Biography

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A Beautiful World Description
A Beautiful World is a collaboration between two friends, Kermit Ruffins, the big easy ambassador of good times and Rebirth Brass Band co-founder, who has appeared on HBO’s Treme, Bravo’s Top Chef, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, and the soundtrack for Disney’s Jungle Book in a duet with Bill Murray and backing Christopher Walken, and Irvin Mayfield, two-time Grammy-award winner, Billboard Music Award-winner, author, and producer. Combined, the two musicians share a staggering output of nearly fifty records, the majority released on Basin Street Records, an international independent music powerhouse that asked its two most recorded artists to collaborate on this centerpiece of the label’s 20th anniversary celebration. A Beautiful World is the ultimate party in record form. Producer Mayfield worked tirelessly to translate the eclectic soul of Kermit Ruffins to twenty-six tracks. On the process of making the album, Ruffins explains, “Good food and good music are my passions. I wanted to make a record people could eat.”

Mayfield realized that vision by bringing in 57 musicians arranged in four configurations built around a jazz structure: big band, traditional jazz marching band, chamber orchestra and an amended funk ensemble. Some Basin Street Records artists joined to accomplish this goal: The king of New Orleans brass, Rebirth Brass Band; the professorial clarinetist Dr. Michael White; the musical genius, Jason Marsalis; and world-renowned percussionist, Bill Summers. Other notable featured artists include: Haley Reinhart of American Idol, Cyril Neville (of the Meters and Neville Brothers), New Orleans bass legend George Porter Jr. (of The Meters and countless other bands), Tremé-crooner John Boutté, the inimitable and monstrous voice of Glen David Andrews, The King of Tremé Shannon Powell, a nine-piece string ensemble, and the silky-smooth spoken word bass of New Orleans-born actor Wendell Pierce (USA’s Suits, HBO’s The Wire, HBO’s Tremé).

Mayfield, on working with Ruffins to create an album unlike either had done before reveals, “I found just as many treasures in working with Kermit as with Frank Ocean and Dee Dee Bridgewater. The greatest treasure is our friendship. As many challenges as there are in the world today, this record reminds us what’s important.”

A Beautiful World serves up lushly-orchestrated Ruffins favorites such as “Good Morning New Orleans.” Kermit’s roots with Rebirth Brass Band are not ignored with a “Do Whatcha Wanna” interlude. Mayfield brings the listener to a different part of New Orleans musical history with several tracks reminiscent of the originators of New Orleans funk, The Meters, and enlisted the help of two of the actual members to make sure that sound was authentic on tracks like “Be My Lady” and “Good Life.” A nod is also made to one of the most influential figures in New Orleans musical history, arranger/producer/musician Allen Toussaint, with a song named in his honor and about the reverence that so many have for him. The basso profundo of actor Wendell Pierce steals the show with a spoken word performance rivaled only by Isaac Haye’s “Theme from Shaft” on “Sister Soul.” The most modern format of New Orleans music, namely bounce, a brand of New Orleans-grown hip-hop is also represented with “Trumpet Bounce.”

Where A Beautiful World may catch the casual listener off-guard is with the decidedly pop sounds of the classic Bobby McFerrin tune “Don’t Worry Be Happy” featuring Jason Marsalis in his singing debut (and also playing a plethora of percussion instruments) along with the unrivaled vocal combination of Cyril Neville, Haley Reinhart, and Glen David Andrews. The true gem of the album, the Mayfield-penned “Beautiful World,” sets the precedent for the versatility and creativity of the two artists. The song conveys a message of hope in tumultuous times à la Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.”

A Beautiful World will be available in the New Orleans Area September 22, 2017 and worldwide on October 13 on all digital platforms and on CD and Vinyl (includes free digital download) at your local record store and from BasinStreetRecords.com. Additionally, in conjunction with the album, Basin Street Records will release a graphic novel by writer Amen Neville, The One & Twos: Kermit, Irvin and the Golden Record V.1. Finally, a documentary about Kermit Ruffins is also in the works, and is slated for a 2018 release.

Basin Street Records is proud to partner with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau in a shared commitment and passion for the talent and music of our city. We thank them for their ongoing support of this project and of our local artists.


