WEBVTT

00:00:00.782 --> 00:00:03.699
(brass band music)

00:01:43.550 --> 00:01:44.809
- My name\'s Leroy Jones,

00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:47.919
I\'m a jazz trumpeter born in New Orleans,

00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:50.045
on February 20th 1958,

00:01:50.046 --> 00:01:53.522
and I grew up in the city of New Orleans,

00:01:53.523 --> 00:01:57.049
in an area known as the seventh ward.

00:01:57.050 --> 00:02:00.729
My mother and father, they
met at Charity Hospital,

00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:04.059
they were both working as orderlies there.

00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:08.079
Back in 1957, they got together.

00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:11.739
I guess they had, sort
of a brief engagement,

00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:15.810
for maybe a year, because
I was born in 1958,

00:02:15.811 --> 00:02:20.811
and my father is a
veteran of the Korean War,

00:02:21.600 --> 00:02:26.600
and my mother worked in
factories as a young woman.

00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.329
And my mother is from New Orleans,

00:02:30.330 --> 00:02:32.408
and she\'s also from the seventh ward.

00:02:32.409 --> 00:02:35.839
My parents were not musicians,

00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:36.869
they loved music,

00:02:36.870 --> 00:02:40.000
and there was always music
being played around the house.

00:02:40.001 --> 00:02:43.331
Al Greene, Aretha Franklin,
of course James Brown,

00:02:43.332 --> 00:02:47.779
and even Herb Albert
and the Tijuana Brass.

00:02:47.780 --> 00:02:49.519
After I would do my lesson,

00:02:49.520 --> 00:02:52.579
I would always get into the
garage and put a record on

00:02:52.580 --> 00:02:55.540
and try to emulate what I heard.

00:02:55.541 --> 00:02:56.885
(chattering)

00:02:56.886 --> 00:02:59.636
- How are you, how are you doing?

00:03:02.259 --> 00:03:04.793
- [Leroy] You guys sound great,

00:03:04.794 --> 00:03:05.893
hey, how you all doing?

00:03:07.140 --> 00:03:08.849
Hey, Fred, thank you, bruh.

00:03:08.850 --> 00:03:10.573
From the region, huh?

00:03:10.574 --> 00:03:12.559
(chattering)

00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:15.054
Preservation Hall has been in existence

00:03:15.055 --> 00:03:19.529
as a music venue since 1961,

00:03:19.530 --> 00:03:23.703
but the building itself
dates back to the 1700\'s.

00:03:24.750 --> 00:03:28.609
The music that\'s played
there is undiluted,

00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:32.419
it is pure jazz, swing, traditional jazz.

00:03:32.420 --> 00:03:34.837
(jazz music)

00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:55.226
(applause)

00:03:55.227 --> 00:03:56.499
- We\'ve got a great night
of music lined up for you

00:03:56.500 --> 00:03:59.369
this evening, compliments
of the Preservation Hall

00:03:59.370 --> 00:04:02.026
jazz masters, and Mr. Leroy Jones.

00:04:02.027 --> 00:04:04.850
(applause)

00:04:04.851 --> 00:04:07.268
(jazz music)

00:04:50.165 --> 00:04:52.415
(applause)

00:04:54.563 --> 00:04:56.980
(jazz music)

00:04:59.876 --> 00:05:02.050
(spraying)

00:05:02.051 --> 00:05:06.159
- Of course, that\'s pops over
there, Louis Armstrong statue.

00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:10.189
One of my first and foremost
mentors, Mr. Louis Armstrong.

00:05:10.190 --> 00:05:11.060
He was a great man.

00:05:11.061 --> 00:05:16.060
Louis Armstrong put this great art form,

00:05:16.820 --> 00:05:21.073
that we call our American
classical music, on the map.

00:05:21.074 --> 00:05:24.179
He\'s the guy that he brought it to a place

00:05:24.180 --> 00:05:26.249
that it hadn\'t been brought to before.

00:05:26.250 --> 00:05:31.250
And made it the international,
the cherished art form

00:05:33.210 --> 00:05:36.549
that it is, the only true art
form that we have to offer

00:05:36.550 --> 00:05:37.383
the rest of the world.

00:05:37.384 --> 00:05:40.339
- The fact that we, as African Americans,

00:05:40.340 --> 00:05:42.320
here in this city,

00:05:42.321 --> 00:05:45.259
we were privileged to,

00:05:45.260 --> 00:05:48.269
well at this time we look
back at it as a privilege,

00:05:48.270 --> 00:05:50.039
to have had Congo Square.

00:05:50.040 --> 00:05:53.749
You know, and Congo Square was
a place here in New Orleans,

00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:56.439
in Treme, that during the times of slavery

00:05:56.440 --> 00:05:57.273
that Africans,

00:05:57.274 --> 00:05:58.749
it was the only place in North America

00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:01.169
where African Americans, or Africans,

00:06:01.170 --> 00:06:02.379
were allowed to have drums.

00:06:02.380 --> 00:06:04.649
Where slaves were allowed to have drums.

00:06:04.650 --> 00:06:06.749
And so the rhythms that we have now,

00:06:06.750 --> 00:06:09.565
you know, have been
carried over, you know,

00:06:09.566 --> 00:06:10.699
through the years,

00:06:10.700 --> 00:06:13.289
and through the generations,

00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:15.827
and we still have a certain rhythm here.

00:06:15.828 --> 00:06:20.699
- Arguably this is where
jazz had its roots, you know,

00:06:20.700 --> 00:06:22.649
and from a rhythmic standpoint,

00:06:22.650 --> 00:06:25.479
and from just a conceptual standpoint,

00:06:25.480 --> 00:06:26.679
it started here,

00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:28.179
right here in Congo Square.

00:06:28.180 --> 00:06:31.299
Basin Street runs to North Claiborne

00:06:31.300 --> 00:06:32.879
and then when you cross North Claiborne,

00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:34.689
it becomes Orleans Avenue.

00:06:34.690 --> 00:06:39.690
But that was the strip,
that was the district,

00:06:40.333 --> 00:06:43.917
and it was the Mahogany
Hall, used to be over there

00:06:43.918 --> 00:06:45.289
on Basin Street.

00:06:45.290 --> 00:06:46.809
The building\'s no longer there.

00:06:46.810 --> 00:06:48.262
But all of that was there.

00:06:48.263 --> 00:06:49.250
(laughs)

00:06:49.251 --> 00:06:52.670
That was what was known as Storyville.

00:06:52.671 --> 00:06:56.879
And I heard it was crazy during that time.

00:06:56.880 --> 00:06:59.289
You know, there was a
lot of stuff that went on

00:06:59.290 --> 00:07:01.340
that wasn\'t good for young kids (laughs).

00:07:02.192 --> 00:07:04.275
(cheers)

00:07:11.376 --> 00:07:13.793
(jazz music)

00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:24.743
(cheers)

00:07:30.110 --> 00:07:31.499
The Mardi Gras Indians,

00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:32.616
now that\'s a different thing,

00:07:32.617 --> 00:07:36.029
now that\'s something that\'s
like more, that is Afrocentric,

00:07:36.030 --> 00:07:37.509
it\'s like the second weekend of March,

00:07:37.510 --> 00:07:39.169
sometimes the third weekend of March,

00:07:39.170 --> 00:07:41.320
and that\'s when they all dress up

00:07:42.290 --> 00:07:44.689
and they come out with their new suits,

00:07:44.690 --> 00:07:48.239
and the different tribes they meet,

00:07:48.240 --> 00:07:50.739
and you know, they have all of this drama

00:07:50.740 --> 00:07:52.339
that\'s basically drama.

00:07:52.340 --> 00:07:54.299
It\'s all about how good you look,

00:07:54.300 --> 00:07:55.909
how pretty you are, how
pretty your fellas are,

00:07:55.910 --> 00:07:58.739
and there\'s the king
and the chief, you know,

00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:00.929
the chief and there\'s a queen,

00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:03.792
and, you know, there\'s the (mumbles) boys,

00:08:03.793 --> 00:08:05.649
and even the little bitty babies,

00:08:05.650 --> 00:08:07.329
you know, they\'re wearing
their little outfits,

00:08:07.330 --> 00:08:10.199
you know, and it\'s beautiful.

00:08:10.200 --> 00:08:13.509
And the reason the Mardi Gras Indians,

00:08:13.510 --> 00:08:16.249
the Black Indians are in existence

00:08:16.250 --> 00:08:19.779
basically they\'re paying homage and credit

00:08:19.780 --> 00:08:22.424
to the Native American, the Red Indian,

00:08:22.425 --> 00:08:26.979
who helped oftentimes
gave refuge to slaves

00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:29.749
who were trying to escape the South

00:08:29.750 --> 00:08:32.119
during the time when there was Antebellum.

00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.623
And so that\'s the connection between

00:08:34.624 --> 00:08:38.569
the Mardi Gras Indians
and the Native Americans.

00:08:38.570 --> 00:08:43.570
And because that\'s
respect, so paying respect

00:08:43.900 --> 00:08:47.241
to our original brothers and sisters

00:08:47.242 --> 00:08:52.242
who were there for us,
you know, for my ancestors

00:08:52.450 --> 00:08:53.844
who were enslaved.

00:08:53.845 --> 00:08:56.595
(peaceful music)

00:09:03.810 --> 00:09:07.209
So we\'re standing in front
of my elementary school,

00:09:07.210 --> 00:09:09.429
St. Leo the Great Parochial School,

00:09:09.430 --> 00:09:12.394
and this is the old
building of this school,

00:09:12.395 --> 00:09:16.059
and that first floor, those windows here,

00:09:16.060 --> 00:09:19.666
that was the band room, that\'s
where I started taking band

00:09:19.667 --> 00:09:23.009
and my band director, my
first trumpet teacher was

00:09:23.010 --> 00:09:26.279
Sister Mary Hillary, and
this is where it all started,

00:09:26.280 --> 00:09:27.919
right here in 1968.

00:09:27.920 --> 00:09:30.670
(peaceful music)

00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:38.959
That\'s where the house was,
that\'s 1316, and that\'s 1320,

00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:43.167
this was 1316 St. Dennis,
so it\'s just a lot now.

00:09:43.168 --> 00:09:44.569
It\'s just a lot.

00:09:44.570 --> 00:09:46.909
That was the driveway right there,

00:09:46.910 --> 00:09:51.910
and that\'s where I, the
garage door was there,

00:09:51.990 --> 00:09:55.349
and Danny Barker would pull
his car about right here,

00:09:55.350 --> 00:09:57.739
and he came up and
introduced himself to me

00:09:57.740 --> 00:09:59.579
back in 1970.

00:09:59.580 --> 00:10:02.139
Danny Barker was jazz guitarist,

00:10:02.140 --> 00:10:06.401
and also he was a historian,

00:10:06.402 --> 00:10:11.402
and he played with Cab Calloway\'s band

00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:13.286
in the 1930\'s.

00:10:13.287 --> 00:10:14.240
He\'s from New Orleans,

00:10:14.241 --> 00:10:16.559
and Danny also played with Billie Holiday,

00:10:16.560 --> 00:10:18.326
and Dizzy Gillespie,

00:10:18.327 --> 00:10:21.809
and he played with Paul
Barbarin, that\'s his cousin.

