jeffcrom

The Golden Wings of Atlanta, Georgia - It's a Needed Time (Meltone) Local 80s gospel.

Fantastic album! It shows, among other things, what a great rhythm guitarist Danny was. A little while after this came out, I spent the morning in the Barkers' living room - Danny and Blue Lu played and sang many of these songs for my first wife and me. Yes, I've got it. Like you, I can only take it in small doses, but it's fascinating. The bands were from Alabama and were recorded by Frederic Ramsey, but beyond that, I don't know much about them. This was one of the first N.O. brass band albums I had, too. It's got some great stuff on it - a good sampling of four bands. The personnel listing for the Chosen Few tracks is not accurate, for what that's worth. I bet that when Tuba Fats gave the producer the tape, he gave him a personnel list from memory. I'm slowly burning my homemade Frank's Place VHS tapes to DVD, but haven't gotten to that episode yet. Like at least one other person on this board, that's my all-time favorite TV show.

Just listened to a 10" LP that I bring out a couple of times a year - Marching to New Orleans by Ken Colyer's Omega Brass Band on British Decca. It amuses me that the fourth New Orleans-style brass band to record was a bunch of Brits - they beat everybody except Bunk's Brass Band, the Original Zenith, and the Eureka Brass Band to records. Of course, Colyer spent time in New Orleans, and probably played plenty of funerals and parades while he was there. He learned his lessons well - the music is good, but somewhat more staid and predictable than that of the New Orleans bands. Still, a pretty cool album.

I meant to add for anyone who just wants a taste of this music - the N.O. brass band album I would take to a desert island is Jazz at Preservation Hall 1 by the Eureka Brass Band. As papsrus pointed out, it's on sale at Oldies.com.

A little more background, then some recommendations. The brass band scene was not healthy by the end of the 1960s. Most of the brass band musicians were getting old enough that they didn’t want to do parades anymore, and few younger musicians were taking up the style. For awhile, Harold Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band seemed to carry the entire brass band tradition on their shoulders – they were about the only organized band who would still play funerals and social club parades. The revival came with the (unrecorded) Fairview Baptist Church Band and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Danny Barker was concerned about the brass band tradition disappearing completely, so he approached the pastor of a church in his neighborhood, offering to teach music to local kids. The brass band he formed attracted many of the young New Orleanians who formed the basis for the next generation of brass band music: Tuba Fats, Leroy Jones, Gregg Stafford, Gregory Davis, Darryl Adams. The Fariview band morphed into the Hurricane Brass Band, which in 1975 recorded a locally-distributed album for the Lo An label. Leroy Jones and His Hurricane Marching Brass Band of New Orleans is a sloppy and intense statement of independence by a bunch of guys who were only 17 to 23 years old. Good luck finding a copy – it took me years. A few years later, the Dirty Dozen turned from a jokey, kazoo-and-percussion band into a real brass band. They were the first brass band to realize that they didn’t have to play “Bourbon Street Parade” and “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” Their first album came out on Concord in 1984, and I still remember the impact it had on me – it’s full of funk, Monk, and bebop. The Dirty Dozen had already changed the local scene by the time My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now came out – every band in the city was taking their cue from them, in the way that the Rebirth Brass Band is the biggest influence now. Okay, some recommendations. This is all just my opinion, of course – take it for what you will. Especially with the more recent bands who only have a local reputation in New Orleans, CDs tend to go out of print pretty quickly, but in a few cases I’m listing OOP albums anyway. The essentials: Bunk’s Brass Band and Dance Band (American Music) The first recordings of the music. Eureka Brass Band – New Orleans Funeral and Parade (American Music) First recording of a working band. Some folks prefer Music of New Orleans, Vol. 4 on Folkways – available as an on-demand CDr. Can’t go wrong either way. Eureka Brass Band – Jazz at Preservation Hall 1 (Atlantic) A joyful noise. More abandonded than either of the Eureka’s earlier albums. Reissued on the Mosaic New Orleans set and on Collectables from Oldies.com. Young Tuxedo Brass Band – Jazz Begins (Atlantic) Also reissued on Collectables. Even wilder than the Eureka album above. The last few choruses of “Lord, Lord, Lord” or “Bourbon Street Parade” will take the top of your head off. Olympia Brass Band – Olympia Brass Band of New Orleans (GHB) The Olympia recorded a lot, and some of their stuff is kind of trite/touristy. The main part of this CD is a beautifully recorded session of excellent music from the late 60s. It’s paired with some material I haven’t heard (I have the Audiophile LP). Dirty Dozen Brass Band – My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now (Concord) – or – Mardi Gras in Montreux (Rounder) –or – Voodoo (Columbia) These are their first three albums, and capture the band at its freshest. Rebirth Brass Band – The Main Event: Live at the Maple Leaf (Mardi Gras) The Rebirth is the best brass band in New Orleans today. This one captures their regular Tuesday night gig at the Maple Leaf. Turn it up! Various – Straight From the 6th Ward (Tipitinas) This one is already out of print, but it’s so good that I had to include it. It includes two track each by five bands: The Lil Rascals, The Rebirth, The Treme, The New Birth, and the 6th Ward Allstars. None of the tracks appear elsewhere; they were all recorded for this project. It’s a great survey of some of the best brass bands in New Orleans. If you know all that stuff pretty well, here’s some further stuff to explore: Original Zenith Brass Band – New Orleans 1946 (American Music) A pick-up band recorded a year after Bunk’s. A slightly more controlled sound than Bunk’s. Onward Brass Band – The Last Journey of a Jazzman (Nobility) The funeral parade of pianist Lester Santiago, recorded in 1965. The music is amazing, but it’s marred by an overdubbed narration. You’ll probably only find this one at the Louisiana Music Factory. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band – Buck Jump (Mammoth) - and - Funeral For A Friend (Ropeadope) The Dirty Dozen’s two best albums of the last few years. Not strictly brass band music – they use guitars, keyboards and drum sets these days. Rebirth Brass Band – Rollin’ (Rounder) My second favorite Rebirth album. Hot 8 Brass Band – Rock With the Hot 8 (Louisiana Hot) No pun intended, but this young band is one of the hottest in New Orleans these days. Tuba Fats’ Chosen Few Brass Band (Jazz Crusade) Soulful and sloppy. Algiers Brass Band - Lord, Lord, Lord (Sound of New Orleans) Out of print, I believe. A local band with a real down-home flavor, playing mostly traditional tunes, but some funk. New Birth Brass Band – New Birth Family (Fat Black) Almost as good as the Rebirth, in my opinion. I love their version of “Over in the Gloryland.” Various – A New Orleans Visit Before Katrina (Arhoolie) Among other things, this album has the best recordings of the Treme Brass Band, even though they have three albums out on their own. The 20 minutes or so of the Treme here were recorded (with good sound) on parade, and the music is stirring. Jeez - sorry about the long post. As you can tell, I'm enthusiastic about this stuff.

