During the 1990 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Algiers Brass Band performed with Danny Barker at Kingsley House for a Jazz Workshop sponsored by the Festival. The band sounded great and I asked Danny Barker what he thought of the Algiers Brass Band. Never being one to mince words, Mr. Barker answered, "Best damned brass band in New Orleans." At that point, I immediately asked my old friend Ruddley Thibodeaux, the leader of the band, to schedule a recording session. Two years later, the session finally took place. The saying goes that good things take time. This was a great session, so the saying still holds true.

The listener must remember that the Algiers Brass Band likes to stay close to the old brass band style. They will also throw in some funky stuff and a nice taste of Gospel, just to let us know that The Algiers Brass Band understands many of the feelings that make up New Orleans jazz. The Algiers Brass Band brings you a great, throbing rhythm section; a high energy brass section and a reed section that gives feeling to the music.

For those of you not familiar with the name "Algiers", I should tell you that Algiers is a neighborhood of New Orleans. It is located on the "West" bank of the Mississippi River, which, of course, is east of the city. Just take my word for it, we understand. Algiers has always existed as a fairly independent entity, even though it is a part of New Orleans. It has the same mayor, but that is about as far as it goes in identity with the main part of the city. The living on the "West Bank" is a bit freer and music has always been a part of the culture.

Now that the Algiers Brass Band is getting worldwide recognition, Algiers as a city can stand a bit taller. The band has toured Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and played for many festivals in the United States. The next few years will surely see the Algiers Brass Band gain even more popularity.

We all hope that you enjoy the music contained in this recording, but even moreso, we hope that you get to visit New Orleans and enjoy our "Crescent City" culture, which includes the food, history, architecture, and the music.