Dirty Dozen Brass Band

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a brass band from New Orleans, Louisiana. It was founded in 1977 by Benny Jones from the remnants of the dissolved Tornado Brass Band and has since become one of the most famous and versatile brass bands.

The history

1972 Danny Barker had founded the Fairview Baptist Church Marching Band to give the young people in the community an opportunity to live their energy and creativity. This formation was announced in the local environment right and turned under the trumpeter Leroy Jones in a professional band, the Hurricane Brass Band. However, since the traditional street bands became less and less in demand in the late 70s, Leroy Jones left the band to make more commercial jazz music, and after a short period under the name Tornado Brass Band, the group eventually disbanded.

The founding

Some musicians tornadoes, Gregory Davis ( trumpet), Kirk Joseph ( sousaphone ), Charles Joseph (trombone) and Kevin Harris ( saxophone), rehearse until 1977 continued to meet, when you Ephrem Towns (trumpet ), Roger Lewis ( saxophone), and Benny Jones and Jenell Marshall (both drums) joined. At this time, hardly anyone was willing to engage a traditional marching band. However, this drought was a chance to build up independent of commercial pressures a fresh and unusual program. Thus, it was not stopped even before bebop numbers ( Moose the Mooche ) or TV -themed ( Flintstones ).

Benny Jones, was one day asked to put together a band for a parade. He reached to his " samples Formation" back, and for this first appearance, a allwöchentliches involvement in Daryl 's and later a hard commitment to Glasshouse developed.

The success

In Daryl 's was one day Jerry Brock, founder of the radio station WWOZ, aware of the band and then made the first proper recording of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, as the formation is called now. He also produced a constant airplay in its transmitter and for professional promotional material. In 1982 he organized the first appearance of the band in a "white" CLub in New Orleans. It was followed by the first international appearance at the Jazz Festival in Groningen in the Netherlands, which was also Kidd Jordan participated.

1984 George Wein booked the band for a tour of Europe, and after exposure to Tramp's and the Village Gate in New York City (which were extended to every 6 weeks) started by the band's career. In the same year the band was for four weeks in California and three more times in Europe. The first LP ( My Feet Can not Fail Me Now ) was added.

The style

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band always had their own style, more and more away with the passage of time from the traditional marching bands. The music was planned in a much higher degree, arranged and written out than was usually the case. In particular, the interplay of Sousaphonist Kirk Joseph with the two drummers Lionel Batiste ( Benny Jones had replaced ) and Jenell Marshall caused a rhythmic foundation that was unique in its kind. So it was on the many live concerts always this trio, the storm of applause from the audience enraptured.

Even more difficult was the situation for the band when, in 1991 Kirk and Charles Joseph left the band under the pressure of constant touring. Gregory Davis found no Sousaphonisten, Kirk Joseph could replace even close, and had to switch to a bass guitarist. When, in 1994, the two drummer left the band and the original setup ( two drummers in front of the abdomen carried drums ) were replaced by a single conventional drums, the band had lost much of its original charm.

The effects

Despite the unique style of the band, which was to place only at first glance with the traditional marching bands in conjunction, the Dirty Dozen Brass made ​​band for new interest in this type of musical performance, so that other bands not only as understood tourist attraction and their "reservations " left.

Discography

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