In honor of Danny Bank: The New York Saxophone Quartet (20th Century-Fox - 1964)

Which restaurant? The French Market Cafe on Decatur Street. It was Easter, and the parade had a great band which seemed to be composed mostly of members of the Algiers and Pinstripe Brass Bands. When I finally got back to the restaurant, my table, food and records were still waiting for me. Like I said, I gave the waitress a big tip.

Woody Shaw - United (Columbia)

Beautiful.

No worries!

It's funny - many of the artists mentioned in this thread are musicians I didn't like very much once upon a time, or liked just enough to want one or two albums by - like Brubeck and Lou Donaldson. And my affection for most of them has grown over the years. I seem to be in a Brubeck phase right now, for instance.

More clarification: As I drove around today running errands, I had Buck It Like a Horse by the Lil Rascals Brass Band cranked in the CD player. The Rascals are trombonist Corey Henry's band, and they play in a style similar to that of the Rebirth. The music had jazz in it, but not just jazz; it had funk in it, but not just funk; same for reggae, hip-hop, and gospel. To me, it didn't sound like jazz, or funk, or reggae - it sounded like New Orleans brass band music.

I'm in for a download.

Why do you say this? Seriously - I'm very interested. Is there some technical and/or stylistic marker that makes brass bands NOT jazz, even per se? Because, especially considering some bands at some times, jazz was only part of what they did. (Disclaimer: I'm not really interested in defining what jazz is and isn't - that has never seemed like an important question to me.) Take the Eureka BB's New Orleans Funeral and Parade album - of the 30 minutes of music on the original issue (there's a lot more on the CD), less than 10 minutes would sound like jazz to most people. The rest of the music consists of slow funeral marches, mostly played from written music. And when I say I don't really think of N.O. brass band music as jazz per se, that's not meant to be a value judgment, like it's "less than jazz," or "too fun to be jazz" or "too funky to be jazz" or anything like that. The more you live with this music, the more it seems like its own music, with its own conventions and traditions. If anyone wants to think of it as Jazz with a capitol J, that's fine with me, though. If it helps to know where I'm coming from, I just did a quick count - I've got over 50 CDs of New Orleans brass band music. I'm not going to count my vinyl, because it's mixed in with my other jazz. (How's that for a contradiction? See how seriously I take my position?) But I have a lot, including the Dirty Dozen's first two singles, which came out before the Concord album and which have never been reissued. And seeline, I've spent a lot of time in New Orleans, and I really think most of the musicians in that wonderful city don't think about whether it's jazz or not. I think they just play music.

