Olympia Brass Band

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The Olympia Brass Band is a New Orleans jazz brass band.

The first "Olympia Brass Band" was active from the late 19th century to around World War I. The most famous member was Freddie Keppard.

In 1958, saxophonist Harold Dejan, leader of the 2nd unit of the Eureka Brass Band, split off to form the current Olympia, reviving the historic name.

The band had a notable part in the 1973 James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" where they lead a funeral march for a freshly assassinated victim. Trumpeter Alvin Alcorn plays the knife wielding "baby faced killer".

In addition to playing for parades and parties, the band for many years had a weekly gig at Preservation Hall on Sunday nights for many years. The band also toured Europe on numerous occasions and also toured Africa for the U. S. State Department. The band did a B. B. C. radio broadcast for Queen Eliabeth's 25th wedding anniversary in London in 1972 while they were in town, and also played for Pope John Paul, II on his visit to New Orleans.

The Olympia Brass Band was a training ground for a whole new generation of jazz musicians including clarinetist Joseph Torregano, saxophonist Byron "Flea" Bernard; drummers Tanio Hingle and Kerry Hunter; and trumpeters Kenneth Terry and "Kid" Mervin Campbell.

Notable members of the band over the years were: Harold "Duke" Dejan, leader and alto saxophone; Emanuel "Pappy" Paul & Ernest Watson tenor saxophone; clarinetists Willie Humphrey, Joseph Torregano and David Grillier; trumpeters Milton Batiste (Asst. leader), Edmond Foucher, George "Kid Sheik" Colar, Reginald Koeller, Kenneth Terry, & Mervin Campbell. Trombonists Paul Crawford, Wendell Eugene, Eddie King, Gerald Joseph, and Lester Caliste; Sousaphonists Allan Jaffe, William "Coby" Brown, Anthony "Tuba Fats" Lacen, Edgar Smith, and Jeffrey Hills. Snare drummers Andrew Jefferson, Leroy "Boogie" Breaux, Kerry "Fatman" Hunter: Bass Drummers, Henry "Booker T." Glass, Nowell "Papa" Glass, and Cayetano "Tanio" Hingle. Grand Marshalls for the band were the immortal Matthew "Fats" Houston, Anderson Minor, Anderson Stewart and Richard "King" Matthews.

Although the band left numerous recordings, none is more prevalent then their recording of "The Westlawn Funeral Dirge' which featured Emanuel Paul on the tenor saxophone.

The Olympia Brass Band is profiled in the book, "The Great Olympia Band" by the late English writer Mick Burns, and also "Keeping the Beat on the Street . . . The New Orleans Brass Band Renaissance also by Mick Burns.