Track Listing
1. Well, Alright
2. Kermit, Turn It Down Interlude (feat. Wendell Pierce)
3. Drop Me Off in New Orleans (feat. Dr. Michael White)
4. Don’t Worry Be Happy (feat. Jason Marsalis, Cyril Neville, Haley Reinhart, Glen David Andrews)
5. Irvin, Turn It Up Interlude (feat. Wendell Pierce)
6. Good Life (feat. Bailey Flores, Glen David Andrews, John Boutté)
7. Good Morning New Orleans
8. You Don’t Look Good Interlude (feat. Wendell Pierce)
9. Mystic
10. Dad, Turn It Up Interlude (feat. Irvin Mayfield III)
11. Move on Ahead (feat. Jolynda “Kiki” Chapman)
12. Practicing Interlude (feat. The Urban Cellist)
13. Just Playin’ (feat. Wendell Brunious, Leroy Jones, Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown, Andrew Baham)
14. Soul Sister Interlude (feat. DJ Soul Sister)
15. Sister Soul (feat. Wendell Pierce, Bill Summers)
16. Allen Toussaint (feat. Cyril Neville)
17. King Lear Interlude (feat. Wendell Pierce)
18. Beautiful World [for Imani] (feat. Haley Reinhart)
19. Do Whatcha Wanna Interlude (feat. Rebirth Brass Band)
20. Be My Lady (feat. Cyril Neville, George Porter Jr.)
21. Footwork (feat. Rebirth Brass Band, Cyril Neville)
22. Trumpet Bounce
23. Lexine (feat. Denisia)
24. Li’l Liza Jane Interlude
25. Just A Closer Walk With Thee (feat. Topsy Chapman, Jolynda “Kiki” Chapman, Yolanda Robinson)
26. When the Saints Go Marching In

Personnel
Kermit Ruffins – Trumpet, Vocals
Irvin Mayfield – Trumpet, Flugel Horn, Vocals, Piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Vocoder, Talkbox, Tambourine, Conductor

Basin Street Records Recording Artists:
Rebirth Brass Band (19,21)
Dr. Michael White – Clarinet (3)
Jason Marsalis – Vibraphone, Marimba, Whistle, Woodblocks, Voice, Shakers, Snaps, Claps, Chest Drum (4,15)
Bill Summers – Percussion (6,9,15,18,20,24)

Featured Artists:
Cyril Neville – Vocals (4,16,18,20,21,24)
George Porter Jr. – Bass (6,9,15,20,24)
John Boutté – Vocals (6,11,20)
Haley Reinhart – Vocals (4,6,9,11,18)
Glen David Andrews – Vocals (4,6,18,20)
Topsy Chapman – Vocals (24,25)
Wendell Pierce – Vocals (2,5,8,15,17)
Denisia – Vocals (23)
Shannon Powell – Drums (13,25)
Phil Frazier – Tuba (19,21)
Leon “Kid Chocolate” Brown – Vocals, Trumpet (1,3,6,7,9,11,13,16,18,19,20)
Wendell Brunious – Trumpet (13)
Leroy Jones – Trumpet (13,19,26)
Gregory Stafford – Trumpet (19)
Jamal Batiste – Drums (6,9,15,20,24)
Shane Theriot – Guitar (6,9,15,20,24)
Darren Towns – Bass Drum (19,21)
Ajay Mallery Sr. – Snare Drum (19,21)
Jolynda “Kiki” Chapman – Vocals (6,11,24,25)
Yolanda Robinson – Vocals (24,25)
Bailey Flores – Vocals (4,6,16)
DJ Soul Sister – Vocals (14)
Khari Allen Lee – Alto Saxophone/Flute (1,3,4,7,9,11,16,18)
Jeronne Amari Ansari – Alto Saxophone (1,3,7,9,11,18)
John Díaz-Cortés – Saxophone, Bass Clarinet (4,16)
Ricardo Pascal – Tenor Saxophone (1,7,9,11,16,18)
Ed “Sweetbread” Petersen – Tenor Saxophone (1,3,4,7,9,11,16,18)
Trevarri Huff-Boone – Baritone Saxophone (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
TJ Norris – Trombone (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Emily Fredrickson – Trombone (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Jon Ramm-Gramenz – Trombone (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Bernard Floyd – Trumpet (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Eric Lucero – Trumpet (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Ashlin Parker – Trumpet (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Alex Massa – Trumpet (1,3,7,9,11,16,18)
Andrew Baham – Trumpet (13,19,26)
Ronald Markham – Piano, Fender Rhodes, B3 Organ, Wurlitzer, Synthesizers, Track Programming (1,3,6,7,9,11,13,15,16,18,20,22,23,24,25,26)
Grayson Brockamp – Bass (1,7,13,16,25,26)
Steve Glenn – Tuba (3,19,21)
Adonis Rose – Drums (1,3,7,11,16)
Jim Atwood – String Organizer
Ben Thacher – Violin (7,9,18)
Benjamin Hart – Violin (7,9,18)
Byron Tauchi – Violin (7,9,18)
Hannah Yim – Violin (7,9,18)
Richard Woehrle  – Viola (7,9,18)
Bruce Owen – Viola (7,9,18)
Ila Rondeau – Viola (7,9,18)
Jonathan Gerhardt – Cello (7,9,18)
Dimitri Vychko – Cello (7,9,18)
The Urban Cellist – Cello, Vocals (12)
Percy Williams – Percussion (23)
Camille Lenain – Ukulele (18)
Irvin Mayfield III – Vocals (10)