And in person, the impact can be overwhelming. I once jumped out of my seat at a sidewalk cafe in the French Quarter when a brass band parade went by - I couldn't help myself. I left my plate of red beans and rice and $200 worth of records sitting on my table and followed the band for about 40 minutes. When I got back, I gave the waitress a BIG tip.

The California Ramblers 1925-1927 Volume One (The Old Masters)

I've been listening to 78s just about every day lately. Today's assortment made no sense - just a bunch of stuff I felt like hearing: James Moody - Lester Leaps In/Out of Nowhere (Prestige, 1949) Moody with a bunch of Swedes. Arne Domnerus sounds good on "Nowhere." Dave Brubeck - A Foggy Day/Lyons Busy (Fantasy, 1951) Paul Desmond! George Barrere - Dance of the Blessed Spirits/L'Arlesienne Suite #2 (Columbia, 1913) One of the first great classical flutists to make records. California Ramblers - California Here I Come/Cover Me Up With the Sunshine of Virgina (Columbia, 1924) Hot dance music, with some great Adrian Rollini breaks in "California." Benson Orchestra of Chicago - That's Georgia/Morning (Victor, 1924) I've always liked this near-jazz band. They don't have the jazz pedigree of the California Ramblers, but they compare favorably. Don Redman - Lazy Weather/Moonrise on the Lowlands (Perfect, 1936) Harlan Lattimore's vocals are the fleas that come with the Don Redman dog, but the band swings. There's some beautiful five-part sax writing on "Lazy Weather" - worthy of Benny Carter.

Very cool, Allen.

Just returned from an Atlanta used record store that always seems to have amazing gospel records - MG knows the one. Right now I'm listening to Rev. W. Leo Daniels' sermon Looking for a Bargain (Peacock). Also picked up an Ernest Franklin Savoy LP (with Arthur Scales on saxophone), but the real find was a 1971 Glori LP, Brother Vernard Johnson (I guess he wasn't "Dr." yet) with the Washington State Youth Choir, Give Up to God. Sorry, MG.

Chris produced the Riverside Living Legends series, which has some great music, but no brass bands.

As far as I could tell, there wasn’t a thread about New Orleans Brass Bands. I thought there should be. The brass bands of New Orleans aren’t jazz bands, per se. The band craze of the late 19th century hit New Orleans just like everywhere else, but the black and Creole bands of the city started going their own way pretty early on – playing without arrangements, improvising, bringing ragtime elements into the music. Since then, New Orleans brass bands have evolved on a path parallel to the city’s jazz. Many musicians play in jazz groups as well as the brass bands, although they don’t always play the same way in both. The first recordings of a New Orleans brass band were made in 1945, in George Lewis’s backyard on St. Philip Street in the French Quarter. (There is actually some 1929 newsreel footage which contains about 30 audible seconds of a black brass band at Mardi Gras. You can hear enough to tell that they were swinging hard by then.) Bill Russell recorded a pick-up band under the leadership of Bunk Johnson for the American Music label. There were ten tunes recorded (plus a throwaway version of “Happy Birthday”); one take of each can be heard on an American Music CD – Bunk’s Brass Band and Dance Band. All the alternate takes have been issued on various CDs in the Jazzology family of labels. By the time Bunk’s Brass Band was recorded, the alto and baritone horns had been phased out in favor of alto and tenor saxophone, but Russell wanted to record the old-style instrumentation. And I’m glad he did – these recordings and the records made a year later by the Original Zenith Brass Band (another pick-up band) are the only ones we have using the middle-register brass horns instead of saxes. Bunk’s group played without written music, although things like “My Maryland” were pretty much memorized rather than improvised. The spirituals like “Gloryland” and “Just a Little While to Stay Here” swing hard, and the slow funeral spirituals will sound odd if you’ve never heard an old-style N.O. brass band. On funeral marches, the bands played with wide vibrato, a very loose sense of time, and used odd breath accents to keep the music moving. The old style of playing dirges has pretty much died out now – the bands may still play the same pieces, but the approach is more conventional. One of the most interesting pieces from the Bunk session is the traditional returning-from-the-cemetery march “Didn’t He Ramble.” It’s usually played with a conventional four-four swing, but Bunk’s band plays it as a six-eight march. Everybody’s improvising, but it’s not really jazz – although it points slightly in that direction. This track shows, as well as anything else I’ve heard, how the loosening-up of the city’s marching bands was one element in the birth of jazz. It wasn’t until 1951 that an established, working New Orleans brass band was recorded. The Eureka Brass Band was larger than the pick-up bands recorded in the forties – three trumpets, two trombones, two saxophones, tuba, snare and bass drum. For the New Orleans Funeral & Parade album (now available on American Music), George Lewis was added on clarinet. The Eureka was, in my opinion, the greatest brass band from the city to record – they’re just magnificent here, as well as on their 1956 Folkways album. Both of these albums feature dirges played as written – beautiful and just odd enough to be exotic. That's leader Percy Humphrey's trumpet soaring over the ensemble in the last chorus of the uptempo pieces. The Eureka also recorded a jazzier, hard-swinging album for Atlantic in 1962 which features some of the best recorded work by the great clarinetist Willie Humphrey (Percy's brother). Four years earlier Atlantic had recorded an amazing album by the Young Tuxedo Brass Band, led by clarinetist John Casimir. The Young Tuxedo was a strange and wonderful band – Casimir’s wailing E flat clarinet sounded like a holdover from the earliest days of jazz; it coexisted with the boppish playing of the younger trumpet section. The uptempo tunes from this album are as intense and abandoned as any New Orleans music I’ve heard, while the dirges are both solemn and other-worldly. And they recorded a then-current R & B hit, Shirley and Lee’s “I Feel so Good,” although the album’s producers didn’t recognize it and credited it as “traditional.” I’ve pontificated long enough, and I haven’t even gotten to the Olympia Brass Band or the brass band renaissance of the 1980s that spawned the Dirty Dozen and the Rebirth. Join the second line and talk about New Orleans brass bands here.