00:10:21.810 --> 00:10:24.369
Now, to your right is Danny Barker\'s,

00:10:24.370 --> 00:10:26.609
what\'s left of Danny\'s house.

00:10:26.610 --> 00:10:31.569
It\'s a pity that they didn\'t
do anything to refurbish it

00:10:31.570 --> 00:10:32.480
and get it together.

00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:33.380
It flooded there,

00:10:33.381 --> 00:10:37.503
and that they didn\'t, because
it should be a museum,

00:10:37.504 --> 00:10:42.504
and it should be established
as a historical landmark,

00:10:42.870 --> 00:10:44.899
I think so, and I think
a lot of other people

00:10:44.900 --> 00:10:46.279
think so as well.

00:10:46.280 --> 00:10:48.174
So Danny Barker came around

00:10:48.175 --> 00:10:51.959
right in the midst of all of
the things that were going on

00:10:51.960 --> 00:10:54.019
in Storyville, still he was a little boy

00:10:54.020 --> 00:10:56.609
when Storyville was
still in existence here,

00:10:56.610 --> 00:10:58.839
in New Orleans, the district and so forth.

00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:00.489
And he would\'ve been a little boy

00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:04.432
and he probably checked
out Louis Armstrong

00:11:04.433 --> 00:11:07.109
when Louie was a teenager even,

00:11:07.110 --> 00:11:10.669
and because there were
basically just eight years

00:11:10.670 --> 00:11:12.179
difference in their ages.

00:11:12.180 --> 00:11:13.829
I played very loud in those days,

00:11:13.830 --> 00:11:16.472
and even with the garage door closed,

00:11:16.473 --> 00:11:19.519
you could hear me two, three blocks away.

00:11:19.520 --> 00:11:23.249
And one day Danny approached me,

00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:24.579
I had the garage door up,

00:11:24.580 --> 00:11:27.179
and I was practicing and
he introduced himself

00:11:27.180 --> 00:11:30.009
and said that Reverend Darby,

00:11:30.010 --> 00:11:33.513
the pastor of my church, is
trying to organize a youth group

00:11:33.514 --> 00:11:37.379
for the church, which
eventually became known

00:11:37.380 --> 00:11:39.209
as the Fairview Baptist
Church Marching Band,

00:11:39.210 --> 00:11:42.929
or the Fairview Brass
Band and he\'s trying to,

00:11:42.930 --> 00:11:47.930
he asked me to round up some
youngsters to fit the bill.

00:11:48.569 --> 00:11:51.079
- I remember when I was
back at Fairview Church,

00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:55.609
I baptized a man by the
name of Danny Barker.

00:11:55.610 --> 00:11:58.852
And some people said Danny
Barker came down here,

00:11:58.853 --> 00:12:02.093
he left New York and came to New Orleans,

00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:05.560
because he wanted to organize a band

00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:07.869
but he came to New Orleans

00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:10.136
because it was too cold in New York.

00:12:10.137 --> 00:12:13.326
And after I baptized, he said,

00:12:13.327 --> 00:12:15.876
\"Pastor, what do you want me to do?\"

00:12:15.877 --> 00:12:18.868
I said, \"I want you to
organize me a band.\"

00:12:18.869 --> 00:12:20.146
I knew he played the banjo,

00:12:20.147 --> 00:12:22.992
but there are kids all
over the neighborhood

00:12:22.993 --> 00:12:25.243
that will play instruments.

00:12:27.190 --> 00:12:30.336
I said, \"Organize me a band.\"

00:12:30.337 --> 00:12:32.883
And Brother Barker organized a band

00:12:32.884 --> 00:12:35.884
for me known as Fairview Brass Band.

00:12:36.760 --> 00:12:39.612
Those are still some some of
the most renowned musicians

00:12:39.613 --> 00:12:41.729
in the city of New Orleans.

00:12:41.730 --> 00:12:44.909
- One of the first musicians
that I\'ve ever played with,

00:12:44.910 --> 00:12:47.186
had ever encountered, was Leroy Jones.

00:12:47.187 --> 00:12:49.769
And I encountered him when we were kids,

00:12:49.770 --> 00:12:51.109
we were teenagers,

00:12:51.110 --> 00:12:52.589
and he was part of

00:12:52.590 --> 00:12:54.856
the Fairview Baptist
Church Christian Band.

00:12:54.857 --> 00:12:59.209
And under mentorship of
mister, the late, great,

00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:00.419
Mr. Danny Barker.

00:13:00.420 --> 00:13:02.879
- We even had people, entrepreneurs,

00:13:02.880 --> 00:13:05.919
who were excited about the
youngsters playing this music,

00:13:05.920 --> 00:13:09.249
and they would donate instruments to us,

00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:12.699
and Allan Jaffe, who was the founder

00:13:12.700 --> 00:13:14.089
of the Preservation Hall,

00:13:14.090 --> 00:13:16.286
he loved us and he would
donate instruments.

00:13:16.287 --> 00:13:18.739
- And I was so fascinated to hear Leroy,

00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:20.759
cause I was like, you know,

00:13:20.760 --> 00:13:23.399
I didn\'t think that
there were people my age

00:13:23.400 --> 00:13:24.549
who were actually trying to play,

00:13:24.550 --> 00:13:25.699
learn to play jazz,

00:13:25.700 --> 00:13:27.329
and were playing jazz,

00:13:27.330 --> 00:13:30.952
and who actually understood
the nuances of playing

00:13:30.953 --> 00:13:34.019
this particular style
of music, jazz music.

00:13:34.020 --> 00:13:37.257
- Danny Barker appointed me as band leader

00:13:37.258 --> 00:13:41.409
of the Fairview Band right away,

00:13:41.410 --> 00:13:45.233
because he saw that I was matured,

00:13:45.234 --> 00:13:48.799
and I had a very strong work ethic

00:13:48.800 --> 00:13:50.873
with practice, my practice regimen,

00:13:50.874 --> 00:13:54.076
and he saw leadership qualities in me.

00:13:54.077 --> 00:13:56.493
- And as the band was
coming around the curve,

00:13:57.350 --> 00:13:59.169
I hear this trumpet sound,

00:13:59.170 --> 00:14:00.809
something I had never heard before,

00:14:00.810 --> 00:14:03.839
I mean powerful sound,
big sound, and what not.

00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:07.856
When I looked, it was this young teenager.

00:14:07.857 --> 00:14:10.117
I mean, blowing up a storm,

00:14:10.118 --> 00:14:12.872
and so it was Leroy Jones,

00:14:12.873 --> 00:14:14.489
what I come to find out later,

00:14:14.490 --> 00:14:15.829
it was Leroy Jones.

00:14:15.830 --> 00:14:18.914
- Until that time, before 1970,

00:14:18.915 --> 00:14:23.915
there were no bands with
young guys under the age of 18

00:14:25.229 --> 00:14:28.024
playing traditional brass band music,

00:14:28.025 --> 00:14:30.489
playing the hymns, the old spirituals,

00:14:30.490 --> 00:14:32.989
and the brass band standards

00:14:32.990 --> 00:14:34.839
that the older bands would play.

00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:36.316
- Prior to the emergence of

00:14:36.317 --> 00:14:38.339
the Fairview Baptist Church band,

00:14:38.340 --> 00:14:42.389
brass band music was always
an old man\'s type of band.

00:14:42.390 --> 00:14:46.539
So when I saw these young guys playing,

00:14:46.540 --> 00:14:48.099
cause I was a teenager too,

00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:50.969
when I started playing with
the Egypsum Brass Band.

00:14:50.970 --> 00:14:53.519
But I had never seen
such young guys before.

00:14:53.520 --> 00:14:58.520
- Getting exposure to my
culture, my cultural heritage

00:14:59.670 --> 00:15:04.670
here in New Orleans, and my
roots are pretty grounded

00:15:05.050 --> 00:15:08.979
in brass band music, just
like Louie Armstrong actually.

00:15:08.980 --> 00:15:11.649
Louie Armstrong played with Papa Celestin

00:15:11.650 --> 00:15:14.579
in the brass band, the Tuxedo Brass Band.

00:15:14.580 --> 00:15:17.517
That band had been
around since late 1800\'s.

00:15:17.518 --> 00:15:20.899
If it weren\'t for my meeting
Danny Barker when I did,

00:15:20.900 --> 00:15:24.829
at the age of 12, I probably
would not have developed

00:15:24.830 --> 00:15:28.439
the passion and love for
traditional New Orleans music

00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:32.222
and traditional jazz as quickly as I did.

00:15:32.223 --> 00:15:35.137
And so that was very significant for me,

00:15:35.138 --> 00:15:36.821
as a young musician.

00:15:36.822 --> 00:15:39.239
(jazz music)

00:15:44.060 --> 00:15:46.301
We\'re heading now towards

00:15:46.302 --> 00:15:50.239
my old high school stomping ground,

00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:54.288
St. Augustin High School,
home of the marching 100,

00:15:54.289 --> 00:15:57.629
and the Purple Knights,
we were Purple Knights,

00:15:57.630 --> 00:16:01.659
that\'s our mascot, it\'s the
St. Augustin Purple Knights.

00:16:01.660 --> 00:16:03.989
- When I met Leroy, man,

00:16:03.990 --> 00:16:05.144
I was in eighth grade.

00:16:05.145 --> 00:16:08.509
I was in eight grade in high
school, he was a senior.

00:16:08.510 --> 00:16:10.759
And what was crazy was,
I\'ll never forget it, man,

00:16:10.760 --> 00:16:13.205
you know, I\'d been playing
trumpet for a few years,

00:16:13.206 --> 00:16:16.437
and so we get in the band practice room,

00:16:16.438 --> 00:16:19.249
and, you know, all our
underclassmen, you know,

00:16:19.250 --> 00:16:20.749
guys playing third trumpet,

00:16:20.750 --> 00:16:22.089
we\'re sitting in front of

00:16:22.090 --> 00:16:24.069
the guys playing first and second trumpet.

00:16:24.070 --> 00:16:25.149
So they right behind us,

00:16:25.150 --> 00:16:27.361
and on a tier that\'s slightly above us.

00:16:27.362 --> 00:16:30.119
So man, I hear somebody
warming up, doing some stuff

00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:31.457
I ain\'t never heard (mumbles),

00:16:32.392 --> 00:16:35.539
I was like, what the, what was, what is,

00:16:35.540 --> 00:16:36.373
what is that?

00:16:36.374 --> 00:16:38.239
You know, I ain\'t never heard that before,

00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:41.262
and I literally turned around like this,

00:16:41.263 --> 00:16:42.509
and he goes, \"Man, what you looking at?\"

00:16:42.510 --> 00:16:45.710
I said, \"Nothing, nothing, nothing.\"

00:16:45.711 --> 00:16:49.042
I was in eighth grade,
dude, and I never did.

00:16:49.043 --> 00:16:50.419
Look, bruh, and I never looked back.

00:16:50.420 --> 00:16:52.069
And I just sit there and I listen,

00:16:52.070 --> 00:16:54.589
but everything he did, I tried to emulate.

00:16:54.590 --> 00:16:55.640
Everything (mumbles).

00:16:58.000 --> 00:17:00.119
I was off in the room,
someplace they never saw me.

