WOWWWWWWWW! I played the New Orleans Jazz Heritage Festival last night with Chicago and the “Dirty Dozen Brass Band” was on right before us.
Tris and I walked to the side of the stage to listen and our jaws were dropping!
The first thing I thought was, “Where and WHO is playing bass?” and couldn't find him/her.
And then I saw it… it was a TUBA! You gotta be kidding me! SOOOOOOO funky I didn't know what hit me!
It sounded like the fattest bass just KILLING IT! SOOOOOOOOOO funky… (yeah, I know I just said that but it demands a 2nd time)
And the DRUMMER! A young guy Tris and I met later named Julian Addison. Turns out he's from Ohio… so many greats come from Ohio.
I got to meet the Tuba player and his name is Kirk Joseph. He's one of the founders of the “Dirty Dozen Brass Band” which formed in 1977.
Man, when you think about it… Kirk was born a year earlier than me and he put this band together when he was 16 years old? Get out of here!
Well… I know I've heard the name of the band over the years but hadn't actually heard them, until last night.
I'm going to put up a quick video I shot meeting him after their show.
I thought I was going to be snapping a still photo but it ended up a video, which is always fun… when people don't know they're going to shoot a video, and then they're ON.
I'll preface it by saying that in the 2nd to the last song all of a sudden the bass stopped. I looked over and saw Kirk kind of walking around and you could tell there was a problem.
And then the next thing I knew… he had a mic and was SINGING the bass parts on the last song!
This is the part where so many people freak out but as you'll see in the video, Kirk explains that you just “find a way” to get it done.
As he says in the vid, to the younger kids, “When your axe breaks, you find a way”.
GREAT example… I only wish I could show you the performance video but I don't have it.
Maybe it'll show up in Youtube?
At any rate, SOOOOOO pumped to have seen these guys and to have met them. We've exchanged information so we'll stay in touch.
This was VERY inspiring… very musical and obviously testing limits… I like that!