Dirty Dozen Brass band: A album that won’t rob you

There are many live albums of all sorts, but few are as telling and revealing about the experience of live performance as the album, We Got Robbed by the Dirty Dozen Brass band. This album is full of the Dozen’s classic hits as well as some unreleased material in elongated grove tracks. This album tells you a lot about the band, as well as the live performance process. This is also a great for because it shows each of the soloist’s voices and individual styles off. For this reason I feel that it is important to touch upon this album despite it’s rarity (I found this as a import).

The style of this album is hard to describe in an exact way, what can be said about though is that it moves and groves. Most of this album features a bunch of the dozens classic song with a fairly simple and catchy melody repeated and, with solos and sometimes tough soli’s thrown in. What really keeps the pieces working so well is usually the bass line consisting of Sousaphone, drums and sometimes Bari Sax. For this reason it is best to describe the Dozens music is brass band music set to a driving rock, bebop or funk beat creating totally one of a kind sound. The bands personal are perfectly suited for this style because of their driving solos filled with runs, growls and other effects that drive music forward.

The musical line up for the Dirty Dozen on this album is world class and the album clearly is designed to show off the musicians soloing abilities. Kevin Harris is clearly a powerhouse and one of the best of the group. Unlike most tenor players he isn’t interested in simply playing with speed and trying show off, instead he weaves ideas and shows his skill with his amazing upper register and a reed slapping sound setting him apart from the typically tenor player. Roger Lewis not only keeps up a mean grove with his Bari playing, but his soprano playing just like his counter. His one of a kind ability to move the listener on Soprano and treatment similar to Sidney Bechet highly is commendable. Big Sam lives up to his name with many solos that focus on grooving and saying something big and loud. This album even more then in past one he lets it all loose and grove over the music in his own way. The guitar player Jamie Mclean clearly can play up a storm, again creating a one of a kind sound and is featured more on this album then any other I have heard. The biggest let down on this album is that the Dozen’s leader Gregory Davis is rarely given the least chance to show off is his style of soloing, a combination of New Orleans funk and modern jazz. The rest of the band is also amazing and has at least one solo somewhere in the album allowing them show off their stuff. Most importantly though is that those don’t typically solo are just important to the sound as the soloist as they lay down the grove and feeling.

This album is different from most because of the function it originally served (a live concert). A live album has a flavor that is far different from a studio album. In this album this is reflected most by the soloists that are given luxury of time and by pieces design, which allows them to last a long time with little material. This album also features many tunes previous not found on any Dozen album like “Handa Wanda,” “Blackbird Special,” “Gemini Rising,” and “Red Hot Mama,” making it special. On the other hand, being a live album you can hear the band whenever a minor mistake is made despite the great editing, things like searching for a soloist or when they begin to get a little tired show through.

What is amazing about this album is the really also how similar though it is to a Dozen Album despite being a live concert. I’ve heard many of the songs on this album before, except for the fact that they are briefer and more planned out. Most of the songs are many times even the exact same arrangement with a very similar flavor in most cases to the album cover (though there are tweaks in many songs such as the kicking ending to “Remember When.”) This means many of the songs sound like they are in the same vein and have similar feel. What is good about this being close to an album is how good the quality of sound is for a live performance. It sounds almost as though it was recorded in studio and is free background noise and is in balance most of the time. Overall this is one of the best of live performance recordings ever, but clearly lacks the verity found in many of the albums by the Dozen.

Overall this is a wonderful album and might be nice to pick up if you can find it, but clearly is not better then classic albums from the Dozen like Buck Jump, Medicated Magic or Funeral for a Friend. Although, it isn’t the best of the Dozen it does give a fair look into the difference between live and recorded music as well as the band. If you already love the Dozen or love New Orleans music I’d suggest getting this album if you can find it. If your new to the Dozen’s sound, your best bet is to pick up one of the classic albums I mentioned above to get know the sound and flavor better. Overall though, even those who are new to the music of Dirty Dozen will love this album if they can find it for a reasonable price.