Founded in 2009, the Free Spirit Brass Band is led by bass drummer Jerel Brown, a member of the Uptown Warriors Mardi Gras Indian tribe. WWOZ calls the group “a quintessential New Orleans street band,” one that effortlessly blends traditional brass band sensibilities with more contemporary funk, hip-hop, and R&B, seasoned with Mardi Gras Indian chanting and rhythmic stylings. They’re a working street band in the truest sense — you’ll find them on the corner, not on a club schedule.
Biography
The Sound of the Street Corner
"a quintessential New Orleans street band, bringing their joyous and energetic music to Bourbon Street, City Park, and festivals"
— WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FMThe Free Spirit Brass Band is also a fixture of the city’s festival life. At the 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival they paraded with the Lady & Men Rollers and the Treme Sidewalk Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs — brass and second line moving as one, exactly as it’s supposed to be. Catch them where the street opens up and the horns start talking.
