« Those interested in New Orleans music will definitely enjoy » by Blues & Rhythm

The reinvigoration of the New Orleans brass band tradition was one of the big surprises of the ‘80s, with The Rebirth and The Dirty Dozen ushering in a sound farmly rooted in tradition but taking it off in new directions too – many of them very bluesy. The roots of the Tremé Brass Band reach back to the early ‘70s, and its membership includes former members of both of those illustrious pioneering outfits. I also recall seeing bass drummer Lionel Baptiste Sr. At a curiously low-key (not the music though) free Sunday afternoon event on London’s South Bank piazza in the late ‘80s, and nothing how seemed to be organising the whole event – he was also a major figure in the brass band revival (and has his photo on the front sleeve). This set was recorded live in the studio for the Sounds Of New Orleans label in 1992, and a lively affair it is too. On the streets, the vocals probably would not be audible (most likely not even attempted), but trombonist Eddie ‘Boh’ Paris’s and trumpeter Kenneth Terry’s singing – both obviously inspired by Satchmo’s growl – certainly carry on disc, whilst Lionel Baptiste comme across as a decent blues shouter on the low-down ‘Back Of Town Blues’. Even so, readers of this magazine might prefer the opening track, whish has affinities with the big band blues of Count Basie/Jimmy Rusching, and sports a very fine vocal by Henry Youngblood. Musically, the sound is usually extremely bluesy, sometimes incorporating elements of the classic ‘20s jazz sound of the Crescent City, swing, and a bit of bebop, and always with a funky edge, though with Kerwin James underpinning everything with his distinctive tuba playing. It is often a truly glorious sound, as on the version of Hugh Masekela’s 1968 hit ‘Grazin’ In The Grass’. These kinds of sounds are now generally accepted within the blues canon , even if the tracks do waver between jazz and blues, and perhaps they appeal to en even wider audience ; this band did of course appear in the television series, ‘Tremé’. Those interested in New Orleans music will definitely enjoy. Norman DARWEN – BLUES & RHYTHM