The Soul Rebels with special guest John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood, Igmar Thomas

The Soul Rebels formed when Lumar LeBlanc and Derrick Moss, originally members
of New Orleans’ iconic Dejean’s Young Olympia Brass Band, decided they wanted to
play the new, exciting music they were hearing on the radio while respecting the
tradition they loved. Both New Orleans natives, the pair was steeped in the
fundamentals of New Orleans jazz, but inevitably, contemporary styles of music
began to seep into their psyches. While LeBlanc attended the famed St. Augustine
High School, Moss went to Lil’ Wayne’s alma mater McMain High School, and
paraded alongside soon‐to‐be Cash Money Records CEO Ronald “Slim” Williams in
the school’s marching band. New sounds were all around and they found them as
exciting as the horn‐combo style featured in jazz funerals since the turn of the
Twentieth Century.
“We wanted to make our own sound without disrespecting the brass tradition,”
LeBlanc recalls, “so we knew we had to break away.” They found a stylistic middle
ground when they spun off and formed a band of young, like‐minded local players
from all over New Orleans. Graduates of university music programs throughout the
South, the band took the marching band format they had learned in school and
incorporated influences from outside the city as well as late‐breaking local styles –
R&B, funk and hip‐hop – especially through half‐sung, half‐rapped lyrics. “Most of
our originals have vocals,” says LeBlanc. “You wouldn’t have done that in a
traditional brass band.”
Soon, the Soul Rebels’ contagious originals and updated takes on standards won
them a loyal local audience. They began rocking some of New Orleans’ most beloved
live music venues. A chance gig opening for the Neville Brothers got them a real
start—and an official name. It was youngest brother Cyril Neville who first called
them “Soul Rebels,” a good name for a band that strived to incite positive change in
its treasured musical heritage.
Since those days, the band has settled on an eight‐piece lineup, building a career
around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the
party‐like atmosphere of a dance club. Their weekly show at Uptown New Orleans
spot Le Bon Temps Roulé has been known to descend into a sweaty shout‐along as
the band mixes up songs from its five studio albums with hits by Jay‐Z and OutKast.
While touring the U.S., the Soul Rebels have shared the stage with notable artists
from many corners of the pop and jazz worlds, including Arcade Fire, The Roots,
Bootsy Collins, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, Counting Crows, Green Day, Drive By
Truckers, James Brown, Roy Hargrove, Allen Toussaint, Chuck Brown, Terence
Blanchard, The Gap Band, Better than Ezra and many more. Averaging around 250
shows per year, the Soul Rebels have brought the party to stages as far away as
South Africa and Europe, playing some of the world’s best‐known music events,
including, Umbria Jazz Fest, Antibes Jazz Festival, The Montreal Jazz festival,
Bonnaroo, the Wanee Festival and, of course, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
Festival.