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MUSIC New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band plays Ashland Armory's holiday bash Comment By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2015 at 10:00 AM By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2015 at 10:00 AM » Social News Be ready to shake your boo-tay when the Dirty Dozen Brass Band rings in the New Year — New Orleans style — at the Historic Ashland Armory. This adults-only party — promising horn-driven R&B, dancing, games, a Champagne countdown and more — starts at 9 p.m. with DJ Dragonfly spinning a set of New Orleans-inspired dance music. Dirty Dozen plays at 10 p.m. At midnight, a lineup of ladies dressed Rockettes-style will announce the countdown. Music by DJ Dragonfly will continue until 2 a.m. A full bar and food will be available. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 the day of the show, and can be purchased online at liveatthearmory.com or at Music Coop, 268 E. Main St. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. at the armory, 208 Oak St. Dirty Dozen's baritone sax player Roger Lewis and trumpet player Gregory Davis grew up in New Orleans. "There were five founding members of the Dirty Dozen," Lewis says during a telephone interview. At 74, he's the oldest member of the band. "We played a lot of street parades, but what separates our brass band from others is our repertoire. We don't play just traditional New Orleans music. We incorporate contemporary sounds like the music of Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Michael Jackson, Jimmy Forrest, Horace Silver and all of these different avant-garde artists like David Bowie, Elvis Costello and Dr. John. "And we brought this music to the streets," Lewis says. "It made for a different sound." The band came together in 1976, playing second line — a quintessential New Orleans art form — in parades and funeral processions. The difference between second-line and front-line music is that the former usually lacks the slow hymns and dirges. The music is more joyful and upbeat. "We don't play much second line now," Lewis says. "We play clubs, theater, music halls and festivals." Today, Dirty Dozen's lineup includes seven musicians: Lewis, Davis, tenor-sax man and vocalist Kevin Harris, trumpeter and vocalist Efrem Towns, sousaphone player Kirk Joseph, drummer Julian Addison and guitarist Takashi Shimmura. The band's newest album, "Twenty Dozen," was released in 2012 to celebrate Dirty Dozen's 35th anniversary. It's a collection of new arrangements of covers and original compositions. "One song, 'Tomorrow,' was written by Ephron," Lewis says. "It's the first song he ever wrote since the band's inception. 'Best of All' is a Caribbean-style tune written by Kevin. 'Don't Stop the Music,' that's a Rihanna tune." And an audience favorite, "Dirty Old Man," was written by Lewis. "I'll tell you how that one came about," Lewis says. "One night after the last number, the audience wanted one more song. The band had gone back to the dressing room, but I was still on stage selling CDs. Someone hollered, 'Why don't you play somethin?' I started a rhythm on the baritone saxophone, and people started dancing. Then I started this rap, 'Dirty old man, dirty old man, dirty old man.' The guitar player came out and the two of us started jamming on it. People were going crazy. The drummer came out and put his twist on it. Then Kevin started playing little things in between on it. It just developed into what it is today. People love 'Dirty Old Man.' " Another written by Lewis is "Trippin' Inside a Bubble." The band's horn-driven R&B features Davis, Towns and Harris on vocals. "It's interestin'," Lewis says. "We got no Harry Belafontes, no Elvis Costellos, no James Brown, no Billy Eckstines. We just got some Dirty Dozen members that are vocalists. Interestin', very. But it's OK. "This is the world's greatest party band," he says. "We got music for your mind, body and soul. It's like a big musical pot of gumbo. You can hear everything in our music — jazz, classical, blues, rock 'n' roll, just about everything." Also look for Fats Waller's "E-Flat Blues," "When the Saints Go Marching In," made famous by Louis Armstrong, and New Orleans jazz drummer Paul Barbarin's "Second Line" on "Twenty Dozen." "Everyone wants to hear 'Saints,' " Lewis says. If I had 10 dollars for every time I've played that song, I'd be a billionaire." By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 28, 2015 at 10:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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