Credits
Produced by Irvin Mayfield
Executive Producer: Mark Samuels
Associate Producer: John Díaz-Cortés
Engineered by Irvin Mayfield, Jesse Snider, John Díaz-Cortés, Misha Kachkachishvili at Esplanade Studios, New Orleans, LA
Mixed by Misha Kachkachishvili at Esplanade Studios, New Orleans, LA
Mastered by Bruce Barielle at Music Shed Studios, New Orleans, LA
Cover Art by Henry Lipkis
Kermit Ruffins Photo by Braden Piper
Irvin Mayfield Photo by Greg Miles
Cover Design by Braden Piper & Diana Thornton
CD/Digital Booklet Layout and Design by Diana Thornton, Crescent Music Services
Production Assistants: Irvin Mayfield III, Richard Mayfield, Imani Mayfield
Haley Reinhart appears courtesy of Concord Records
www.basinstreetrecords.com
Basin Street Records Facebook: BasinStreetRecords
Basin Street Records Twitter: @BasinStRecords
Kermit Ruffins Facebook: KermitRuffinsNola
Kermit Ruffins Twitter: @KermitRuffins
Irvin Mayfield Facebook: IrvinMayfieldJr
Irvin Mayfield Twitter: @irvinMayfieldJr
Kermit Ruffins Management: Lexine Ruffins, RuffinsMusic5@outlook.com
Irvin Mayfield Management/Booking: Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski , Tulani@bridgewaterartists.com
Irvin Mayfield Assistant: Ashley Slone, assistant@mayfieldproductionco.com

Liner Note:
As we approached two decades we knew we wanted to have a big year that reflected on the past and kicked off our future. This album is the centerpiece marking our 20th anniversary and the 300th of the city of New Orleans.   With the tremendous support of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau we asked our two most recorded artists, who have performed periodically with each other for 25 years, to collaborate and bring in dozens of great musicians to help. Irvin and Kermit bring out the best in the other, and we get to witness the result in this outstanding record! 

They say time flies when you are having fun and this has been the trip of a lifetime.  We can’t wait for the next twenty and we hope you join us in our love and appreciation for the music and traditions of this great city! Thank you for buying music!
 
-Mark Samuels, President, Basin Street Records


Kermit Ruffins TourDates

Irvin Mayfield TourDates


Kermit Ruffins Bio
“And We Live!”

From playing himself in the HBO Series Treme, to barbecuing outside his bar, Kermit’s Treme Mother-in-Law Lounge, to sitting in with Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the trumpeter/vocalist keeps himself busy when he isn’t on stage doing what he does best—entertaining and sharing his love of life with the world. Ruffins continues making his imprint on the world with wider exposure including appearances on Bravo’s Top Chef and on the soundtrack to Disney’s Jungle Book with Bill Murray and Christopher Walken. He personifies the laid-back vibe of New Orleans.

But he did not come by his gifts easily. Ruffins did his homework and developed his stage persona and musical act by studying artists who came before him. He watched videos of Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway until the tape wore out, cut his teeth busking the streets of the French Quarter, and apprenticed on stages with local legends “Uncle” Lionel Batiste and Danny Barker.

Consider his lengthy musical career. While still in high school, he co-founded the Rebirth Brass Band – a group that revolutionized the brass band community in New Orleans with songs like “Do Watcha Wanna” that have become anthems. Rebirth’s growth and success bolstered the rejuvenation of the New Orleans second-line culture that now flourishes.

Still, after less than a decade fronting the band and touring the world, Ruffins tired of the road. He missed the culture at home so much that he traveled, like fellow New Orleans icon Fats Domino, with cooking equipment and prepared his favorite foods in hotel rooms far and wide. 

He made a bold and risky decision to leave Rebirth and go solo, having no guarantees the public would embrace his new direction. At the time there were very few young musicians playing traditional jazz. Nearly all the backing musicians on his first album were decades older.

Now, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers are a beloved institution – a must-see for every New Orleans visitor and a favorite of local critics and music lovers. As he’d helped spur the formation of new brass bands in his 20s, he’s since influenced the city’s musical direction in the 21st century. Dozens of young musicians and bands are essentially playing the same music Ruffins pioneered with his solo act. They sing into retro microphones, dress in dandy suits and perform the timeless tunes that defined a decades-past era.

