With the Super Bowl on the horizon and Mardi Gras less than a month away, emotions are riding high in the Big Easy. Now anyone who’s visited New Orleans during Mardi Gras season knows that there’s only one way to kickoff this time a year… with a big brass band. So in keeping with the festival spirit, I’ve decided to dedicate the next few weeks of The OG to brass bands. To start things off, I’m featuring the group (which, I believe, is safe to say, and I’m sure most will agree) primarily responsible for fathering the contemporary brass band tradition, Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band.

The legacy of the Olympia Brass Band dates back to the 1880s. Following the tradition of French military bands, the Olympia Brass Band (the first black band of its kind out of New Orleans) performed funeral marches for members of the black society. Following the funeral service, a brass band would lead a procession to the area where the deceased was laid to rest. Mourners who followed the band to the burial ground came to be known as the second line. Though this tradition is still observed today, the term second line has gone on to apply to those who dance behind brass bands during Mardi Gras parades. Today, second lining is associated with an exuberant, strutting dance style that permeates throughout the streets of New Orleans. Keeping with the theme of The OG, there's no disputing that Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band did their part to shape the legacy of both.

Founded in 1958 by saxophonist Harold "Duke" Dejan, the Olympia Brass Band went on to leave a lasting imprint on New Orleans’ musical landscape. They embraced their rich, historical tradition, yet, at the same time, they incorporated contemporary influences into their music. Lively, boisterous, free-wheeling, and often including upwards of a dozen musicians, their sound would pave the way for the brass band renaissance which saw groups like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Rebirth Brass Band rise to prominence. Listen to the first track I’ve got cued up for you here. It’s a cover of Ray Charles’ classic “I Got a Woman,” fittingly entitled “Gotta’ Woman,”as arranged by beloved New Orleania, trumpet player, and member of the OBB, Milton Batiste. It begins with a squealing trumpet that’s soon swept up by the pounding of the bass drum. Before long, the snare is rolling along and the whole band is swinging. Then, as the bounding sousaphone strut of Tuba Fats holds down the groove, the tenor sax goes for a ride. Though better know by his nickname, Tuba Fats, the late Anthony Lacen dedicated his life to preserving the legacy of the music and culture he loved. For many years, he would lead a band of young musicians, many of them children, around Jackson Square in the French Quarter. The second song I’ve got cued up, simply titled “Tuba Fats and Drums,” is an absolute treasure. I also believe that Groovescapes may be the only place you can find it, as I’ve come across versions of “Gotta’ Woman” on a few compilations, but I’ve never seen this. For those of you who have experienced a brass band parade, you already know that once the tuba takes off and the drums break down, the ensuing moment when the horns jump back in, the celebration erupts. For those of you who don’t… listen up!

**Interesting Note: Dejan's Olympia Brass Band played a part in the iconic James Bond flick Live and Let Die (1973).

MP3: Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band – Gotta’ Woman
MP3: Dejan’s Olympia Brass Band – Tuba Fats and Drums
Amazon Music: Dejan's Olympia Brass Band