A genre-defying brass collective from New Orleans, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band sparked renewed interest in the Crescent City’s marching tradition by folding funk, R&B, and jazz into its core sound. Rising amid the fading social-and-pleasure-club circuit of the 1970s, the DDBB built a following through high-energy concerts and spirited second-line processions. Their recordings—among them 1989’s Voodoo and 1992’s Going Up: Whatcha Gonna Do for the Rest of Your Life?—pursued the same inventive path, centering sousaphonist Kirk Joseph’s nimble, bass-like lines while reshaping jazz standards, funk staples, and fresh originals with their vigorous ensemble style. Across decades they have drawn in notable partners, enlisting Dr. John, Branford Marsalis, and Norah Jones as guests and enlisting producer and Hammond B-3 specialist John Medeski of Medeski, Martin & Wood for 1999’s Buck Jump. In turn, the band has become a sought-after presence, contributing to projects by the Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, and Elvis Costello. In 2012 several members appeared on Tassili, the Grammy Award-winning Best World Music Album by Malian Tuareg outfit Tinariwen. The group later captured its own Grammy for Best American Roots Performance, joining Aaron Neville on “Stompin’ Ground” from the 2022 documentary soundtrack Take Me to the River: New Orleans. Celebrated internationally, the DDBB maintain an active schedule of tours and recordings, returning frequently to the New Orleans Jazzfest.
Formed in 1977 by drummer Benny Jones, the ensemble originated within a youth initiative led by singer/guitarist Danny Barker at New Orleans’ Fairview Baptist Church. At that time known as the Hurricane Brass Band, the lineup included trumpeter Leroy Jones and performed at neighborhood functions. Following Jones’s exit, trumpeter Gregory Davis, sousaphonist Kirk Joseph, trombonist Charles Joseph, saxophonist Kevin Harris, trumpeter/singer Efrem Townes, saxophonist Roger Lewis, and drummer Jenell Marshall were recruited by Jones to serve as the house band at The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club. Adopting the name Original Sixth Ward Dirty Dozen in tribute to their Tremé roots, the musicians rehearsed regularly and appeared at parades plus traditional second-line funeral marches, while also holding steady club residencies. Over time they expanded beyond classic brass-band material, threading in bebop standards, pop numbers, familiar commercial melodies, and new pieces reflecting their own New Orleans-flavored R&B.
In 1980 local broadcaster Jerry Brock captured the band for a WWOZ program and arranged a pivotal Tipitina’s showcase alongside Danny Barker that drew widespread attention. By 1984 the group had reached Europe on a tour booked by George Wein and had performed in both California and New York. That year they issued their first album, My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now, on Concord Records; the concert set Live: Mardi Gras in Montreux appeared the following year. Throughout the 1980s they also contributed to releases by Buckwheat Zydeco, Aaron Neville, and Elvis Costello.
Late in the decade the DDBB moved to Columbia Records, making their major-label bow with Voodoo, which included cameos by Dr. John and Branford Marsalis. Subsequent Columbia titles such as 1990’s The New Orleans Album and 1992’s Going Up: Whatcha Gonna Do for the Rest of Your Life? continued to stretch brass-band conventions, placing originals beside interpretations of songs by Dave Bartholomew, Stevie Wonder, and Charlie Parker. They closed their Columbia tenure with the 1993 Jelly Roll Morton tribute Jelly before shifting to Mammoth for 1996’s Ears to the Wall, which introduced a keyboardist and additional drummer. The 1999 release Buck Jump again featured John Medeski’s production and organ work. During the same period the band joined the Black Crowes on Three Snakes and a Charm (1996) and Sho’ Nuff (1998), recorded with Widespread Panic, and appeared on Norah Jones’s Grammy-winning Come Away with Me.
Under the Ropeadope banner, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band marked its 25th anniversary with 2002’s Medicated Magic, which showcased guests including Norah Jones, Dr. John, and DJ Logic. The following year they revisited their social-club origins on 2004’s Funeral for a Friend, recreating a classic New Orleans funeral procession. That same year they contributed to the Katrina-relief compilation A Celebration of New Orleans Music to Benefit the Musicares Hurricane Relief. In 2005 they issued What’s Going On, a full reinterpretation of Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album. Twenty Dozen arrived in 2012, blending Caribbean and West African rhythms and featuring trombonist Corey Henry. Also in 2012, trumpeter Gregory Davis and saxophonist Roger Lewis appeared on Tinariwen’s Tassili. The concert recording Live at Jazzfest 2018 was released that August. In 2022 the band reunited with Aaron Neville for “Stompin’ Ground” on the soundtrack to Take Me to the River: New Orleans, earning the Grammy for Best American Roots Performance.