00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.346
(mumbles)

00:17:02.347 --> 00:17:04.489
(laughs)

00:17:04.490 --> 00:17:06.609
- Under the direction of Edwin Hampton,

00:17:06.610 --> 00:17:09.629
and my trumpet teacher,
Lawrence Winchester,

00:17:09.630 --> 00:17:12.769
and Carl Blouin, I played
in the stage band there,

00:17:12.770 --> 00:17:14.559
and played in the Symphonic band,

00:17:14.560 --> 00:17:15.609
and the marching band.

00:17:15.610 --> 00:17:17.419
- But the thing about that year, though,

00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:18.943
you have to understand was,

00:17:18.944 --> 00:17:22.779
it was a year of
transformation for me, really.

00:17:22.780 --> 00:17:24.069
Because of him, you know,

00:17:24.070 --> 00:17:24.907
because I ain\'t never heard nothing

00:17:24.908 --> 00:17:26.569
like that before.

00:17:26.570 --> 00:17:30.249
I never heard nobody play, even back then,

00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:32.929
even to this day, I have
never heard nobody play

00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:35.089
with that much soul on the trumpet.

00:17:35.090 --> 00:17:37.879
- They turned out a lotta
successful young guys,

00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:40.849
local New Orleanians, African
Americans, for that fact,

00:17:40.850 --> 00:17:44.039
cause you gotta remember
that during that time,

00:17:44.040 --> 00:17:46.729
in the \'50s, it was Jim
Crow down here in the South.

00:17:46.730 --> 00:17:49.350
So the schools were not integrated.

00:17:49.351 --> 00:17:54.351
Between \'72, 1972 and 1976,
there was a concentrated

00:17:55.035 --> 00:17:59.539
number of talented and
gifted young guys here.

00:17:59.540 --> 00:18:01.717
He never put the horn down.

00:18:01.718 --> 00:18:05.199
You know, every time I
saw him, he had his horn,

00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:06.359
he was playing.

00:18:06.360 --> 00:18:09.384
For example, we\'d have
marching band practice, right?

00:18:09.385 --> 00:18:12.989
And after practice, I remember walking,

00:18:12.990 --> 00:18:14.289
I remember there was a couple of times

00:18:14.290 --> 00:18:15.759
I would walk to the bus,

00:18:15.760 --> 00:18:17.907
and would go to St. Bernard and Broad,

00:18:17.908 --> 00:18:21.917
and you could still hear
him on the yard playing.

00:18:21.918 --> 00:18:24.559
And it made me feel guilty, you know?

00:18:24.560 --> 00:18:27.149
- At one point, we had 32
trumpets in the section,

00:18:27.150 --> 00:18:28.176
you know, and we used to,

00:18:28.177 --> 00:18:30.439
and this is the yard where we would march.

00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:31.829
This is a whole new building here,

00:18:31.830 --> 00:18:33.149
but they still practice.

00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:35.209
We would practice drills
and get the shows together

00:18:35.210 --> 00:18:36.649
in this yard here.

00:18:36.650 --> 00:18:39.419
- I used to follow him
around school all the time,

00:18:39.420 --> 00:18:40.449
you know?

00:18:40.450 --> 00:18:41.489
And it was funny, man,

00:18:41.490 --> 00:18:43.179
I was in eighth grade, he was in 12th,

00:18:43.180 --> 00:18:45.749
so the kids in my class,
they used to get upset

00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:47.154
because when we\'d go to lunch,

00:18:47.155 --> 00:18:49.169
I\'d be sitting at the table with them.

00:18:49.170 --> 00:18:50.150
\'Cause I was like this, man,

00:18:50.151 --> 00:18:51.619
I wanna find out everything they do.

00:18:51.620 --> 00:18:53.838
I just, I\'m gonna sit
here and just listen,

00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:54.672
you know what I mean?

00:18:54.673 --> 00:18:56.106
And then so the guys in my class said,

00:18:56.107 --> 00:18:57.719
\"Man, you don\'t hang with us,\"

00:18:57.720 --> 00:18:59.929
and his name, they used to call him Jazz,

00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:01.266
that was his name,

00:19:01.267 --> 00:19:02.439
\"Yo, Jazz, what\'s up?\"

00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:04.039
And I followed them around so much,

00:19:04.040 --> 00:19:05.867
they called me Little Jazz.

00:19:05.868 --> 00:19:07.286
He\'ll tell you.

00:19:07.287 --> 00:19:09.849
\"Yeah, where Little Jazz at, bro?\"

00:19:09.850 --> 00:19:12.049
And look, I ain\'t saying
nothing, you know,

00:19:12.050 --> 00:19:15.623
I\'m just like, just quiet, bro (laughs).

00:19:16.462 --> 00:19:18.879
(jazz music)

00:19:42.513 --> 00:19:44.974
(applause)

00:19:44.975 --> 00:19:49.975
- About 1974, the Fairview
Band, we\'ve matured then,

00:19:50.320 --> 00:19:51.719
I was 16 years old.

00:19:51.720 --> 00:19:53.483
Danny Barker had to let us go.

00:19:54.590 --> 00:19:57.805
There were false rumors
being spread about Danny,

00:19:57.806 --> 00:20:01.129
certain musicians, his peers,

00:20:01.130 --> 00:20:04.532
some of his peers were
saying that he was using us,

00:20:04.533 --> 00:20:07.543
exploiting us for his own monetary gains.

00:20:08.580 --> 00:20:10.229
It was never true.

00:20:10.230 --> 00:20:12.688
Danny loved kids and he
didn\'t have to steal from us

00:20:12.689 --> 00:20:15.029
for his own living.

00:20:15.030 --> 00:20:18.949
And so he cut us loose, we were
able to handle our affairs,

00:20:18.950 --> 00:20:21.316
and he said, \"I\'m gonna
call you guys the Hurricane,

00:20:21.317 --> 00:20:22.946
\"because when you come up the street,

00:20:22.947 --> 00:20:24.788
\"you blow like a storm.\"

00:20:24.789 --> 00:20:26.089
(laughs)

00:20:26.090 --> 00:20:28.689
Of course it was Leroy
Jones Hurricane Brass Band,

00:20:28.690 --> 00:20:30.517
established in 1974.

00:20:30.518 --> 00:20:35.518
And that band, basically
was a slightly older version

00:20:35.930 --> 00:20:37.023
of the Fairview Band.

00:20:37.024 --> 00:20:41.749
And most of its members
had been affiliated

00:20:41.750 --> 00:20:45.669
with the Fairview Baptist
Church Marching Band.

00:20:45.670 --> 00:20:50.339
And we played the gigs,
continued to do jazz fests,

00:20:50.340 --> 00:20:55.340
and private parties,
funerals, political rallies.

00:20:55.626 --> 00:20:57.099
As a matter of fact,

00:20:57.100 --> 00:20:58.949
it\'s the first time I
saw Harry Connick Jr.

00:20:58.950 --> 00:21:01.379
Was in like 1974,

00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:04.274
when his father was running
for District Attorney,

00:21:04.275 --> 00:21:07.349
Harry Senior, and I was hired,

00:21:07.350 --> 00:21:09.009
the Hurricane Band was hired to play

00:21:09.010 --> 00:21:11.119
for one of his dad\'s campaign rallies.

00:21:11.120 --> 00:21:12.699
And Harry was there, and
that\'s the first time

00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:14.289
he saw and heard me play.

00:21:14.290 --> 00:21:15.509
And so if, you know,

00:21:15.510 --> 00:21:19.118
I was 16 years old,
Harry was, at that time,

00:21:19.119 --> 00:21:22.357
like seven, because he\'s
nine years younger than me.

00:21:22.358 --> 00:21:26.519
And, of course, he was
playing piano already by then,

00:21:26.520 --> 00:21:27.353
you know.

00:21:27.354 --> 00:21:29.049
I think Harry started playing the piano

00:21:29.050 --> 00:21:32.329
as soon as he was big enough
to sit up at the piano bench,

00:21:32.330 --> 00:21:33.163
you know?

00:21:33.164 --> 00:21:35.099
- I was so profoundly influenced

00:21:35.100 --> 00:21:37.309
by all of the different types of music

00:21:37.310 --> 00:21:38.143
that I heard down there.

00:21:38.144 --> 00:21:40.239
I mean, the first type
of music I really heard

00:21:40.240 --> 00:21:43.389
was traditional jazz, and live music.

00:21:43.390 --> 00:21:45.634
I mean, I heard music at home
that my parents would play

00:21:45.635 --> 00:21:49.853
on records and radio stations and stuff,

00:21:49.854 --> 00:21:54.854
but traditional jazz,
contemporary jazz, funk music,

00:21:57.332 --> 00:22:00.679
you know, country music, rock
and roll, classical music,

00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:03.122
it was such a vast music scene down there.

00:22:03.123 --> 00:22:07.659
For somebody like me, who
gravitated towards music,

00:22:07.660 --> 00:22:10.259
it was an incredible opportunity,

00:22:10.260 --> 00:22:12.038
because anywhere you went,

00:22:12.039 --> 00:22:14.899
you could have access to great music.

00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:17.317
(jazz music)

00:22:34.035 --> 00:22:36.799
- What people don\'t know about him

00:22:36.800 --> 00:22:38.500
is that when he was in high school

00:22:39.476 --> 00:22:41.263
he had his own record.

00:22:42.450 --> 00:22:44.289
He had already been recorded.

00:22:44.290 --> 00:22:46.140
And it was in the library at St. Aug.

00:22:47.600 --> 00:22:49.809
So, we used to go, I used to go

00:22:49.810 --> 00:22:52.622
and put it on and listen to
it, you know what I mean?

00:22:52.623 --> 00:22:55.027
So, you know, we had our different paths

00:22:55.028 --> 00:22:58.319
that we went, musically, but
I had always kept up with him,

00:22:58.320 --> 00:23:00.426
and what he was doing, man, you know?

00:23:00.427 --> 00:23:03.047
And I was always amazed.

00:23:03.048 --> 00:23:05.798
(\"Trumpet Solo\")

00:23:26.460 --> 00:23:30.929
- This record was recorded in 1975,

00:23:30.930 --> 00:23:35.659
and it was done in the
backyard of a gentleman

00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:37.139
by the name of Al Rose,

00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:40.783
and it\'s a record that, it\'s the first,

00:23:41.970 --> 00:23:43.964
it\'s my first album actually.

00:23:43.965 --> 00:23:47.209
The core members of the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band

00:23:47.210 --> 00:23:49.855
were also members of the
Hurricane Brass Band.

00:23:49.856 --> 00:23:52.999
And that was Gregory
Davis, the trumpet player,

00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:55.829
Kevin Harris, the tenor saxophone player,

00:23:55.830 --> 00:23:57.859
Kirk Joseph, the sousaphone player,

00:23:57.860 --> 00:24:00.869
and Charles Joseph, his
brother who played trombone.

00:24:00.870 --> 00:24:04.989
The Dirty Dozen, they took
their music to another place

00:24:04.990 --> 00:24:09.576
and began incorporating
more modern jazz idioms,

00:24:09.577 --> 00:24:14.549
modern jazz riffs and bebop,
and mixing all of that

00:24:14.550 --> 00:24:17.495
with New Orleans funk, and of course,

00:24:17.496 --> 00:24:22.496
as you know, the Rebirth
Brass Band came about in 1981.

