Search - Rebirth Brass Band :: Rollin'

The two musicians who have been with ReBirth from the start are the Frazier brothers, Philip on tuba and Keith on bass drum. It's no coincidence that these low-pitched rhythm instruments been the unchanging factor in the band, for the ReBirth sound is built from the bottom up. The Fraziers get the syncopated groove "rollin'," as the title has it, and snare drummer Ajay Mallery and the six horn players climb on board. This allows a rare combination of freedom and discipline, for the horns can play almost anything as long as they stay in the groove. All sorts of melodies surface in the wild jamming which ensues. Cannonball Adderley's "Mercy Mercy Mercy" is credited on this album; Funkadelic's "One Nation Under a Groove" and other songs aren't. Since-departed members Kermit Ruffins and Stafford Agee make brief appearances, but the focal point of the band is Roderick "Claude" Paulin. The lone remaining reed player, Paulin wrote or cowrote the four powerful instrumentals which kick off the recording. After testing the limits of New Orleans parade music for 47 minutes, ReBirth finish the album with a solidly traditional version of the old hymn, "Just a Little While to Stay Here." --Geoffrey Himes