Onward Brass Band - Back on the Street (2018)

It was a pleasure to produce an album with such a talented group of musicians. I am grateful to Kurt Nicewander for inviting me to be a part of the Onward Brass Band and for the encouragement I received from Gerry Adams. Nearly all of the musicians are native New Orleanians and many descend from long lines of musical families. They have busy schedules traveling around the world as band leaders and performing with renowned artists including Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr. and Lenny Kravitz.

Herlin Riley regularly is a featured musician at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Gerald French is from one of the pioneering families of Traditional New Orleans Jazz. Shamarr Allen is a composer, writer and producer and leads his band “Shamarr Allen & The Underdawgs.” Louis Ford is a fifth-generation New Orleans musician. James Wall is an up and coming trombonist, originally from London, England. Will Smith can be seen leading the band at Preservation Hall. Tom Fischer has performed in Carnegie Hall and is one of the city’s most sought after clarinetists. When they are not on tour, members of the band frequently are heard in the French Quarter, on Frenchmen Street and around the city.

I had a basic idea for the album cover, but the talented artist Kevin Seward was masterful in bringing that vision to life.
As a 10th generation New Orleanian with roots in the Ninth Ward, I have grown up with an appreciation for Traditional New Orleans Jazz and I look forward to working with the Onward Brass Band for years to come as we work to keep the tradition alive.

- Joseph Wall