Dirty Dozen Brass Band
- Music Nola
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is one of the OG’s of the New Orleans brass band scene. While they didn’t invent the sound and style, their success in the early 1980s brought about a resurgence in the genre. The band came together in 1977 when few of the musicians from the Tornado band—trumpeter Gregory Davis, sousaphone player Kirk Joseph, trombone player Charles Joseph, and saxophone player Kevin Harris were joined by Efrem Towns (trumpet player/lead singer), Roger Lewis on saxophone and Benny Jones and Jenell Marshall on drums.
In 2023, they won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance. Their recordings include special guests such as Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, DJ Logic, Danny Barker, the Black Crowes, and Widespread Panic.
How are they connected to the Muppets?
In 1990, at the memorial service for Jim Henson, the band played "When the Saints Go Marching In" at the St. John’s Cathedral in New York City. Through letters written prior to his passing, Henson requested that a Dixieland band play a rousing version of "Saints" at the conclusion of the memorial service. The performance was described by Life magazine as "an epic and almost unbearably moving event."
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