00:24:22.779 --> 00:24:25.196
(jazz music)

00:24:32.308 --> 00:24:34.079
They came up listening and were influenced

00:24:34.080 --> 00:24:36.745
by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

00:24:36.746 --> 00:24:40.969
And the ones that were even
old enough, even remember,

00:24:40.970 --> 00:24:43.219
they remember the
Hurricane and the Fairview.

00:24:43.220 --> 00:24:48.220
And so it\'s sort of like a
generation to generation thing.

00:24:49.708 --> 00:24:52.849
I attended Loyola University for one year,

00:24:52.850 --> 00:24:54.667
from \'76 to \'77,

00:24:54.668 --> 00:24:57.339
when they started the jazz
studies program there.

00:24:57.340 --> 00:25:00.029
And I stayed in there for one year,

00:25:00.030 --> 00:25:01.519
and then I joined the union.

00:25:01.520 --> 00:25:02.909
I was still playing jazz,

00:25:02.910 --> 00:25:04.779
and still doing brass band gigs and stuff,

00:25:04.780 --> 00:25:08.603
but I faded away from doing brass bands

00:25:08.604 --> 00:25:13.561
as a specific means of making my living.

00:25:13.562 --> 00:25:18.562
And so the Hurricane Band
got pushed to the wayside.

00:25:18.775 --> 00:25:21.129
That\'s when I first started singing

00:25:21.130 --> 00:25:23.069
because nobody else in the band sang,

00:25:23.070 --> 00:25:24.919
and they would often have three bands,

00:25:24.920 --> 00:25:29.277
so it was 18 hours continuous
music, 45, 15, 45, 15,

00:25:30.350 --> 00:25:35.350
when the one band finished its
six sets, 15 minutes later,

00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:36.930
a different band started,

00:25:36.931 --> 00:25:41.931
and business was good and
Bourbon Street, you know, it was,

00:25:42.697 --> 00:25:44.599
there was jazz on Bourbon Street.

00:25:44.600 --> 00:25:47.989
Al Hirt had his club on the
corner of St. Louis and Bourbon,

00:25:47.990 --> 00:25:49.544
I was playing at the La Strada,

00:25:49.545 --> 00:25:52.116
there was the Blue Nile,
the Paddock Lounge,

00:25:52.117 --> 00:25:57.117
there was, later on, Mahogany Hall.

00:25:57.510 --> 00:25:59.939
- The first time I remember hearing Leroy

00:25:59.940 --> 00:26:01.699
was at Mahogany Hall on Bourbon Street.

00:26:01.700 --> 00:26:04.929
That\'s my memory, and that was probably,

00:26:04.930 --> 00:26:09.427
I\'m thinking, maybe 1980,
1981, something like that.

00:26:09.428 --> 00:26:12.429
He had a group that was playing there,

00:26:12.430 --> 00:26:16.290
and I, kind of, looked at him

00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.529
as the younger generation master.

00:26:21.530 --> 00:26:23.089
I mean, there were people in generations

00:26:23.090 --> 00:26:28.090
that were older than Leroy
that were already established,

00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:31.159
you know, like Wallis
Davenport and people like that.

00:26:31.160 --> 00:26:33.349
But the younger generation,

00:26:33.350 --> 00:26:38.350
he was kind of like the
young hero for all of us.

00:26:38.771 --> 00:26:41.188
(jazz music)

00:27:25.240 --> 00:27:27.449
- I remember I was a grown man,

00:27:27.450 --> 00:27:30.106
I had run away to New York

00:27:30.107 --> 00:27:31.969
and I had moved back to New Orleans

00:27:31.970 --> 00:27:34.859
and I\'m over there by
the river walk, right?

00:27:34.860 --> 00:27:36.099
Kid you not.

00:27:36.100 --> 00:27:37.379
I hear a brass band playing,

00:27:37.380 --> 00:27:39.632
which is not unusual in New Orleans,

00:27:39.633 --> 00:27:43.488
there was something like
real soulful on top, right?

00:27:43.489 --> 00:27:46.079
And it stopped, and you
know, my wife is shopping,

00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:47.199
and they trying to go do their thing,

00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:49.926
and I was like, \"No, no,
no, hold on, hold on,

00:27:49.927 --> 00:27:50.929
\"who is this?\"

00:27:50.930 --> 00:27:52.839
You know, cause it was reminiscing,

00:27:52.840 --> 00:27:54.656
and I\'m like, \"If this is somebody new,

00:27:54.657 --> 00:27:55.977
\"I gotta know who this is.\"

00:27:55.978 --> 00:27:59.559
And it was so soulful on
top of the brass band.

00:27:59.560 --> 00:28:02.549
Dude, and the closer they got,

00:28:02.550 --> 00:28:05.926
I went, \"Goddamn it, Leroy Jones.\"

00:28:05.927 --> 00:28:08.002
(laughs)

00:28:08.003 --> 00:28:10.079
I mean, I went back to high school days,

00:28:10.080 --> 00:28:10.913
you know what I mean?

00:28:10.913 --> 00:28:11.746
Damn.

00:28:11.747 --> 00:28:13.139
I mean, and it was crazy, man,

00:28:13.140 --> 00:28:14.239
because he had me out there screaming

00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:16.307
like a little school girl, like, \"Woo!\"

00:28:18.004 --> 00:28:18.837
(laughs)

00:28:18.837 --> 00:28:19.720
My wife thought I was crazy,

00:28:19.721 --> 00:28:21.707
I\'m like, \"Don\'t you hear this boy?\"

00:28:23.020 --> 00:28:26.489
- Leroy\'s style of playing is very unique.

00:28:26.490 --> 00:28:31.490
I kinda associate it with
being like blazing silk,

00:28:33.718 --> 00:28:37.075
you know, cause he plays so delicately,

00:28:37.076 --> 00:28:40.681
but it\'s burning at the
same time, you know?

00:28:40.682 --> 00:28:43.099
(jazz music)

00:29:14.840 --> 00:29:19.619
- I had the opportunity
to go to South East Asia

00:29:19.620 --> 00:29:20.739
for the first time.

00:29:20.740 --> 00:29:22.989
I had been to Europe already, of course,

00:29:22.990 --> 00:29:25.889
and I had never been to the Far East,

00:29:25.890 --> 00:29:27.119
and South East Asia.

00:29:27.120 --> 00:29:29.719
I landed a gig with the
Communion Jazz Band,

00:29:29.720 --> 00:29:32.422
it was like a real experience for me

00:29:32.423 --> 00:29:35.749
and I had been, I changed my armature,

00:29:35.750 --> 00:29:36.939
and I was working on that,

00:29:36.940 --> 00:29:39.119
so I wasn\'t in a demanding situation

00:29:39.120 --> 00:29:40.569
where I was able to play quietly

00:29:40.570 --> 00:29:42.699
and when I came back, everyone had noticed

00:29:42.700 --> 00:29:46.879
how much more my playing
had gotten more profound,

00:29:46.880 --> 00:29:49.636
and it paid off, apparently,

00:29:49.637 --> 00:29:54.637
because now, at almost
practically 58 years old,

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.689
I played with much ease and
endurance and durability

00:29:59.690 --> 00:30:04.099
and I feel that it\'s
even getting even better.

00:30:04.100 --> 00:30:07.669
- He, from what I remember,
was living in Singapore,

00:30:07.670 --> 00:30:09.682
or living in Asia somewhere,

00:30:09.683 --> 00:30:12.449
and I didn\'t see him around that much,

00:30:12.450 --> 00:30:17.450
and he had, by that time, he
was kind of a legend to me,

00:30:17.570 --> 00:30:19.179
and to everybody in my group.

00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:20.399
- So all of this was going on,

00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:23.869
working at the Mahogany Hall,
and Harry comes through,

00:30:23.870 --> 00:30:26.630
and he\'s like, at that time, 18 years old.

00:30:26.631 --> 00:30:29.029
He comes in and he passed, \"Hey, Lee!\"

00:30:29.030 --> 00:30:30.789
And sat in, he just sat in,

00:30:30.790 --> 00:30:32.179
and he said, \"I\'m going up to New York.\"

00:30:32.180 --> 00:30:34.789
So he went up to New York
to pursue his career.

00:30:34.790 --> 00:30:38.106
He left New Orleans about
18, he was 18, 19 years old.

00:30:38.107 --> 00:30:43.107
And I didn\'t hear anything
from Harry for a few years,

00:30:44.200 --> 00:30:46.350
of course, I was over in Asia,

00:30:46.351 --> 00:30:51.351
and I\'m watching TV, and I saw Harry

00:30:51.570 --> 00:30:54.378
on Larry King Live on CNN,

00:30:54.379 --> 00:30:57.459
and with this bass player,
who I didn\'t know who he was,

00:30:57.460 --> 00:30:58.959
but his name was Ben Wolf.

00:30:58.960 --> 00:31:01.359
And they were playing a duet together,

00:31:01.360 --> 00:31:02.629
and then there was this movie,

00:31:02.630 --> 00:31:05.628
this was 1988, When Harry met Sally,

00:31:05.629 --> 00:31:08.169
this picture was really a hit,

00:31:08.170 --> 00:31:10.589
you know, bit hit, a Rob Reiner film.

00:31:10.590 --> 00:31:13.959
And Harry\'s doing all of the sound,

00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:16.906
and singing and playing,
and so, you know, I said,

00:31:16.907 --> 00:31:17.890
\"Wow, I\'m so proud.\"

00:31:17.890 --> 00:31:18.880
You know, I said I know that guy,

00:31:18.881 --> 00:31:21.159
I\'m sitting in there,
in my bed looking at CNN

00:31:21.160 --> 00:31:22.150
late one night, you know,

00:31:22.151 --> 00:31:23.459
cause of the time difference over there.

00:31:23.460 --> 00:31:27.239
You know, you got 12, 14
hours time difference ahead.

00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:28.849
- Well I moved to New York when I was 18,

00:31:28.850 --> 00:31:31.329
and I signed with Columbia when I was 18.

00:31:31.330 --> 00:31:33.099
And that\'s when I made my first record,

00:31:33.100 --> 00:31:35.349
but it was a solo piano record

00:31:35.350 --> 00:31:37.219
with a couple of special guests on it.

00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:40.330
And then I made another
record when I was 20,

00:31:40.331 --> 00:31:43.359
and then, after that I did the soundtrack

00:31:43.360 --> 00:31:44.519
to When Harry met Sally.

00:31:44.520 --> 00:31:48.389
And that is the record that
really sold a lot of records

00:31:48.390 --> 00:31:49.899
in a very short amount of time.

00:31:49.900 --> 00:31:52.119
So a tour was booked to
follow up that record,

00:31:52.120 --> 00:31:55.692
but because a lot of the music
on that record was big band,

00:31:55.693 --> 00:31:57.699
and I didn\'t have a big band,

00:31:57.700 --> 00:31:59.529
I needed to put a band together,

00:31:59.530 --> 00:32:04.530
so that\'s when Leroy\'s name
sort of popped into my mind,

00:32:05.660 --> 00:32:09.526
because I knew I needed at
least three trumpet players,

00:32:09.527 --> 00:32:13.719
and I wanted to get Leroy as
one of those trumpet players,

00:32:13.720 --> 00:32:16.279
as my main solo guy.

