Brass bands are truly New Orleans’ most unique contribution to contemporary music. Well, maybe brass bands and Lil Wayne. The high school marching band programs in the city are unparalleled, and we are all beneficiaries as they practice year-round in neighborhood school yards, march in Mardi Gras parades, and go on to form bands of their own. These bands play in world renowned jazz funerals, second line parades and on street corners of Frenchmen Street.
Brass bands have long been an influence on me creatively, as I incorporated the rhythms and sounds of New Orleans brass into electronic music I’ve created over the last two decades. Being a New Orleans based artist, the pull to create “New Orleans-y Art” can be strong. But this is a subject matter that is near and dear to me, and genuinely reflects a significant part of who I am.
I started this series with a vision in my head of marching band members walking past, depicted in profile, and the photo of this drummer fit my vision perfectly. The intensity in his expression is echoed in his tight grip on his drum sticks, and you can feel his momentum as his cape and the plume of his hat show the momentum in his step.
