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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDIRTY DOZEN BRASS BANDNew Orleans brass band playing hip arrangements, describing style as 'jazz gumbo'; began with kazoos and drums '77, adopted traditional instrumentation '79. Original lineup: trumpets Gregory Davis (leader) (b 30 Jan. '57) and Efrem Pierre Towns (b 20 Dec. '62, Jamaica, NY: the only member not from New Orleans); Kevin Harris (b 26 July '55), tenor sax; Jennell Marshall (b 24 June '54), snare drum; Roger Hayward Lewis (b 5 Oct. '41), baritone sax (worked many years with Fats Domino); trombonist Charles Lee Joseph (b 26 Oct. '54) and sousaphonist Kirk Matthew Joseph (b 16 Feb. '61; both sons of veteran N O trombonist Waldron 'Frog' Joseph); Lionel Paul Batiste (b 4 Dec. '51), bass drum. They've played street parades, at funerals, New Orleans club the Glass House, tours to Europe: 'Funerals you can't book ahead, although we've had requests from people who want us to play when they do kick out,' says Davis. 'I just give them my booking agent's number.' First LP My Feet Can't Fail Me Now '84 on Concord Jazz (with Benny Jones replacing Batiste) incl. Duke Ellington's 'Caravan', Jelly Roll Morton's 'Bongo' (with his 'Spanish tinge'), infl. of Louis Jordan, much else; second album Mardi Gras In Montreux: Live '85 on Rounder described as 'one of the best in-concert recordings I've heard' by Steve Lewis in The Wire. They played on three tracks on Elvis Costello's Spike, switched to Columbia for Voodoo '87 (with Mac Rebennack on some tracks), The New Orleans Album '89 and Open Up ... Whatcha Gonna Do For The Rest Of Your Life? '92. |