VA - New Orleans Brass Bands - Down Yonder (1989)

"Down Yonder" is located in the southeastern part of the United States, more particularly in the Crescent City of New Orleans, where brass band music takes on many forms, as you will hear on this recording.
Imagine yourself in New Orleans at a parade, called a second line by the native people of New Orleans, as you strut along with the crowd from place to place. These types of parades are big celebrations mostly held on weekends. Or sometimes a jazz funeral is held on a Saturday, so many of the deceased person's friends can attend.

Musicians on this recording have all been leaders in New Orleans brass band music, which has now also moved onto the stages of night clubs and festivals, away from its more traditional settings. New Orleans jazz comes from brass bands and is now enjoying a rebirth (not so coincidentally the name of our youngest brass band).

The brass band repertoire is traditional gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz and other popular music. Each of the four groups represented here has traveled to Europe and many other parts of the world to festivals to play brass band music for new audiences. But now let's go down to New Orleans and dig our sounds of "Down Yonder!"