A revolution in New Orleans music occurred in the 1980s as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band emerged from playing neighborhood clubs and backstreet parades to garner national and international attention. The Dirty Dozen, formed by a collection of like-minded young musicians, revived the concept of the New Orleans neighborhood brass band, but with a freedom to re-interpret classic numbers, incorporate new compositions, and absorb diverse influences.

The Dirty Dozen’s success encouraged a whole new generation of young New Orleanians to embrace the brass band format and traditional repertoire as means of expressing a wholly modern sensibility. The Mahogany Brass Band, under the leadership of trumpeter Brice Miller, is one of the most creative, lively, and accomplished of this new, younger generation.

Opening and closing with a pair of gospel numbers (a medley with The Gospel Dedicators on the one hand, and “Bye and Bye” on the other), the band takes on selections that include classic jazz (“Baby Face,” “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home?”), Dirty Dozen tributes (“Blackbird Special,” “Night Train”), and traditional brass band repertoire (“I Scream, You Scream”).

They also offer superbly rendered dirges (“Amazing Grace,” “St. James Infirmary”), re-imagined classics (“St. Louis Blues” with a Latin beat), and a tribute to the New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian tradition (“Indians Jumping on Fire”).

With masterful musicianship and infectious enthusiasm, the Mahogany Brass Band is helping to write a brand new chapter in the annals of New Orleans brass band music.