The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

In classic New Orleans tradition, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band started out as an all-acoustic ensemble in which everyone but the drummers played wind in-struments. Things have changed over the years -- the group's recordings include guitarists and keyboard players -- but the group's marching-music roots remain so strong that almost everything it records uses a sousaphone instead of a string bass.

The term "classic New Orleans tradition" makes sense only if you accept the notion that progress is a natural part of the city's heritage. Hence, applying the "roots" label to both George Clinton and Ferdinand "Jellyroll" Morton is patently obvious to the band, even if it isn't always clear to the listener. My Feet Can't Fail Me Now finds the group starting off with a fondness for jazz that its subsequent output doesn't support; Mardi Gras in Montreux covers similar territory but with more humor and greater energy (not to mention a killer revision of The Flintstones theme). Voodoo, though, is much more ambitious, augmenting the group's usual groove with cameos by Dizzy Gillespie, Dr. John, and Branford Marsalis. And even though The New Orleans Album continues that vein with an Elvis Costello feature, its emphasis on such guests as Dave Bartholomew and Eddie Bo makes it closer in spirit to the insider cool of the Big Easy's annual Jazz and Heritage Festival than the calculated glitz of Mardi Gras.

Whatcha Gonna Do for the Rest of Your Life? needs no outside help to stretch the limits of the band's sound -- the Dirties do it themselves, through the sassy funk of "Use Your Brains" and the eloquent lament of "The Lost Souls (of Southern Louisiana)." Sadly, Jelly -- a well-meaning but overtly studious tribute to Mr. Morton -- puts the group in a far more serious mood than necessary.

On Buck Jump, the Dirties try hard to balance their jazz ambitions with their street-funk roots and succeed more than half the time. But Medicated Magic, with its feel-good emphasis on Creole R&B classics, ultimately proves the combo's mettle. With guest stars ranging from Dr. John and Norah Jones to DJ Logic, its groove-conscious renditions of "Cissy Strut," "Junko Partner," and "Walk on Gilded Splinters" elevates the Dirty Dozen to the status of Crescent City Classics. (J.D. CONSIDINE)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide