Troy Sawyer and the Elementz originated from a trio that rocked the New Orleans music scene after Hurricane Katrina. Their sound is a gumbo medley infused with funk, rock, soul, jazz, and Latin influence. Sawyer, a soulful trumpet player, comes from a line of great musicians including his cousin Leon Bridges and his great-grandfather Louis D. James, who played with and co-wrote songs with the great Buddy Bolden.
The band's single "Rock Your Soul" premiered via OffBeat, infused with the zydeco magic of Rockin' Dopsie Jr. and recorded at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music. Sawyer's pedigree is deep: post-Katrina he performed in Texas, then with Blakes Amose's Brazilian Band in New York City, before returning to New Orleans during Mardi Gras 2006 to step out as a bandleader.
Beyond the bandstand, Sawyer is an educator who has taught music in the charter school system and founded Girls Play Trumpets Too, a nonprofit empowering girls ages 8–19 to play trumpet. He holds a B.A. in Music Education from Southern University (2008) and has opened for or played with Lalah Hathaway, Wynton Marsalis, and Harry Connick Jr.
