Christmas in New Orleans

Christmas in New Orleans embodies the soul of Little Brown Jug Brass: joyful, gritty, community-driven, and unapologetically brassy.  The song reflects the band’s roots in New Orleans-style brass traditions: second lines, street parades, and spontaneous celebration

For LBJB, the spirit of New Orleans is the perfect metaphor for the holidays: vibrant, social, and full of life.  New Orleans gave the band permission to blend jazz, funk, and joy freely; to make music that’s both skilled and mischievous.

Recording Christmas in New Orleans in Calgary, with snow outside and horns blazing inside, symbolized bridging two musical worlds. “Home” is wherever people come together to celebrate: Calgary, New Orleans, or anywhere the band’s music brings people joy.

LBJB’s sound lives at the intersection of southern groove and northern soul.

Our Album Intention

Little Brown Jug Brass’s intention for Holiday Spirits is to celebrate diversity, honour our ancestral histories, and explore an aspirational vision for future generations through music. We brought together people of disparate experiences and musical styles to celebrate ‘where we come from’ and consider ‘where we can go’ through artistic collaboration.

Acknowledging our cultural perspectives, we explored what possibilities emerge when we respectfully learn from each other, co-create together, and consider what ‘could be’ rather than what ‘has always been.’

We dreamed of creating a holiday album that brings together the many “families” that shape who we are: our families of origin, our chosen families, and our soul families.

We intentionally kept the warmth and honesty of a live performance rather than chasing the polished perfection so common in studio recordings. Like gathering with friends and family, we want you to feel as though we’re right there in the room with you celebrating together through music.

The experience in creating this album was playful, joyful, and rooted in connection. At its heart, Holiday Spirits is a reminder that, in a world too often divided, music still has the power to unite.