For more than 40 years, New Orelans’ Dirty Dozen Brass Band has brilliantly combined the precision and cohesion of a traditional Crescent City brass band with the flamboyance and virtuosity of a great jazz orchestra and freewheeling energy of an ace rock or jam band. Baritone saxophonist Roger Lewis, one of three original members who still performs with the group, embodies the idiomatic versatility and onstage charisma that's made DDB so beloved by a wide-ranging audience.
On Oct. 4, Lewis celebrated his 81st birthday. A couple of days after, he took a few minutes to get on the phone with the Scene from the band’s bus, just a few hours before the first show of their current tour at Auburn University. The tour, on which they’re opening for Louisiana blues and rock great Tab Benoit, stops Saturday night at Skydeck, the rooftop venue above Assembly Food Hall at the intersection of Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way. Tickets start at $35 and are available now.
How has the band's music evolved over the years?
Well, it's always been very fluid and a lot of different styles. We're comfortable doing jazz, funk, jam-band, we can get into bop, we can do the blues. We’ve always been like a musical gumbo —there's something there for everyone. I think as a band we would never be comfortable if we had to play only style. From the beginning, we always wanted to explore many different styles of music, and we wanted a live show where we can perform all those styles. We never had any doubt that audiences would embrace what we were doing.
Has there always been equal emphasis placed on solo statement and ensemble interaction and performance?
One thing that sets this band apart from almost any other is that when a guy has something to say solo wise, and he's really feeling it, he gets time to say everything. We don't put any limits or try to curb anyone's expressiveness. At the same time, there's a collective energy that's constantly happening with the music, a feeling and an infectiousness that's still there after all these years. It's not just a question of how great a player you are, but one of, “Can you tap into the energy, and can you be both a great soloist and able to fit into what's happening at any time during the song and throughout the show?”
DDB has had many wonderful collaborations over the years, both in terms of recordings and touring. What are some of the most memorable ones in your view?
Man, there's been so many I hate to start naming them because it's inevitable that I'll forget someone. But just for some examples: Widespread Panic, Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello, The Neville Brothers, Branford Marsalis, the great New Orleans producer Wardell Quezergue, Phil Alvin. The wonderful band leader and conductor Dave Bartholomew — I could go on for hours. We've been so fortunate that a lot of groups and musicians have wanted to record and play with us.
The group has been together for such a long time and gone through many changes. How has the instrumentation and sound changed over time?
When we started, the band had two trumpeters and two drummers and it was all acoustic. Over the years we've incorporated some electronic instruments, and now we have one trumpeter. We've always had a sousaphone as part of the core sound. Now instead of two drummers we have one. We've had guitarists in and out. There's only three originals left in the group, but I think we've been able to retain that distinctive group sound and spirit through all the changes.
Are there special qualities or characteristics that you seek when considering new musicians for the band?
There's a ton of great musicians here in New Orleans — there's lots of cats that can play. But what we look for is that special energy, that ability to be able to say something special. That's what separates a really great musician from someone who's just a really technically gifted player. What we're always seeking is something different: something in the music that elevates and gives it something special. We hear lots of really good players, but not so many who are special.
You've been there since the beginning. Do you still enjoy the touring, recording and being on the road?
I've got to say I still get that same thrill as in the beginning. Tonight we're starting the tour with Tab and it's really great to have that anticipation. The one thing that's always been at the forefront of everything that we do is making music that's makes people happy. i guess if it gets to the point where we're not doing that anymore, then maybe I would think about stopping. But i've been dealing with this music since 1948, and I still love it. I still get excited being on stage, and I think as a band we've still got that energy and that desire to make music that really makes people happy and feel good.
