Kirk Joseph | |
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![]() Kirk Joseph at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2008 | |
Background information | |
Born | New Orleans | February 16, 1961
Genres | Rhythm and blues, Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Sousaphone |
Years active | 1977–present |
Kirk Joseph (born February 16, 1961) is a jazz sousaphone player from New Orleans, Louisiana. [1] The son of trombonist Waldren "Frog" Joseph, Kirk Joseph began playing the sousaphone while a student at Andrew Bell Middle School, and took part in his first professional gig at the age of fifteen when his brother Charles invited him to play a funeral with the Majestic Band.
In 1977 he became one of the founding members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a group which is credited with reviving the brass band tradition in New Orleans. He has played with the Treme Brass Band and Forgotten Souls Brass Band, and currently leads his own group called Kirk Joseph's Backyard Groove.
Described as a "modern sousaphone pioneer", [2] Joseph claims inspiration from renowned New Orleans tuba player Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen. In an interview with The Times-Picayune Joseph described the effect Lacen's playing had on his own: "He was the first person I ever heard walking the sousaphone, making it sound like bass.... I took it from there." [3] The style of playing created by Lacen and Joseph was instrumental in establishing the modern New Orleans brass band sound, which combines traditional marching band and Dixieland traditions with strong jazz and funk influences.
Year | Category | Notes | Result | Ref. |
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2006 | Best Tuba/Sousaphonist | Won | [4] | |
2007 | Best Tuba/Sousaphonist | Tied with Philip Frazier and Matt Perrine | Won | [4] |
2013 | Best Tuba/Sousaphonist | Won | [4] | |
2020 | Best Tuba/Sousaphonist | Won | [4] | |
2023 | Best Tuba/Sousaphonist | Won | [4] |
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibration – a buzz – into a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the newer instruments in the modern orchestra and concert band, and largely replaced the ophicleide. Tuba is Latin for "trumpet".
The sousaphone is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa, it was designed to be easier to play than the concert tuba while standing or marching, as well as to carry the sound of the instrument above the heads of the band. Like the tuba, sound is produced by moving air past the lips, causing them to vibrate or "buzz" into a large cupped mouthpiece. Unlike the tuba, the instrument is bent in a circle to fit around the body of the musician; it ends in a large, flaring bell that is pointed forward, projecting the sound ahead of the player. Because of the ease of carrying and the direction of sound, it is widely employed in marching bands, as well as various other musical genres. Sousaphones were originally made of brass. Beginning in the mid-20th century, some sousaphones have also been made of lighter materials such as fiberglass & plastic.
Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen was a jazz tubist and band leader. Tuba Fats was New Orleans' most famous tuba player and played traditional New Orleans jazz and blues for over 40 years.
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