Simon Burke has spent more than three decades as a professional musician, and since 2016 he has led his own New Orleans jazz band. The group is most regularly a trio — Burke on trumpet, Belinda Moody on upright bass, and April Spain on piano — with well over a hundred years of professional experience between them. They can augment to a quartet or quintet with vocals, drums, or a second wind instrument, and Burke also offers solo trumpet sets.
The repertoire celebrates the sweep of jazz history, from its earliest days to contemporary styles: New Orleans favorites like “I’m Confessin’” and “La Vie En Rose” alongside the works of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, and King Oliver, with modern jazz and Latin jazz to suit the occasion.
The band works the city’s clubs, hotels, the convention center, private homes — even the Audubon Zoo — and specializes in weddings, corporate events, and private parties. Clients rate them 10 out of 10 on average, with reviewers praising the group’s professionalism, communication, and ability to read a room.
