New Orleans_ Louis Armstrong Park

Kermit Ruffins

    

Kermit Ruffins (born December 19, 1964) is an American jazz trumpeter, singer and composer from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. He has been influenced by Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan. Ruffins often accompanies his songs with his own vocals, and he says that the highest note he can hit on trumpet is a high C. Most of his bands perform New Orleans jazz standards, though he also composes many of his own pieces. Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Ruffins is an unabashed entertainer who plays trumpet with a bright, silvery tone, sings with off-the-cuff charm and never gets too abstruse in his material".

He co-founded the Rebirth Brass Band in 1983 while attending Clark High School, also in the Tremé neighborhood. Ruffins made his first recordings with the Rebirth in 1984. The group was inspired by another New Orleans brass band called The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a band of slightly older musicians credited with bringing influences of funk and contemporary bebop into New Orleans style brass bands. Before they achieved the popularity allowing them to play regularly in local music venues, the Rebirth often busked around the French Quarter for tips. They soon became a houseband at the Glass House, previously the Dirty Dozen's home venue. The Rebirth once had a gig in New York City at Lone Star Cafe, but were hassled by police for having no permit when they began marching outdoors as they always did in New Orleans.

     

         

He's a real entertainer, it was a nice concert with lots of friends (musicians) visiting. They were all very good. The people started dancing really fast. The people from the Treme were here and they formed a perfect second line. There're were women with rhythm bells and umbrella's dancing and the men joined in. It was great to feel the vibe in the audience and to see how the music, mostly jazz got the people on their feet.

Kermit is a good trumpet player and knows what the people want. He's very close to the audience, bit this was like playing in his backyard! He just opened a restaurant and he invited everyone to come and eat free chicken!! It was a very good NO concert, like it was in the early years. Musicians just came to play and people just came to have fun and so the musicians had fun on stage!!

It was a great last night in NO, so thank you NO for all the great trumpet player and music! Like they say, the music is great, the food is good and the rest is just BIG AND EASY!!