00:32:16.280 --> 00:32:19.766
I called, went and asked him, like,

00:32:19.767 --> 00:32:21.829
\"Who do you think I
should get for my band?\"

00:32:21.830 --> 00:32:24.166
And then I started
putting the band together

00:32:24.167 --> 00:32:27.013
and I didn\'t really know
anybody, so I called him.

00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:31.446
And I remember the
phone call where I said,

00:32:31.447 --> 00:32:34.126
\"Lee, this is Harry, I\'m
putting this big band together,

00:32:34.127 --> 00:32:35.449
\"you have any interest in playing?\"

00:32:35.450 --> 00:32:37.386
And he says, \"Yeah, I\'ll do it.\"

00:32:37.387 --> 00:32:41.009
And I was just, you know, I was shocked.

00:32:41.010 --> 00:32:43.049
You know, I remember
calling Winton after that,

00:32:43.050 --> 00:32:44.929
and saying, \"Hey, I got
Leroy Jones in the band.\"

00:32:44.930 --> 00:32:46.519
He\'s like, \"What, we got Leroy?\"

00:32:46.520 --> 00:32:50.103
Cause, you know, he\'s that heavy,

00:32:50.104 --> 00:32:53.089
and I was blown away.

00:32:53.090 --> 00:32:57.039
And getting a guy like
Leroy Jones in your band

00:32:57.040 --> 00:33:00.069
is like getting like, you know,
Lebron James in your band.

00:33:00.070 --> 00:33:04.389
Like you know that every single
time you got on the stage

00:33:04.390 --> 00:33:06.129
there was gonna be fireworks.

00:33:06.130 --> 00:33:09.953
So, for me, you know, a lot
of the music that I wrote

00:33:09.954 --> 00:33:12.509
was written for him specifically,

00:33:12.510 --> 00:33:14.689
because of his genius.

00:33:14.690 --> 00:33:16.519
- There wasn\'t like no
audition or nothing,

00:33:16.520 --> 00:33:18.756
he wants you to play,
you know, Cass came up,

00:33:18.757 --> 00:33:20.699
and we met in Princeton, New Jersey.

00:33:20.700 --> 00:33:23.459
Where the rehearsals
began in June of 1990.

00:33:23.460 --> 00:33:25.009
It was a talented band.

00:33:25.010 --> 00:33:27.409
- So, in a big band,
in a standard big band,

00:33:27.410 --> 00:33:29.549
there\'s normally four
trumpets, four trombones,

00:33:29.550 --> 00:33:31.439
and five saxophones, more or less.

00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:33.622
Sometimes you might have three trombones,

00:33:33.623 --> 00:33:36.329
but normally your lead trumpet player

00:33:36.330 --> 00:33:40.220
is the person who plays all
of the lead melody lines,

00:33:40.221 --> 00:33:43.371
and plays all the high notes.

00:33:43.372 --> 00:33:46.729
The second trumpet player sometimes

00:33:46.730 --> 00:33:49.367
shares the first share with
the first trumpet player

00:33:49.368 --> 00:33:54.368
and sometimes plays the same notes

00:33:54.640 --> 00:33:57.285
as the lead trumpet player to
give it a more powerful sound.

00:33:57.286 --> 00:33:59.889
And it\'s usually playing
up pretty high too.

00:33:59.890 --> 00:34:04.469
The third chair is the solo chair.

00:34:04.470 --> 00:34:05.669
If you\'re in the third chair,

00:34:05.670 --> 00:34:09.659
that\'s kind of like usually
your best improvisor

00:34:09.660 --> 00:34:14.660
because you\'re playing
parts, and a lot of things

00:34:16.910 --> 00:34:20.186
that you\'re playing in the
big band aren\'t as important,

00:34:20.187 --> 00:34:24.157
but you\'re really saving that
guy up to come out and solo.

00:34:24.158 --> 00:34:26.359
So that\'s a really,
really important chair.

00:34:26.360 --> 00:34:28.939
The fourth chair, solos sometimes too,

00:34:28.940 --> 00:34:31.499
and basically, kind of,
supports the other three guys.

00:34:31.500 --> 00:34:33.999
But it\'s that third chair
that\'s really important.

00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:37.069
- The trumpet three is the trumpet plays,

00:34:37.070 --> 00:34:38.819
it\'s the jazz trumpet seat.

00:34:38.820 --> 00:34:43.569
And, I mean, majority, if
not all of the trumpet solos

00:34:43.570 --> 00:34:45.519
were played by me, with the Harry\'s Band,

00:34:45.520 --> 00:34:46.999
and I played trumpet three.

00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:49.449
The first album I recorded on with Harry

00:34:49.450 --> 00:34:50.649
was Blue Light, Red Light,

00:34:50.650 --> 00:34:54.459
and that came out in
the later part of 1990.

00:34:54.460 --> 00:34:56.179
So we recorded that record,

00:34:56.180 --> 00:34:58.509
and but we were touring We are in Love.

00:34:58.510 --> 00:35:01.199
Now, We are in Love came after
When Harry met Sally thing,

00:35:01.200 --> 00:35:03.109
and We are in Love, Harry won a Grammy.

00:35:03.110 --> 00:35:06.059
So it was my first time that we performed

00:35:06.060 --> 00:35:10.160
at Radio City Music Hall for
the Grammy Awards in 1991,

00:35:11.169 --> 00:35:13.446
in February or whenever it was in \'91.

00:35:13.447 --> 00:35:16.875
And he won, and but Blue
Light, Red Light was out.

00:35:16.876 --> 00:35:21.876
And by the time 1993 rolled
around, we were like,

00:35:22.600 --> 00:35:23.629
the band was hot, you know?

00:35:23.630 --> 00:35:25.519
We were playing everywhere,
touring all the time

00:35:25.520 --> 00:35:30.049
around the United States,
Australia, Europe, Japan.

00:35:30.050 --> 00:35:32.509
I was out and back for a couple weeks,

00:35:32.510 --> 00:35:36.068
out for a few weeks, out for
a month, back a couple weeks,

00:35:36.069 --> 00:35:41.069
and then by end of \'93, Harry, you know,

00:35:43.340 --> 00:35:48.340
he encouraged the people over
at Sony music to, you know,

00:35:48.830 --> 00:35:50.779
let me do a record, you know,

00:35:50.780 --> 00:35:54.210
so I did Mo\' Cream from the
Crop, which came out in \'94.

00:35:54.211 --> 00:35:58.283
- The sound that he has
is very unique to him.

00:35:59.552 --> 00:36:02.459
He was highly influenced by

00:36:02.460 --> 00:36:04.689
all of the great New
Orleans trumpet players.

00:36:04.690 --> 00:36:08.810
Everybody from, you know,
Louis Armstrong on down.

00:36:08.811 --> 00:36:11.049
But then he also gained influence

00:36:11.050 --> 00:36:12.509
from a lot of the Bebop trumpet players,

00:36:12.510 --> 00:36:14.599
like Clifford Brown,
like a lot of the times,

00:36:14.600 --> 00:36:18.059
people on the surface will think Lee,

00:36:18.060 --> 00:36:21.707
especially early Lee sounds like Clifford,

00:36:21.708 --> 00:36:26.708
but in order to play Bebop on
the level that Leroy plays it,

00:36:29.530 --> 00:36:32.149
which is different than traditional jazz,

00:36:32.150 --> 00:36:36.313
you have to have a different
idea of how harmony works,

00:36:37.690 --> 00:36:40.999
and he has a very, very vast knowledge

00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:44.969
of how to play chord changes
and how to play harmonies.

00:36:44.970 --> 00:36:49.970
So, he\'s like a unique
hybrid trumpet player

00:36:50.020 --> 00:36:52.909
that pooled from a lot of different places

00:36:52.910 --> 00:36:54.189
and ended up in a place

00:36:54.190 --> 00:36:57.268
that nobody really has
heard before or since.

00:36:57.269 --> 00:37:01.079
- Harry\'s like a Duke
Ellington of his day.

00:37:01.080 --> 00:37:06.080
He knew what worked, what
musicians to put together

00:37:06.980 --> 00:37:08.599
when he arranged songs.

00:37:08.600 --> 00:37:11.243
He would arrange them that,

00:37:11.244 --> 00:37:13.698
make arrangements that really suited

00:37:13.699 --> 00:37:16.849
the character and nature of each musician.

00:37:16.850 --> 00:37:18.581
You know, it goes without saying

00:37:18.582 --> 00:37:22.719
how much of a virtuoso he is on the piano.

00:37:22.720 --> 00:37:25.166
A lot of people, you
know, most of the people,

00:37:25.167 --> 00:37:26.879
the listening audience, you know,

00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:29.849
they look at him as just a singer,

00:37:29.850 --> 00:37:34.089
but they don\'t realize how
great a musician this man is.

00:37:34.090 --> 00:37:36.669
And so it\'s, you know,

00:37:36.670 --> 00:37:40.087
for me it was like, it was
back to school, really.

00:37:40.088 --> 00:37:43.409
- I think all of us worked
really hard to get where we are

00:37:43.410 --> 00:37:45.699
and we\'re all serious musicians.

00:37:45.700 --> 00:37:49.649
He also happens to be
an entertainer, like me.

00:37:49.650 --> 00:37:51.884
We\'re from New Orleans, we
like to entertain people.

00:37:51.885 --> 00:37:54.849
And that\'s kind of a rare combination.

00:37:54.850 --> 00:37:56.809
It isn\'t so much for
people from New Orleans,

00:37:56.810 --> 00:38:01.324
but when you find somebody who
is on that level, musically,

00:38:01.325 --> 00:38:06.113
and also has the ability to
want to entertain people,

00:38:07.435 --> 00:38:09.691
it makes for a good combination on stage.

00:38:09.692 --> 00:38:12.109
(jazz music)

00:38:16.025 --> 00:38:17.025
- Woo!

00:38:18.018 --> 00:38:20.435
(jazz music)

00:38:23.310 --> 00:38:25.339
- It\'s a testament to him, really,

00:38:25.340 --> 00:38:30.119
because he\'s just a rare
combination of a great guy

00:38:30.120 --> 00:38:31.020
and a great talent.

00:38:31.021 --> 00:38:33.239
- And I was the open
act for Harry, actually,

00:38:33.240 --> 00:38:35.479
in 1994 with my quintet,

00:38:35.480 --> 00:38:37.726
and I had Lucien, myself and Lucien,

00:38:37.727 --> 00:38:40.559
and Gerald French was my drummer.

00:38:40.560 --> 00:38:45.560
You know, Harry is one of
the most unselfish musicians

00:38:45.930 --> 00:38:47.034
that I\'ve ever known.

00:38:47.035 --> 00:38:52.035
And to share, you know, to
share that limelight with me,

00:38:54.290 --> 00:38:58.929
and give me an opportunity,
and I never asked him for it,

00:38:58.930 --> 00:39:02.603
and he, you know, he
insisted that I deserved it.

00:39:02.604 --> 00:39:07.599
And I\'m very grateful to
him in more ways than one.

00:39:07.600 --> 00:39:10.419
- I think of Leroy as a big brother to me.

