The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Celebrating over 40 years since their founding in 1977, New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and R&B/Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a ‘musical gumbo,’ has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across 5 continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones. Forty-plus years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genrebending romps and high-octane performances.
Roger Lewis - Baritone Sax/Vocals
Kevin Harris - Tenor Sax/Vocals
Gregory Davis - Trumpet/Vocals
Kirk Joseph - Sousaphone
TJ Norris - Trombone/Vocals
Julian Addison - Drums
Takeshi Shimmura - Guitar
The History of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band
In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors of jazz as we know it, would often follow the funeral procession playing somber dirges, then once the family of the deceased was out of earshot, burst into jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets. By the late '70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue's name: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
The Jazz House Organ Ambassadors directed by Radam Schwartz, is a JAZZ HOUSE KiDS flagship combo and the only pre-collegiate ensemble in the country dedicated to the B3 organ tradition. This high energy, swinging, and funky ensemble features the sound made popular in juke joints across the US, by artists such as Jimmy Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Groove Holmes, Charles Earland as well as may others. The Jazz House Organ Ambassadors also highlight artists with a deep tie to Newark NJ which was a central city to the development of the B3 Organ sound.
About JAZZ HOUSE KiDS
JAZZ HOUSE KiDS has been swinging doors open for 17 years to emerging musicians of all ages soloing and singing their way to greatness. Its annual programs help over 1,500 young people from all backgrounds gain an artistic edge through music, mentoring, education and apprenticeship. Through pre-professional musical training, community engagement and education programs, the organization uses jazz as an effective teaching tool to enhance academic achievement, dedication, and teamwork and to cultivate tomorrow’s global citizens.