In 2004, a group of New Orleans musicians and musicians from North Carolina came together and recorded an album that has become a touchstone for inter-genre collaboration.
The Same Pocket Vol.1: Bluegrass Meets the Big Easy featured Trombone Shorty, Woody Wood, and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the Rebirth Brass Band, Acoustic Syndicate and more. The re-release of this seminal album will be celebrated this Friday and Saturday night at the Maple Leaf Bar.
Percussionist, bandleader and producer Chris Jones is the mastermind between the meeting of bluegrass and brass band musicians that began with this album and developed into a semi-regular musical series dubbed the Crescent City Mountain Summit.
This year’s version of the event will feature over 25 musicians from both New Orleans and North Carolina including performances by the BlueBrass Project and longtime North Carolina new grass icons Acoustic Syndicate. New Orleans’ own SOUL Brass Band is also on the bill.
All three bands will be performing different sets each evening with special guests including famed drummer Herlin Riley, New Orleans saxophonist Khris Royal, and musicians from the BlueBrass Project’s debut recording. Both nights will feature a late night “ClusterPluck,” an improvised jam session featuring musicians from all three bands and a few unannounced special guests.
A limited number of special two-night passes are available, which include original artwork of the Crescent City Mountain Summit poster by local artist Jay Sayotovic and a copy of The Same Pocket Vol.1: Bluegrass Meets the Big Easy.
Showtime is 9 PM both nights. Tickets are available here.