00:39:10.420 --> 00:39:15.420
Leroy is exceedingly bright,
and incredibly hard-working,

00:39:20.340 --> 00:39:22.019
and very, very focused.

00:39:22.020 --> 00:39:25.759
He is the epitome of an artistic mind.

00:39:25.760 --> 00:39:28.324
I mean, he thinks about everything

00:39:28.325 --> 00:39:32.729
like he thinks about his art.

00:39:32.730 --> 00:39:35.171
- Every concert was usually sold out.

00:39:35.172 --> 00:39:38.151
I can\'t remember a concert
that was not sold out.

00:39:38.152 --> 00:39:43.152
I mean, there were people, I
mean, it was incredible, man.

00:39:46.028 --> 00:39:49.709
We made appearances on
the Good Morning America,

00:39:49.710 --> 00:39:52.758
the Today Show, all of this,
and we were flying MGM Grand,

00:39:52.759 --> 00:39:54.359
man, you know, it\'s the plane

00:39:54.360 --> 00:39:56.899
that like the basketball players flied in.

00:39:56.900 --> 00:40:01.357
You know, it\'s like a
private 737, you know,

00:40:01.358 --> 00:40:05.616
with all first class seats,
bar, service, you know?

00:40:05.617 --> 00:40:08.249
We would go after the concert

00:40:08.250 --> 00:40:11.219
instead of getting on the tour buses,

00:40:11.220 --> 00:40:12.719
we would go right to the airport,

00:40:12.720 --> 00:40:14.289
didn\'t have to go through the terminal,

00:40:14.290 --> 00:40:16.939
we\'d go right in and go
up the plane like that,

00:40:16.940 --> 00:40:18.259
bags are checked in.

00:40:18.260 --> 00:40:20.416
I can say that I did it all.

00:40:20.417 --> 00:40:24.009
I got to experience all of the
best that any entertainment,

00:40:24.010 --> 00:40:25.192
any musician could.

00:40:25.193 --> 00:40:27.249
- He\'s just a great guy, you know?

00:40:27.250 --> 00:40:31.079
And my wife loves him,
my children love him,

00:40:31.080 --> 00:40:32.488
everybody I know loves him.

00:40:32.489 --> 00:40:35.559
And then he gets on
stage and he\'s, I mean,

00:40:35.560 --> 00:40:38.859
he\'s, you know, not the kind
of guy you wanna follow,

00:40:38.860 --> 00:40:40.165
for sure.

00:40:40.166 --> 00:40:42.583
(jazz music)

00:40:54.218 --> 00:40:57.859
- The best thing that happened
for me, in \'96, in \'97

00:40:57.860 --> 00:41:00.189
is that I met my wife, who is my wife now,

00:41:00.190 --> 00:41:01.712
Katja Toivola.

00:41:01.713 --> 00:41:03.209
I think it was meant to be.

00:41:03.210 --> 00:41:06.189
We\'re still together after being together

00:41:06.190 --> 00:41:07.752
actually 19 years now,

00:41:07.753 --> 00:41:12.753
and we just celebrated our
10th wedding anniversary

00:41:13.030 --> 00:41:14.537
earlier this month.

00:41:14.538 --> 00:41:16.955
(jazz music)

00:41:20.910 --> 00:41:21.743
And she had her little,

00:41:21.744 --> 00:41:24.983
I\'ll never forget her
little purse with the,

00:41:24.984 --> 00:41:29.919
she had a Louie Armstrong T-shirt on,

00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:31.094
that\'s what it was.

00:41:31.095 --> 00:41:32.952
- Yeah, the black one, and
it had the purse had him too.

00:41:32.953 --> 00:41:34.929
- And the purse too with pops.

00:41:34.930 --> 00:41:37.515
I said, \"Oh, you\'re back again,\" you know?

00:41:37.516 --> 00:41:38.518
(laughs)

00:41:38.519 --> 00:41:39.649
And then she hung around, you know,

00:41:39.650 --> 00:41:41.359
we hooked up afterwards, you know,

00:41:41.360 --> 00:41:43.120
we won\'t go into those details,

00:41:43.121 --> 00:41:45.129
but it was all innocent.

00:41:45.130 --> 00:41:48.169
- Well, we can go into
the detail of playing pool

00:41:48.170 --> 00:41:49.221
and somebody losing.

00:41:49.222 --> 00:41:51.809
- Well, I didn\'t want to go
into those details either, yeah.

00:41:51.810 --> 00:41:53.749
- You had a party at your house.

00:41:53.750 --> 00:41:56.279
- Well, yeah, I was in
(mumbles) on Jasmine Street,

00:41:56.280 --> 00:41:57.170
when we went, that\'s right.

00:41:57.171 --> 00:41:58.869
- So you invited me to the party,

00:41:58.870 --> 00:42:01.579
so then I came to the party,

00:42:01.580 --> 00:42:03.369
and then we went to the Maple Leaf.

00:42:03.370 --> 00:42:04.709
It was a Tuesday night.
- Tuesday night.

00:42:04.710 --> 00:42:07.620
- So we went to the Maple
Leaf, and Rebirth was playing,

00:42:07.621 --> 00:42:10.959
and then, after that, we
went to Checkpoint Charlie\'s

00:42:10.960 --> 00:42:12.359
and played pool.
- Yeah.

00:42:12.360 --> 00:42:15.179
- Til like four, five, something.

00:42:15.180 --> 00:42:18.079
And then the next morning
I was taking the group

00:42:18.080 --> 00:42:20.069
for a very well guided tour.

00:42:20.070 --> 00:42:21.239
- She could play pool,

00:42:21.240 --> 00:42:23.445
I didn\'t even know she could
play (mumbles) actually there,

00:42:23.446 --> 00:42:25.053
I said, \"Oh, okay.\"

00:42:25.054 --> 00:42:29.365
- I went to New York, and then
we came here from New York.

00:42:29.366 --> 00:42:31.089
And that\'s when you
were still were working

00:42:31.090 --> 00:42:32.599
at the Maison Bourbon, which I remember,

00:42:32.600 --> 00:42:33.829
it was so hot.

00:42:33.830 --> 00:42:37.131
- Yeah, me and Katja (mumbles)

00:42:37.132 --> 00:42:38.192
(laughs).

00:42:38.193 --> 00:42:43.139
It\'s like okay, and then I
had my first trip to Finland

00:42:43.140 --> 00:42:44.929
in November of that same year.

00:42:44.930 --> 00:42:47.369
- And then we got engaged two years later.

00:42:47.370 --> 00:42:51.258
- March eighth, 1999.
- Two years, yeah, yeah.

00:42:51.259 --> 00:42:55.209
And then we were juggling like,
should we have two weddings,

00:42:55.210 --> 00:42:58.919
one in Finland, one here,
or should we have one here,

00:42:58.920 --> 00:43:01.529
and who\'s gonna go and
how much ahead of time

00:43:01.530 --> 00:43:03.739
we need to let people know and all that.

00:43:03.740 --> 00:43:05.939
And then, as we were planning on that,

00:43:05.940 --> 00:43:10.940
of course, the 2005 nice
little (mumbles) failure,

00:43:11.620 --> 00:43:14.242
so everything was up
in the air after that.

00:43:14.243 --> 00:43:18.780
And but then we did get
married in January 2006,

00:43:20.260 --> 00:43:24.469
in Finland, in the Magistrate\'s
like a small ceremony.

00:43:24.470 --> 00:43:28.259
- Yeah, just, and then we
had the real shindig here,

00:43:28.260 --> 00:43:30.489
on April, in April of 2007.

00:43:30.490 --> 00:43:31.330
- Yeah.

00:43:31.331 --> 00:43:35.839
- I think it\'s really
nice to have a partner

00:43:35.840 --> 00:43:39.069
that\'s your wife and your
friend, your best friend,

00:43:39.070 --> 00:43:41.886
and who is also your colleague,

00:43:41.887 --> 00:43:46.887
and you get to make music
together and travel together,

00:43:47.350 --> 00:43:49.343
and spend a lot of time together

00:43:49.344 --> 00:43:54.344
and just have a lot of things
in common that we enjoy.

00:43:56.047 --> 00:43:57.030
- Yeah.

00:43:57.031 --> 00:44:01.878
- Even aside from music, food,
we like similar, you know,

00:44:01.879 --> 00:44:03.594
we love the same...

00:44:03.595 --> 00:44:06.215
- Same type of movies.
- Movies, and...

00:44:06.216 --> 00:44:07.049
- Same type of TV shows.

00:44:07.050 --> 00:44:09.009
- You know, I mean, I\'m a man,

00:44:09.010 --> 00:44:11.497
but I even like the Lifetime
movies too that she likes.

00:44:11.498 --> 00:44:12.722
- I don\'t like Lifetime movies.

00:44:12.723 --> 00:44:13.962
- Yes, you do.

00:44:13.963 --> 00:44:17.709
- But I think working together is good

00:44:17.710 --> 00:44:21.859
in the way that both of
us know how to be a leader

00:44:21.860 --> 00:44:23.379
when it\'s time for it,

00:44:23.380 --> 00:44:25.979
but also how to be sideman
when it\'s time for that.

00:44:25.980 --> 00:44:30.389
So when it\'s his gig, no
comments from the peanut gallery,

00:44:30.390 --> 00:44:31.365
and vice versa.

00:44:31.366 --> 00:44:32.849
- Well, yeah.
- Right?

00:44:32.850 --> 00:44:34.389
- Yeah, I think but you always

00:44:34.390 --> 00:44:37.109
kind of give a little more
peanuts in your gallery

00:44:37.110 --> 00:44:38.294
than I do.

00:44:38.295 --> 00:44:39.128
(laughs)

00:44:39.128 --> 00:44:40.020
- You really think so?

00:44:40.021 --> 00:44:41.399
- Yeah.

00:44:41.400 --> 00:44:42.233
You can\'t help yourself,

00:44:42.234 --> 00:44:43.733
it\'s a Finnish trait, you know?

00:44:43.734 --> 00:44:44.567
(laughs)

00:44:44.568 --> 00:44:46.989
And we\'re really blessed, and you know,

00:44:46.990 --> 00:44:51.859
we\'re happy that we\'re now
living in the neighborhood

00:44:51.860 --> 00:44:53.099
that we wanted to live in,

00:44:53.100 --> 00:44:56.879
and purchase a house, and you
know, we\'re buying a house.

00:44:56.880 --> 00:45:00.264
And, you know, established, you know?

00:45:00.265 --> 00:45:05.265
A lotta musicians don\'t
have that opportunity,

00:45:05.665 --> 00:45:10.112
and we know some personally
who are struggling and stuff.

00:45:10.113 --> 00:45:12.530
(jazz music)

00:45:37.886 --> 00:45:40.136
(applause)

00:45:43.139 --> 00:45:45.199
- There used to be
buildings that were there,

00:45:45.200 --> 00:45:47.769
the bricks, the projects,
St. Bernard Projects,

00:45:47.770 --> 00:45:49.589
I used to go over there
and rehearse with bands,

00:45:49.590 --> 00:45:51.159
cover bands, you know, as teenagers,

00:45:51.160 --> 00:45:52.819
and my friends that were living there,

00:45:52.820 --> 00:45:55.869
we\'d go in there and roam
on through the projects,

00:45:55.870 --> 00:45:59.483
you know, and that was
our stomping grounds.