Cecil & Ron Bridgewater

More early classical recordings on Victor: Brahms - Hungarian Dance #5: Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra (Victor 10" one-sided Red Seal - 1917). I didn't know until a few minutes ago that this was Stokowski's first recording. Grieg - Anitra's Dance: Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra (Victor 10" one-sided Red Seal - 1917) Gluck - Dance of the Spirits: Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra (Victor 12" one-sided Red Seal - 1917) Ippolitov-Ivanov - March of the Caucasian Chief/Glazounov - Danse Orientale: Stokowski/Philadelphia Orchestra (Victor 10" electrical Red Seal - 1927) Saint-Saens - Le Cygne/Rubinstein - Melody in F: Hans Kindler, cello (Victor 10" blue label - 1916) Elgar - Capricieuse: Jascha Heifetz, violin (Victor 10" one-sided Red Seal - 1917) and some early crossover: The great violinist Fritz Kreisler playing two pop songs: Love Nest and Poor Butterfly (Victor 10" Red Seal - 1917 & 1920) Maybe it's the antiquarian in me, but I think these records and performances sound great.

Being a New Orleans aficianado, I instantly thought of Prof. James Humphrey, whose son was Willie Eli Humphrey (mentioned by Jelly Roll Morton as an outstanding early jazz clarinetist), whose sons were Willie James Humphrey (clarinet), Percy Humphrey (trumpet), and Earl Humphrey (trombone). There is a at least one recording of the Eureka Brass Band on which all three Humphrey brothers play. Brass band alto horn player Isadore Barbarin, whose sons were drummers Paul Barbarin and Louis Barbarin. There are still Barbarins playing in New Orleans - trombonist Lucien is either Louis' grandson or grandnephew - he told me once, but I don't remember. Danny Barker's mother was a Barbarin, too - Isidore's sister, I believe. Longtime brass band trumpeter Doc Paulin, whose sons Roderick, Scott, Dwayne, Phillip, and Aaron (and I'm probably leaving some out) all play jazz, funk, and brass band music. The father of New Orleans drumming, "Old Man" Louis Cottrell, Sr., was the also the father of the great clarinetist LC, Jr. When Preservation Hall opened in the early sixties, trumpeter John Brunious was considered too young to play there. Years later his sons Wendell and John, Jr. (who died fairly recently) played there many times. Nicholas Payton's father is the bassist Walter Payton. The clarinet-playing Hall Brothers have been mentioned, but there was a third brother, Robert, who was also a clarinetist. That's just off the top of my head. Jazz is a family business in New Orleans.

All gone - I'm glad I don't have to throw any of these away.