Biography
Uncertainties swirl around the ensemble known as All That, particularly regarding its fluctuating membership and stylistic direction. Both hinge on the calendar date, the pool of available players, and the collective mood on any given evening.
New Orleans neo-brass-band lineage traces its origins to the early 1980s, when the Dirty Dozen Brass Band emerged under the guidance of the late Danny Barker and the instructional framework of his Fairview Baptist Church School for Brass Bands. Subsequent iterations followed, among them the Rebirth Brass Band, the Treme Brass Band, and the Soul Rebels, yet All That stands apart for its singular approach.
Keyboardist and WWOZ deejay “D.J. Davis” Rogan, whose brass-band program airs on the station that serves as the broadcast voice of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, assembled the project to deepen his engagement with the idiom. Recruiting favored colleagues, he issued the 1997 recording Eponymous Debut.
That tongue-in-cheek album title mirrors the group’s irreverent outlook: existence need not be treated with undue gravity, and an unfilled gig slot will simply be claimed by someone else. The Mardi Gras Indian number “Do Whatcha Want” functions as an unofficial anthem. Personnel rotated freely, encompassing Matt Perrine, Derek Freeman, Kirk Joseph, “Mean” Willie Green, and an ever-shifting cast drawn from the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars and Iris May Tango.
All That fused second-line brass-band rhythms with hip-hop, rap, and funk ingredients, generating a dense, polyphonic texture distinctly its own. The musicians performed whatever suited the moment; the approach resonated, audiences multiplied, and touring ensued in tandem with the 1997 release of the follow-up album Whop Boom Bam.
The disc delivered high-energy material laced with satirical tracks such as “Los Hombres de F.I.A.S.Co.,” “Funk With Me,” and “Collegiate Dope Slingaz,” prompting laughter from some listeners and abrupt departures from others. Internal divisions later produced two separate entities—All That and Cronk—accompanied by legal proceedings. Seeking greater stability, Derek Freeman and associates launched Cronk, a unit inclined toward extensive road work. All That persists, convening for New Orleans performances with whichever players are on hand and whatever material feels appropriate. Such flexibility remains viable in a city rich with accomplished musicians.
New Orleans neo-brass-band lineage traces its origins to the early 1980s, when the Dirty Dozen Brass Band emerged under the guidance of the late Danny Barker and the instructional framework of his Fairview Baptist Church School for Brass Bands. Subsequent iterations followed, among them the Rebirth Brass Band, the Treme Brass Band, and the Soul Rebels, yet All That stands apart for its singular approach.
Keyboardist and WWOZ deejay “D.J. Davis” Rogan, whose brass-band program airs on the station that serves as the broadcast voice of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, assembled the project to deepen his engagement with the idiom. Recruiting favored colleagues, he issued the 1997 recording Eponymous Debut.
That tongue-in-cheek album title mirrors the group’s irreverent outlook: existence need not be treated with undue gravity, and an unfilled gig slot will simply be claimed by someone else. The Mardi Gras Indian number “Do Whatcha Want” functions as an unofficial anthem. Personnel rotated freely, encompassing Matt Perrine, Derek Freeman, Kirk Joseph, “Mean” Willie Green, and an ever-shifting cast drawn from the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars and Iris May Tango.
All That fused second-line brass-band rhythms with hip-hop, rap, and funk ingredients, generating a dense, polyphonic texture distinctly its own. The musicians performed whatever suited the moment; the approach resonated, audiences multiplied, and touring ensued in tandem with the 1997 release of the follow-up album Whop Boom Bam.
The disc delivered high-energy material laced with satirical tracks such as “Los Hombres de F.I.A.S.Co.,” “Funk With Me,” and “Collegiate Dope Slingaz,” prompting laughter from some listeners and abrupt departures from others. Internal divisions later produced two separate entities—All That and Cronk—accompanied by legal proceedings. Seeking greater stability, Derek Freeman and associates launched Cronk, a unit inclined toward extensive road work. All That persists, convening for New Orleans performances with whichever players are on hand and whatever material feels appropriate. Such flexibility remains viable in a city rich with accomplished musicians.
Albums
All That and a Bag of Fritos 2 (Spider Magic)
2022
All That and a Bag of Fritos 1
2022
With Me
2015
The Whop Boom Bam
1999
Singles