Yet Ruffins has not been content to remain musically static. His live show has included elements of hip-hop since his days with Rebirth. He began rapping on albums long before it was commonplace for jazz musicians to have hip-hop influences. 

It’s not the first time he’s taken musical chances. He had a short-lived progressive jazz band that experimented with arrangements of songs from the 1970s. His 2009 album, Livin’ A Tremé Life, included a version of Johnny Nash’s monster 1972 hit “I Can See Clearly Now.” It also had songs reflecting Ruffins’ deep roots in the R&B of the Crescent City, like Allen Toussaint’s “Holy Cow.”

In the ’90s, Ruffins fronted a big band with arrangements from great maestro Wardell Quezergue. He stocked the band with superior local musicians and the performances were on par with great bands of the ’40s, updated to reflect Ruffins’ effervescent personality. His 2010 release, Happy Talk, revisited that territory with a full horn section and sumptuous arrangements of tunes like “If I Only Had a Brain” (from The Wizard of Oz) and the Louis Armstrong hit “La Vie En Rose.”

With over fifteen albums to his credit including live albums capturing his inimitable stage presence (1998’s The Barbecue Swingers Live and 2005’s Live at Vaughan’s), a collaboration with his Rebirth Brass Band brethren (2005’s Throwback), a holiday album (Have A Crazy Cool Christmas [2009]), an homage to New Orleans’ traditional jazz (We Partyin’ Traditional Style! [2010]), and the party-anthem packed #imsoneworleans (2015) the New Orleans trumpeter shows no signs of slowing down.

2017’s A Beautiful World finds the trumpeter/vocalist partnering with long-time labelmate Irvin Mayfield in the centerpiece release for Basin Street’s 20th anniversary celebration. The two most recorded Basin Street artists bring in the assistance of nearly 60 musicians including several New Orleans legends in an album that seeks to capture the inimitable soul of Ruffins with tunes ranging from the Bobby McFerrin classic “Don’t Worry Be Happy” to Ruffins classics like “Good Morning New Orleans” to straight-up bounce tracks like “Trumpet Bounce.”

Every year Ruffins ebullient attitude and love of his hometown music firms his reputation as the New Orleans idol. Dedicated to preserving and passing on the tradition of jazz, he is often compared to his own hero, Louis Armstrong.

On his likeness to “Satch” Kermit says, “That’s someone who really, really led one of America’s true art forms. He was really the cherry on top of New Orleans music. And now I see it being passed on to younger kids, and for me to have a role in that and to maybe do the things he did is so spiritual to me.”

Whether he’s slinging barbecue, adding to his collection of fedoras, or playing at one of his regular weekly shows, Kermit Ruffins does it with joy and passion, an example of what it means to be a true New Orleanian.

Irvin Mayfield Bio
A Grammy and Billboard Award-winning producer, composer, trumpet player, author, and turntablist.

Mayfield’s credits include over 30 records, collaborations with Frank Ocean, Lenny Kravitz, Stevie Wonder, George Clinton, Wyclef Jean, Bob Weir, Ani DiFranco, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Haley Reinhart, Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John, Ernest Gaines, and Gordon Parks.

His career started in Latin music as a cofounder of the celebrated group, Los Hombres Calientes with veteran percussionist Bill Summers in 1998. Since then, Mayfield has been named the Jazz Artist in Residence at the Apollo Theater in 2014, Artistic Director of Jazz from 2009 to 2014 at the Minnesota Orchestra, and Founder and Artistic Director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra from 2002 to 2016.

Mayfield’s catalog includes live recordings at the prestigious Blue Note Jazz Club, the Village Vanguard, and most recently a live recording at the Newport Jazz Festival.

Domestically, Mayfield has headlined all major performing arts centers including Carnegie Hall and has twice performed at the White House for presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

Internationally, Mayfield has headlined major Jazz festivals from North Sea in Europe to the Sydney Jazz Festival in Australia and has toured extensively throughout four continents.

Mayfield has authored two coffee table books, A Love Letter to New Orleans and New Orleans Jazz Playhouse, and has received an honorary doctorate from Dillard University.

Mayfield was nominated by President George W. Bush and appointed by President Barrack Obama to the National Council on the Arts. He was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for his recording with Dee Dee Bridgewater.

In March 2017, Mayfield launched his latest project, Cirque du Freque — the marriage of technology and soul. It's a party EVERY Monday night with Cirque du Freque and Kermit Ruffins at the Mother in Law Lounge in the famous Treme neighborhood of New Orleans.