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The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by tuba/sousaphone player Philip Frazier, his brother, bass drummer Keith Frazier, and trumpeter Kermit Ruffins, along with other school marching band members from Joseph S. Clark Senior High School in New Orleans’ Tremé neighborhood. The band released its first studio album in 1984 on Arhoolie Records, and in 1989 gained wider notice with a series of releases on Rounder Records.
Rebirth is known for combining traditional New Orleans brass band music, including the New Orleans tradition of second line with funk, jazz, soul and hip hop. In 1993, Ruffins and Rebirth split amicably after Ruffins decided not to accompany the band on a trip to Africa. Ruffins later formed his own band, the Barbecue Swingers.
Rebirth's longstanding regular Tuesday night gig at the Maple Leaf Bar on Oak Street in the Carrollton neighborhood of Uptown New Orleans is one of the pillars of the New Orleans music scene, and has served as a reliable introduction to the city's nightlife for many new arrivals to the city.
The band regularly tours North America and Europe. In 2011, Basin Street Records released the CD Rebirth of New Orleans, which reached number 1 on the CMJ Jazz charts and earned the group a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album.
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