00:46:00.704 --> 00:46:01.707
- When did they come down?

00:46:01.708 --> 00:46:05.359
- Well, not long after the levies failed,

00:46:05.360 --> 00:46:06.839
not long after Katrina.

00:46:06.840 --> 00:46:08.299
People were displaced, just as they say,

00:46:08.300 --> 00:46:10.499
there were families that were displaced

00:46:10.500 --> 00:46:13.510
and some weren\'t even able to come back.

00:46:13.511 --> 00:46:18.511
And my wife and I lost
practically all of our, you know,

00:46:21.010 --> 00:46:23.569
physical possessions, you
know, personal things,

00:46:23.570 --> 00:46:27.259
and items that we can never replace.

00:46:27.260 --> 00:46:29.569
That house took in about
three feet of water.

00:46:29.570 --> 00:46:33.209
And the water was stagnant
there for about two weeks

00:46:33.210 --> 00:46:35.499
because, you know, of
course, Hurricane Rita came

00:46:35.500 --> 00:46:38.839
a week after, and as the
water was trying to recede,

00:46:38.840 --> 00:46:41.289
Rita just pushed it back in.

00:46:41.290 --> 00:46:44.329
So, you know, there were things

00:46:44.330 --> 00:46:46.897
that had been in the back of the house

00:46:46.898 --> 00:46:48.979
that floated up to the front,

00:46:48.980 --> 00:46:51.912
and floated from the front to the back.

00:46:51.913 --> 00:46:54.330
I mean, we had masks on

00:46:54.331 --> 00:46:58.073
and you could still smell
the stagnation, you know?

00:46:58.074 --> 00:46:59.799
Oh man, it was awful.

00:46:59.800 --> 00:47:04.800
We left August 27th, and
we came back October 12th.

00:47:05.596 --> 00:47:10.596
So we were in the Dallas,
Fort Worth area for six weeks,

00:47:12.440 --> 00:47:13.273
practically.

00:47:13.274 --> 00:47:15.649
Certain things you couldn\'t
get like some fresh vegetables,

00:47:15.650 --> 00:47:17.059
and stuff like that for salads,

00:47:17.060 --> 00:47:18.149
and man, you know,

00:47:18.150 --> 00:47:23.150
it was really, it was so
surreal, being here after that.

00:47:23.930 --> 00:47:27.229
And then we had a curfew, you
know, there was, you know,

00:47:27.230 --> 00:47:29.549
the National Guard, we
were under martial law,

00:47:29.550 --> 00:47:32.599
and people are thirsty and hungry,

00:47:32.600 --> 00:47:34.769
then, hey, I\'d be looting too

00:47:34.770 --> 00:47:36.229
to get food and stuff like that,

00:47:36.230 --> 00:47:39.649
if I\'m hungry and my
family is hungry, you know,

00:47:39.650 --> 00:47:41.449
and thirsty for fresh water.

00:47:41.450 --> 00:47:44.209
Cause you couldn\'t drink the tap water.

00:47:44.210 --> 00:47:46.199
- As a matter of fact, you
know, after Hurricane Katrina,

00:47:46.200 --> 00:47:49.419
man, I had to do an interview
for a major publication,

00:47:49.420 --> 00:47:51.320
and I was in LA at the time,

00:47:51.321 --> 00:47:53.129
and man, they caught
me at the wrong moment,

00:47:53.130 --> 00:47:56.039
I was tired of answering these questions

00:47:56.040 --> 00:47:57.919
about whether New Orleans
is gonna come back,

00:47:57.920 --> 00:48:00.511
and all of that stuff, so
I just said, \"Listen, man,

00:48:00.512 --> 00:48:02.359
\"New Orleans is gonna come back

00:48:02.360 --> 00:48:04.765
cause we can\'t stand your
music and we hate your food.\"

00:48:04.766 --> 00:48:07.061
(laughs)

00:48:07.062 --> 00:48:08.350
It\'s true.

00:48:08.351 --> 00:48:10.768
(jazz music)

00:48:33.500 --> 00:48:34.929
We keep turning out great trumpet players

00:48:34.930 --> 00:48:37.169
cause we don\'t know no
better, we really don\'t, man.

00:48:37.170 --> 00:48:39.129
I mean, you know, we don\'t know no better.

00:48:39.130 --> 00:48:39.963
Think about it.

00:48:39.964 --> 00:48:43.215
You know, Louis Armstrong
set the tone for this town,

00:48:43.216 --> 00:48:46.159
and then kids, you see, look, listen,

00:48:46.160 --> 00:48:47.932
you can walk around New Orleans today,

00:48:47.933 --> 00:48:50.161
you see kids all over the place.

00:48:50.162 --> 00:48:53.649
The rhythmic thing, the drummers
and the trumpet players,

00:48:53.650 --> 00:48:55.630
there are a pileful here,
you know what I mean?

00:48:55.631 --> 00:48:57.876
You go down in Frenchman
Street late at night

00:48:57.877 --> 00:49:00.279
and you some little brass
bands down there playing,

00:49:00.280 --> 00:49:02.219
they\'re playing their
hearts and souls out, right?

00:49:02.220 --> 00:49:03.939
And they just have a natural thing.

00:49:03.940 --> 00:49:05.809
- I think it all goes
back to Louis Armstrong,

00:49:05.810 --> 00:49:10.810
I really do, you know, because
he was the greatest musician

00:49:10.881 --> 00:49:13.996
probably to ever come out of New Orleans.

00:49:13.997 --> 00:49:17.531
And his influence was so profound

00:49:17.532 --> 00:49:22.532
that people are still trying
to, you know, perform like him,

00:49:23.220 --> 00:49:26.075
play like him, understand
what he was doing

00:49:26.076 --> 00:49:27.509
and how he did it.

00:49:27.510 --> 00:49:29.696
- My uncle used to say to
me, \"It\'s not what you play,

00:49:29.697 --> 00:49:33.709
\"it\'s what you say when
you play,\" you know?

00:49:33.710 --> 00:49:35.869
And Leroy definitely has a voice,

00:49:35.870 --> 00:49:39.099
and he speaks very loud
and clearly on the trumpet.

00:49:39.100 --> 00:49:41.550
And, you know, sometimes his music,

00:49:41.551 --> 00:49:45.589
he plays phrases that can,
you know, make you cry,

00:49:45.590 --> 00:49:47.539
or make you feel happy, or you know,

00:49:47.540 --> 00:49:50.615
it has so many emotions
that he knows how to play.

00:49:50.616 --> 00:49:53.199
(jazz music)

00:49:53.200 --> 00:49:55.929
- I played with Harry for 17 years,

00:49:55.930 --> 00:49:58.850
from June 1990 through 2007.

00:50:01.630 --> 00:50:03.799
- If I call Leroy and ask him to come out,

00:50:03.800 --> 00:50:04.809
depending on his schedule,

00:50:04.810 --> 00:50:07.163
he\'ll come out and play.

00:50:07.164 --> 00:50:09.339
It\'s not as often as I would like,

00:50:09.340 --> 00:50:10.659
and whenever he does come out,

00:50:10.660 --> 00:50:14.459
the whole band realizes how special it is,

00:50:14.460 --> 00:50:16.349
because he improves everybody,

00:50:16.350 --> 00:50:20.301
I mean, he just raises everybody\'s game.

00:50:20.302 --> 00:50:25.302
It\'s really wonderful when the
opportunity presents itself,

00:50:25.550 --> 00:50:28.099
especially for me to go out with Harry,

00:50:28.100 --> 00:50:31.479
cause it\'s such a great
musical experience,

00:50:31.480 --> 00:50:33.239
and he\'s fun to work with,

00:50:33.240 --> 00:50:35.129
and we have a ball together.

00:50:35.130 --> 00:50:38.109
- One thing I do hope people would hear

00:50:38.110 --> 00:50:39.435
when they listen to my music,

00:50:39.436 --> 00:50:42.109
specifically with regard to Leroy,

00:50:42.110 --> 00:50:46.833
is the extraordinary
contribution he\'s made,

00:50:48.060 --> 00:50:49.539
not only to my music,

00:50:49.540 --> 00:50:52.029
but to help identify me as an artist too.

00:50:52.030 --> 00:50:55.259
Because his sound is so
unique, it\'s so identifiable

00:50:55.260 --> 00:51:00.260
that my sound, you know,
has become identifiable

00:51:00.410 --> 00:51:02.320
as a result of his contribution.

00:51:02.321 --> 00:51:05.669
You know, I think about the
records that I\'ve done with him,

00:51:05.670 --> 00:51:08.219
and how extraordinary his performances are

00:51:08.220 --> 00:51:10.379
and I just hope people are lucky enough

00:51:10.380 --> 00:51:12.209
to catch some of those.

00:51:12.210 --> 00:51:14.616
- It\'s that thing we all try to aspire to

00:51:14.617 --> 00:51:17.149
in our minds, you know?

00:51:17.150 --> 00:51:19.895
But sometimes our brains get in the way

00:51:19.896 --> 00:51:24.091
because we don\'t allow our
hearts to just truly take over.

00:51:24.092 --> 00:51:27.639
You know, but he has that,
he has that unique blend

00:51:27.640 --> 00:51:30.352
of not only being a great trumpet player,

00:51:30.353 --> 00:51:33.257
but being somebody that\'s
connected to something

00:51:33.258 --> 00:51:36.519
way beyond us as human beings.

00:51:36.520 --> 00:51:39.849
- Let\'s put it this way,
I play trumpet as a hobby,

00:51:39.850 --> 00:51:40.683
I love to play,

00:51:40.684 --> 00:51:43.077
I play every night on stage,

00:51:43.078 --> 00:51:45.507
and every time I pick up the horn,

00:51:45.508 --> 00:51:49.405
my only desire is to imitate Lee.

00:51:49.406 --> 00:51:50.949
I try to imitate him,

00:51:50.950 --> 00:51:52.622
he knows it, everybody
in the band knows it,

00:51:52.623 --> 00:51:55.409
it\'s something about the
way he plays the horn,

00:51:55.410 --> 00:51:56.899
it\'s just different than anybody else.

00:51:56.900 --> 00:51:58.229
Like that\'s my ultimate fantasy

00:51:58.230 --> 00:51:59.689
is to be able to play like Lee.

00:51:59.690 --> 00:52:01.780
- Hopefully we can set the same sort of

00:52:04.500 --> 00:52:06.278
feeling within the minds
of the coming generation

00:52:06.279 --> 00:52:10.279
that the older generation left us with,

00:52:10.280 --> 00:52:12.083
a great legacy, you know?

00:52:13.580 --> 00:52:15.449
Study the history of the music,

00:52:15.450 --> 00:52:17.679
study the evolution of the music,

00:52:17.680 --> 00:52:18.739
know where it came from,

00:52:18.740 --> 00:52:22.548
know they got to the
point where it\'s at today,

00:52:22.549 --> 00:52:26.349
study and find out who
influenced who, you know?

00:52:26.350 --> 00:52:28.024
Who Armstrong influenced,

00:52:28.025 --> 00:52:32.609
who Teddy Riley was influenced by,

00:52:32.610 --> 00:52:34.739
who Kit (mumbles) was influenced by,

00:52:34.740 --> 00:52:37.629
Leroy\'s is a stellar trumpet
player of New Orleans

00:52:37.630 --> 00:52:39.219
who work in traditional jazz.

