Biography

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Big Easy Description
Here, trumpeter and vocalist Kermit Ruffins has prepared a gumbo of a music that absorbs any influence, yet screams “Big Easy!” He may not have the technical prowess of other Louisiana trumpeters, but they’ll never sing about their own funeral and make the listener dance and laugh while doing it, as on “When I Die (You Better Second Line).” Ruffins visits traditional New Orleans with the old standards “Basin Street Blues,” “Tiger Rag,” and “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” and hangs on the modern jazz side with the cooker “Wake Up, Nessie” and a great cover of War’s “The World Is a Ghetto.” But his hometown is more than just jazz. There’s the Latin tinge of “Skokiaan” and that simmering Allen Toussaint/Neville Brothers brand of Big Easy soul that’s represented on “Palm Court Strut.” For food there’s the very cute “Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner” and the title track, an audio tour with culinary delights. Like another great Crescent City trumpeter, Ruffins’s taken his horn-blowing gift, grafted it with an undeniably charming gruff singing style, and concentrated on making great records, of which this is one. –Mark Ruffin

Track Listing
1) Tiger Rag (4:23)
2) Skokiaan (5:45)
3) When I Die (You Better Second Line) (7:28)
4) Wake up Nessie (5:48)
5) Palm Court Strut (4:59)
6) Stardust (5:18)
7) On The Sunny Side Of The Street (5:09)
8) Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner (4:01)
9) Big Easy (6:32)
10) The World Is A Ghetto (7:08)
11) Basin Street Blues (5:48)
12) One Life (3:54)

Personnel
Corey Henry- Trombone
Emile Vinet- Piano
Kevin Morris- Bass
Jerry Anderson- Drums
Detroit Books- Banjo
Bill Summers- Percussion
Matt Rhody- Violin
Rachel Jordan- Violin
Lauren Lemmer- Viola
Jonathan Gerhardt- Cello
Shannon Powell- Drums
Davell Crawford- Hammond B-3
Juanita Brooks- Vocals
Albert Weston- Background Vocals
Herlin Riley- Drums
Eric Traub- Tenor Saxophone
Troy Andrews- Trombone
Alfred Weston- Background Vocals
Denon Smith- Vocals

Credits
Executive Producer: Mark Samuels
Produced by Tracey Freeman
Associate Executive Producer: Will Samuels
Producer: Will Samuels
Recorded & Mixed by Steve Reynolds at Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans LA
Mastered by Vlado Meller at Sony Music Studios/NYC
Assisted by Steve Kadison
Art Direction by “The Committee”
Graphics by Majikmine Design
Graphics Assistance by Hal Braden
Prepress by Diana Thornton
Photography by Earl Perry & David Richmond
Commentary by Jay Mazza
Songs Commentary by Kermit Ruffins
Manufacturing by Crescent Music Services
BSR 0104-2
Produced by Tracey Freeman
Executive Producer: Mark Samuels
Basin Street Records
5500 Prytania St. #110
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-483-0002; 1-888-45BASIN
Fax: 504-483-7877
info@basinstreetrecords.com
www.basinstreetrecords.com
© ℗ 2002 Basin Street Records
All Rights Reserved
Any unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.

Tour Dates

Kermit Ruffins Bio
Kermit Ruffins needs only two words to hype a New Orleans barroom for one of his weekly shows, and this, his personal slogan, sums up what this Big Easy ambassador is all about.

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. 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.

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. It’s an attitude befitting of any true New Orleanian, and it can be summed up in two simple words: We Partyin’!