LITTLE BROWN JUG BRASS Presents 'Christmas In New Orleans' from the upcoming album HOLIDAY SPIRITS

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Nov 14, 2025, 07:00 ET

" Little Brown Jug Brass 'bring the party'...funky jazz...roots with brassy reinventions...delicious... "
Calgary Herald

CALGARY, AB, Nov. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Little Brown Jug Brass (LBJB) is a Calgary, Alberta-based Canadian brass band made up of a multigenerational lineup of musicians with fine arts and music degrees, conservatory training, and a shared love of joyful collaboration. Sparked by a shared desire to make music together LBJB has evolved into a values-driven ensemble rooted in connection, celebration, and community.

Little Brown Jug Brass Band (CNW Group/Little Brown Jug Brass)

As educators and performers, LBJB has led Master Classes at the University of Saskatoon's Prairie Music Retreat and the Sylvan Lake Music Festival. Individually, members have earned awards across multiple genres — including Outstanding Jazz Combo at the Alberta International Band Festival, the John K. Nickel Memorial Scholarship for Music Education, the Millennium Prize for Russian Performing Arts, and Outstanding Soloist at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival. Collectively, they also perform with leading Canadian ensembles such as the Bach Society, Altius Brass, Prime Time Big Band, Red Deer Symphony, Rocky Mountain Symphony, St. Giles Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.

LBJB is deeply committed to using music as a force for good. They regularly volunteer their time and use performances to raise funds for arts and music education programs that support at-risk and underserved youth. Every performance is more than entertainment — it's a reminder that music is a gathering place for connection and celebration.

This release, 'Christmas in New Orleans' distills the very essence of LBJB: joyful, gritty, unapologetically brassy, and rooted in community spirit. Inspired by classic New Orleans street-parade traditions — second lines, horn-fueled revelry, and spontaneous dancing — the song bridges southern groove with northern soul. For Little Brown Jug Brass, the spirit of New Orleans is the perfect metaphor for the holidays: vibrant, social, and full of life, blending jazz, funk, and joy freely; to make music that's both skilled and mischievous. Recorded in snowy Calgary with horns blazing indoors, 'Christmas in New Orleans' embodies their belief that home is wherever people come together to celebrate.

With Holiday Spirits, LBJB set out to honour diverse cultural histories while imagining a more connected future. They brought together performers from different backgrounds and styles to explore what becomes possible when we create across boundaries rather than within them.

"We dreamed of making a holiday album that reflects all the 'families' that shape us — our families of origin, our chosen families, and our soul families. Instead of chasing studio perfection, we kept the warmth and honesty of a live performance. We want listeners to feel like we're right there in the room, celebrating with them." - Jevon Hills, Band Leader

For Little Brown Jug Brass, 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.

Little Brown Jug Brass members include:

Jevon "Tubaguy" Hills – Sousaphone / Band Leader
Mark "Re-Pete" Scholz – Trumpet
Paul "Baby Phat" Scholz – Trumpet
Sydney "Squidney" Scholz – Trumpet
Nick "Short Stack" Ibarreta – Alto Sax
Andrew "Pete" Scholz – Trombone
Malcolm "The Silver Fox" McKenzie – Trombone
Celene "Yo Ma-ma" Yohemas – Drums
Tarra "The Velvet Foghorn" Riley – Vocals