Having recently returned from a wild trip to the Big Easy, I found myself suffering from that post-NOLA depression that usually results from having to make that leap back to reality. Luckily my ails were cured Thursday night when New Orleans brass master Trombone Shorty brought his band, Orleans Avenue, to Austin’s ACL Theater for some pre-Mardi Gras festivities.
To kick things off NOLA second-line legends the Dirty Dozen Brass Band got the Mardi Gras vibes flowing with the Professor Longhair classic “Big Chief.” Dirty Dozen have that big brass second-line sound but are far too dynamic to be a novelty act. Each song has it’s own distinct sound and the band is a tightly knit unit capable of traveling to all sorts of musical realms. One song may be down and dirty ‘Nawlins funk, but will switch on a dime to a bebop jazz number. Through it all the drummer and keyboardist always keep a thumping funky groove going. Even more surprising was the spacey, almost tranced out beats that get the whole crowd dancing in unison.
Each band member took his fair share of solos, but Roger Lewis on saxophone stole the show when he led the crowd through “Dirty Old Man,” a humorous anthem tune that was complimented by a buxom beauty dancing dirty and shaking her booty on stage with the band.
Trombone Shorty has been playing music since he was just a little kid and there is no other way to describe him than as a true musical prodigy. Over the last few years he has exploded on to the scene and established himself as a rock star that can come close to selling out a venue as large as ACL Theater, and completely blow the roof off.
With his band, Orleans Avenue, playing a hard rocking and deeply funky intro Trombone Shorty entered the stage like a hurricane and immediately captivated the crowd by firing off his trombone like a shotgun on “Buckjump,” the first track off his newest album, For True. “On Your Way Down” opened with a trombone tease of Rage Against The Machine’s “Bull’s On Parade,” and after that the energy level stayed as high as possible for the entire set.
Shorty’s band is composed of very young guys who all seem equally energetic. Every member of the band played their asses off on songs like “The Craziest Things” and “In The 6th,” which featured a wild dual solo between the drummer and percussionist. At one point Shorty had the whole band doing a choreographed dance together on stage. That being said, Shorty is unquestionably the front man and a true entertainer in a similar fashion to legends like James Brown. He sings, dances, and plays every instrument on stage. He uses circular breathing to give himself incredible stamina on trombone and trumpet, sometimes holding multiple notes for over a minute. His ability to play New Orleans funk while capturing that second-line sound, and then switch over to lady pleasing RnB tunes like “Something Beautiful” and “Roses,” shows just how insanely talented this young musician is. With their explosive rocking sound and confident stage presence Trombone Shorty and his band have entered the musical major leagues, and they couldn’t be more deserving of it.
Photography by Arthur VanRooy