00:52:39.220 --> 00:52:42.379
- And they played jazz, traditional jazz

00:52:42.380 --> 00:52:44.579
with a 21st century flavor,

00:52:44.580 --> 00:52:49.152
and I guess that alludes to
the fact that we would like

00:52:49.153 --> 00:52:51.828
our peers to appreciate the music

00:52:51.829 --> 00:52:56.829
that is becoming very nostalgic
and a lot of young people,

00:52:57.088 --> 00:53:02.088
I think, they are not apt
to go on to the music store

00:53:02.810 --> 00:53:06.053
and buy a jazz CD, especially
a traditional jazz CD,

00:53:07.371 --> 00:53:10.369
but if they come when
they witness it live,

00:53:10.370 --> 00:53:11.906
I mean, we\'ve had people
come to us and say,

00:53:11.907 --> 00:53:15.149
\"Hey, I didn\'t realize how much I enjoy.\"

00:53:15.150 --> 00:53:17.519
I mean, people that know
nothing about music,

00:53:17.520 --> 00:53:19.809
and they really enjoyed it because

00:53:19.810 --> 00:53:22.683
of the way we presented the music.

00:53:24.255 --> 00:53:26.809
- I mean, you know, just
to make people feel good.

00:53:26.810 --> 00:53:30.639
You know, cause we\'ve had
people even from recordings,

00:53:30.640 --> 00:53:33.396
they\'re like, \"Oh, this
made me feel so good,

00:53:33.397 --> 00:53:35.434
\"just listening to the recordings,\"

00:53:35.435 --> 00:53:39.219
and that\'s great, you know,
if some of the sincerity,

00:53:39.220 --> 00:53:43.419
and just if that can transport itself

00:53:43.420 --> 00:53:47.218
through a piece of plastic,
that\'s pretty cool.

00:53:47.219 --> 00:53:49.636
(jazz music)

00:54:48.307 --> 00:54:50.728
- \"You were right about
that,\" said the mouse,

00:54:50.729 --> 00:54:53.559
\"I have to go home now,
see you in the Spring.\"

00:54:53.560 --> 00:54:56.260
So the hedgehog and the mouse
went their separate ways.

00:54:56.261 --> 00:54:59.659
Look at the mouse, he\'s waving goodbye.

00:54:59.660 --> 00:55:02.637
He\'s waving goodbye, and the
hedgehog is waving goodbye.

00:55:02.638 --> 00:55:04.272
See, the hedgehog?

00:55:04.273 --> 00:55:05.106
He\'s waving bye.

00:55:05.107 --> 00:55:08.096
Yes, yes, he\'s waving, going, \"Bye bye!\"

00:55:08.097 --> 00:55:13.097
My wife and I had a baby girl
born on February fifth 2016.

00:55:13.580 --> 00:55:16.649
And her name is Ada,

00:55:16.650 --> 00:55:21.159
and she has just added
so much joy to our lives.

00:55:21.160 --> 00:55:23.149
I thought 2016 was exciting

00:55:23.150 --> 00:55:25.173
with the birth of a little daughter.

00:55:26.373 --> 00:55:29.483
To my surprise, and my wife\'s surprise,

00:55:29.484 --> 00:55:31.312
we were blessed with a little boy

00:55:31.313 --> 00:55:35.809
by the name of Luca who
was born in 2017 this year,

00:55:35.810 --> 00:55:37.915
on March the fifteenth.

00:55:37.916 --> 00:55:40.809
For the most part, it\'s
easy, you know, I mean,

00:55:40.810 --> 00:55:43.369
but, you know, it\'s a handful

00:55:43.370 --> 00:55:47.696
when you have you, you know,
like if it\'s just one of us,

00:55:47.697 --> 00:55:50.919
and you\'re trying to cater
to both of them, you know?

00:55:50.920 --> 00:55:51.880
And a dog, you know?

00:55:51.881 --> 00:55:54.670
It\'s like, okay, time out.

00:55:54.671 --> 00:55:55.799
(laughs)

00:55:55.800 --> 00:55:57.004
Time out, Ada.

00:55:57.005 --> 00:55:58.499
Look at you.

00:55:58.500 --> 00:56:00.013
That\'s one of them over there,

00:56:00.014 --> 00:56:02.728
and that\'s what she\'s gonna do.

00:56:02.729 --> 00:56:04.353
And she\'s gonna go over there,

00:56:04.354 --> 00:56:06.679
and she\'s gonna pull over the other ones.

00:56:06.680 --> 00:56:08.413
You know, this is what we wanted,

00:56:08.414 --> 00:56:11.839
and now that we\'re, both of us,

00:56:11.840 --> 00:56:13.539
especially myself,

00:56:13.540 --> 00:56:16.869
I\'m not on the road like I was,

00:56:16.870 --> 00:56:18.689
you know, 25 years ago,

00:56:18.690 --> 00:56:22.469
and you know, it\'s really nice

00:56:22.470 --> 00:56:25.486
to have these little spirits in the house

00:56:25.487 --> 00:56:27.865
and it brings a lot of joy to us.

00:56:27.866 --> 00:56:29.949
(laughs)

00:56:31.318 --> 00:56:33.485
(mumbles)

00:56:34.470 --> 00:56:37.299
- Hopefully she will
remember her childhood

00:56:37.300 --> 00:56:40.489
as a fun, you know, as a fun and safe time

00:56:40.490 --> 00:56:44.979
with, you know, it seems
like when you\'re young,

00:56:44.980 --> 00:56:46.659
you have, all you have is time,

00:56:46.660 --> 00:56:49.607
and you just get to do cool things,

00:56:49.608 --> 00:56:52.519
and don\'t feel rushed, and you know,

00:56:52.520 --> 00:56:54.809
hopefully she\'ll have nice friends

00:56:54.810 --> 00:56:57.779
and nice everything.

00:56:57.780 --> 00:56:59.686
- People always say, \"Oh,
they\'re gonna be a musician.\"

00:56:59.687 --> 00:57:00.804
No, we don\'t know that.

00:57:00.805 --> 00:57:03.129
I say, they will appreciate music,

00:57:03.130 --> 00:57:05.580
even if they don\'t become musicians.

00:57:05.581 --> 00:57:09.123
I think everyone should
appreciate and find enjoyment

00:57:09.124 --> 00:57:11.278
in music, you know?

00:57:11.279 --> 00:57:13.149
If I had to say anything,

00:57:13.150 --> 00:57:15.950
I just would hope that we did a good job

00:57:19.120 --> 00:57:20.999
of setting her in the right direction

00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:24.659
and that she was appreciative

00:57:24.660 --> 00:57:26.911
and that she maintains her humility.

00:57:26.912 --> 00:57:31.253
And that she is kind.

00:57:33.898 --> 00:57:36.156
(laughs)

00:57:36.157 --> 00:57:38.574
(jazz music)

00:57:41.500 --> 00:57:44.669
Free at last, thank God
almighty, I\'m free at last!

00:57:44.670 --> 00:57:45.709
(laughs)

00:57:45.710 --> 00:57:47.809
I shouldn\'t say that, I love my family,

00:57:47.810 --> 00:57:49.729
and babies and my wife, and everything.

00:57:49.730 --> 00:57:52.343
But everybody needs their space, man.

00:57:53.490 --> 00:57:54.323
How y\'all doing?

00:57:54.324 --> 00:57:55.404
All right.

00:57:55.405 --> 00:57:57.822
(jazz music)

00:58:01.860 --> 00:58:05.369
The gentrification has started
in the city of New Orleans.

00:58:05.370 --> 00:58:08.219
It has occurred here in the Treme.

00:58:08.220 --> 00:58:12.469
It\'s almost like taking the
seasoning out of a pot of Gumbo.

00:58:12.470 --> 00:58:15.513
And just having it just a
little bit bland, you know?

00:58:16.432 --> 00:58:19.226
There\'s a certain
ingredient that needs to be

00:58:19.227 --> 00:58:24.227
in the food, and in the blood
flow of the neighborhood

00:58:25.202 --> 00:58:28.433
that keeps it unique, and keeps it raw.

00:58:29.329 --> 00:58:32.489
(jazz music)

00:58:32.490 --> 00:58:37.134
I see myself and my
wife having so much love

00:58:37.135 --> 00:58:42.135
and compassion that it would
be selfish not to share that

00:58:42.770 --> 00:58:44.223
with another human being.

00:58:45.130 --> 00:58:47.959
I hope that I\'m blessed to live to be 90,

00:58:47.960 --> 00:58:51.263
or 95, or 105.

00:58:52.790 --> 00:58:56.549
I hope that I can still
bring the horn up to my lips

00:58:56.550 --> 00:58:57.896
and play.

00:58:57.897 --> 00:59:01.754
I think if I don\'t get to do that,

00:59:01.755 --> 00:59:04.125
it would make me very sad.

00:59:04.126 --> 00:59:06.543
(jazz music)

00:59:12.195 --> 00:59:16.240
I just hope I can live long enough

00:59:17.477 --> 00:59:22.477
into a ripe old age to be able
to watch my children grow up,

00:59:23.579 --> 00:59:26.119
and see my grandkids,

00:59:26.120 --> 00:59:28.137
and watch them grow up even.

00:59:28.138 --> 00:59:31.419
And if they\'re inspired by
anything that I\'ve done,

00:59:31.420 --> 00:59:34.317
it would be a joy just to witness that.

00:59:34.318 --> 00:59:36.735
(jazz music)

00:59:51.831 --> 00:59:54.639
♪ Going down river in a boat for two ♪

00:59:54.640 --> 00:59:58.130
♪ Back to that city where I met you ♪

00:59:58.131 --> 01:00:01.625
♪ A city full of charm
where the climate is warm ♪

01:00:01.626 --> 01:00:04.793
♪ The people there,
they don\'t feel storms ♪

01:00:04.794 --> 01:00:08.930
♪ I\'m talking \'bout New Orleans ♪

01:00:08.931 --> 01:00:12.030
♪ I\'m talking \'bout New Orleans ♪

01:00:12.031 --> 01:00:15.001
♪ I\'m talking \'bout New Orleans ♪

01:00:15.002 --> 01:00:18.242
♪ It\'s the land of dreams ♪

01:00:18.243 --> 01:00:19.800
- [Leroy] How y\'all doing?

01:00:19.801 --> 01:00:21.632
- [Female] Y\'all making a commercial?

01:00:21.633 --> 01:00:22.659
- [Leroy] Not really.

01:00:22.660 --> 01:00:24.559
- [Cameraman] It\'s a
documentary film on him.

01:00:24.560 --> 01:00:27.026
- [Female] All right!

01:00:27.027 --> 01:00:29.057
At least yo ass got in it.

01:00:29.058 --> 01:00:31.141
(laughs)

01:00:32.199 --> 01:00:33.579
- [Leroy] That might be the best shot!

01:00:33.580 --> 01:00:35.663
(laughs)

01:00:39.643 --> 01:00:42.132
She said, \"At least yo ass got in it.\"

01:00:42.133 --> 01:00:44.550
(jazz music)