spent in the studio offered the opportunity to be away from the stress that entangled his mind. Before the retreat, it was not easy for him to play creatively on his instruments.

Meditation in the studio helped Dr Mike White have an endless flow of compositions. The tranquil surroundings enabled him reach into his inner being. He was able to write so many songs that he could use to fill a number of albums. He perfected his music by spending time to practice and listening to music from different parts of the world.