Four years ago, I started playing the saxophone in my school band. I currently play in a band with my friends and this past year, we played at each other’s bar mitzvahs. Just after I started playing the saxophone, I went to New Orleans, Louisiana to do some community service after hurricane Katrina. While there, we heard great bands in formal settings, and just in the streets of New Orleans. After this trip, I had learned so much about what music means to New Orleans and how many types of music have formed out of this incredible city.

Horns and brass instruments are unifying elements to all of the musical genres that have emerged from New Orleans. The types of music that I will be focusing on are: Dixieland, jazz, Mardi Gras, and modern horns in today’s music. All of these genres use bits and pieces and techniques from one another and they all generally use the same instruments. As you read the following, I hope you get a basic overview of New Orleans music, some of the important New Orleans musicians and how horns play a key part in each genre.

Dixieland

Dixieland is a style of music that was developed in New Orleans in the beginning of the 20^th century. It is the earliest type of jazz music.  It is a style of music that combines earlier brass band marches, blues, and improvisation. There are no strict instruments in Dixieland bands, but the usual instruments consist of a “front line” of trumpet, trombone, and clarinet, with a “rhythm section,” of at least two of the following instruments: guitar or banjo, string bass or tuba, piano, and drums. Some musicians think that the term “Dixieland” itself refers to a style of music that expresses no soul or emotion. Because of this, rather than calling it “Dixieland,” people prefer to call it “New Orleans Jazz,” or “Original Jazz.”

There are a few significant people, groups, and places that are very important to Dixieland. A few of them are Al Hirt, Preservation Hall (and the bands that played there), The Razzmajazz Dixieland Jazz Band, and the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Al Hirt was one of the most famous musicians from the Dixieland era. He was a large man who played the trumpet. He was incredible and everyone who heard him play loved his music.  His love and passion for music came from New Orleans where he was born and made him one of the most entertaining people to watch perform and listen to.

 

Jazz

The next genre I will discuss is jazz. Jazz is a style of music that was created in the southern United States. It was created from a mix of African and European music, and it soon started to incorporate popular instruments of that time. These instruments included: saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, guitar, piano, vocals, some sort of bass, and a drum kit. Lots of styles were started to be used in jazz such as improvisation, blues notes, call and response, and swinging a rhythm. Jazz has spawned a variety of subgenres such as New Orleans Dixieland, big band-style swing  a variety of Latin jazz-fusions, and acid jazz (which combines funk and hip-hop elements). As the music spread around the world it has taken in many musical cultures, its characteristics being adapted to its different environments and giving rise to many distinctive styles.

Since jazz is one of the most known types of music in the world, there are lots of people who play jazz music and events that require it. Some of these people are the Marsalis family, Louis Armstrong, and New Orleans Jazz funerals. One amazing set of musicians is the Marsalis family, consisting of three amazing horn players, Branford (saxophone), Wynton (trumpet), and Delfeayo (trombone).  All of them came from Louisiana, and they all live today and play extraordinary music. Even though those are the most famous three of the family, the entire family is musical and the Marsalis family is considered the “first family of New Orleans Jazz.”

One other unique tradition in New Orleans is the jazz funeral. After someone dies, musicians who are close to the person or family walk through the streets of New Orleans and the cemetery where the person was buried and they play slow, solemn music. Once they have played enough and no one wants to be sad anymore, the band breaks into a full out party mode and plays very up-beat tunes that make people feel happy. It goes from remembering someone’s life to celebrating their life.

 

 

 

 

 

Mardi Gras

The most celebrated festival in New Orleans is Mardi Gras. While in English it means Fat Tuesday, it is the climax of celebrations that go on for an entire month and end the day on Ash Wednesday. Most people dance through the streets of New Orleans on Mardi Gras wearing masks and costumes while throwing beads and singing along with the ongoing music. Even though many other cities in the U.S. and many other countries celebrate Fat Tuesday, most Americans think New Orleans when they hear Mardi Gras.

During Mardi Gras music is everywhere in New Orleans and it ties everything together. The Hawkettes were a band that created the perfect Mardi Gras song: the Mardi Gras Mambo. The tune features a very strong horn section, and a singer who says, “Down in New Orleans/ Where the blues was born/ It takes a cool cat/ to blow a horn.”

 

This song talks about how much fun it is to be in New Orleans during Mardi Gras and the joy of playing a horn.

Modern New Orleans Horns

Today, many New Orleans horn sounds and techniques are still popular as ever. Rock and roll, jazz, and blues bands still use horns. The Marsalis family is still alive and constantly plays with famous bands. A few years ago, Branford Marsalis played with the Stanford Jazz Band as I watched in utter amazement. Now a new generation of New Orleans horn players are extremely popular.

Trombone Shorty grew up in the streets of New Orleans and he was leading small bands by the age of six. He has played with Wynton Marsalis and many other famous musicians, as well as his own band, “Orleans Avenue.” Bonerama is a brass funk rock band from New Orleans. The four original musicians in the group all play trombone. They have been together since 1998. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is one of many popular brass bands that tour the country.  They have many different horns such as trombone, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor, baritone, and soprano saxophone, and sousaphone, as well as drums, guitars, and vocals.

Music is central to the culture of New Orleans and horns are one of the essential elements of all types of New Orleans music. I think everyone should try and go to New Orleans and check out some of these modern musicians when they come to town.

For More Information

If you would like more information, you can visit the following sites:

Wikipedia has many interesting pages about many of these genres. A few of them are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixieland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras

For information about Al Hirt and Preservation Hall, check out some of these links.

http://www.spaceagepop.com/hirt.htm

http://www.preservationhall.com/band/index.aspx

Many of the other bands and musicians mentioned still do concerts and performances everywhere, so check them out.