Besides the return of psychedelic rocker Roky Erickson and a joyous interlude with New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, I also got to see The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Austin City Limits music festival this fall, a priority for me because the band's Rope a Dope CD "Funeral for a Friend" was one of the most enjoyable I bought in 2004, from the opening avant-garde touches and the wild tempo shift on "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" through the New Orleans marching band, soul, zydeco, gospel, Latin and even Ellington and Mingus influences (among others) evident over its course. The rousing versions of "Jesus on the Mainline" and "I'll Fly Away" are fabulous.
"Buck Jump" from Mammoth, which I picked up after the Austin festival and gave its second listen over the weekend, lacks the unified theme of "Funeral for a Friend," a tribute to the late Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen, legendary New Orleans street musician. (Don't think that makes it a downer. Remember, New Orleans jazz funerals tend to be about as subdued as Mardi Gras.)
Still, "Buck Jump" has everything "Funeral" does, along with some mambo ("Run Joe"), fusion ("Duff") and a heaping helping of funk ("Dead Dog in the Street"). "Pet the Cat" is an example of how serious musicianship can be fun, too. This disk is very similar to what DDBB sounds like in concert in my experience, and that's a good thing.
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