There is a wealth of history behind The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social Aid and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions. Social aid and pleasure clubs dated back more than a century, to a time when black southerners could rarely afford life insurance. The clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements, and brass bands, early predecessors of the jazz we know, would often follow the funeral processions, playing somber dirges until the family of the deceased was out of earshot. Then they let loose, playing jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets.

Dirty Dozen BrasDirty Dozen Brasss

Nov 14, 2025

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Dirty Dozen BrasDirty Dozen Brasss