The Band: Its History And Its Music

Our approach to Traditional New Orleans Jazz is tailored to suit today´s entertainment climate, with a fresh feel to every performance, as opposed to slavishly reproducing existing recordings. Nevertheless; many of those practises held dear by our musical forefathers are strongly adhered to. There is a clearly definable melody line, for example; and it is this that determines the tempo (as Bunk Johnson said; don´t get faster than you can dance), and we indulge in musical dialogue rather than "every man for himself".

The band was formed in 1995 and can therefore justifiably claim to be one of Germany´s youngest in this style. It was felt that the local jazzers tended to the "loud, fast, and in B-flat" school, and that something else was needed in Freiburg. Appearances in Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland soon followed, the band performing anywhere from festivals to internationally renowned hotels and resorts. At home, our reputation for hard work and crowd-pleasing gigs stretches from one end of the country to the other, as many a happy club-goer and promoter will testify!

Although we often play to concert audiences, our listeners are frequently moved to dance, this being rooted in the finest New Orleans tradition. Available from trio, our standard 7-piece line-up, or even as a parade band, we perform for all occasions "from cradle to grave".

The New Orleans Experience are pleased to offer a selection of live recordings, and by all means catch us at our monthly residency (every third Wednesday) in Freiburg´s Schwarzwälder Hof Hotel, Herrenstrasse - telephone bookings 0761 38030.