New Orleans came to town last Thursday night as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band took control of the stage at the Hamilton.
The band, who have been playing together for longer than three decades now, are made up of veteran musicians who know their way around any horn you can throw at them. Their sound is decidedly New Orleans - a combination of old school jazz and new school Caribbean influences.
The Hamilton cleared out the tables that normally sit in front of the stage, creating a dance floor that lay empty for about 3 songs. Lead singer and trumpeter Gregory Davis stopped the music and bellowed at the crowd to stand up. The three-quarters full venue complied with Davis' request and all of a sudden a NOLA dance party broke out.
Over the next hour and half the band ran through originals and a handful of the mandatory brass band covers (see: when the saints go marching in). Umbrellas were spotted on the dance floor and a second line broke out momentarily, looping around the half circle.
It is no surprise that the Dirty Dozen were able to bring the crowd to their feet and happily dancing for so long. There is something refreshing and innocent about New Orleans jazz that connects with even the most ignorant music fan. The driving beats combined with a sousaphone bass line bring a jovial warmth to the room.
What it leads to is a beautiful confluence of awkward dancers - people who regardless of age or race decide that they can no longer pretend to look cool and just have to get down to the beat.
The dancefloor at Hamilton was home to many of those awkward dancers, myself included, largely thanks to the skilled guidance of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Once upon a time, the Dirty Dozen revolutionized New Orlean's jazz by incorporating funk into the sound. On Thursday night they more than lived up to their reputation as concertgoers went home with smiles on their faces and quite possibly some sore calves the next morning.
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