The Original Pinettes Brass Band

The Original Pinettes Brass Band are a New Orleans brass band. Consisting entirely of women, they are the city's only all-female brass band.[1][2]

Original Pinettes Brass Band
Dee Holmes, Natasha Harris, Veronique Dorsey, and Jazz Henry perform at the Pinettes' weekly gig at Bullet's Sports Bar in the Seventh Ward. September 26, 2014.
Background information
Origin	New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres	Brass Band
Instruments	tuba (sousaphone), bass drum, snare drum, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone
Years active	1991–present
Associated acts	Tank and the Bangas, Rebirth Brass Band, Hot 8 Brass Band, Stooges Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Arcade Fire
Members	Christie Jourdain (snare drum) Natasha Harris (tenor saxophone) Veronique Dorsey (trumpet) Jazz Henry (trumpet) Dee Holmes (tuba) Dionne Harrison (trombone) Kashonda Bailey (keyboards) Careese McGee (trumpet) Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph (vocals)
Past members	Nicole Elwood (trombone) Casandra French-King (bass drum) Janine Waters (tuba) Tylita Curtain (trumpet) Sherri Pannell (trumpet) Janelle Massey (trombone) Nia Lassare (alto saxophone)

The band was founded in 1991 at St. Mary's Academy (New Orleans), a Catholic girls' school.[3] Taking direction from band director Jeffery C. Herbert, they began playing New Orleans-style jazz. He dubbed the band the Pinettes Brass Band, a feminization of the name of his own band, the Original Pinstripe Brass Band.

At the school's spring concert in 1992, the band played the song "Freedom" by the Rebirth Brass Band and the crowd response led the musicians more toward contemporary brass band music rather than traditional New Orleans jazz.

For the 1993-94 school year, Herbert left St. Mary's to direct the band at John McDonogh High School, but he continued to manage the Pinettes, even after they graduated from St. Mary's. In 1998, he left New Orleans to become assistant band director at Southern University in Baton Rouge, at which point management was turned over to the band members. During this period, the Pinettes played in second line (parades) and released a cassette tape, which garnered them little success outside New Orleans.[4]

The Pinettes have had much turnover in membership over the years.[4] When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on August 29, 2005, band members were forced to relocate. When they began to return to the city, bandleader Christie Jourdain took leadership of the band and made an effort to recruit new band members because some members were unable or unwilling to come back to New Orleans. After a dispute with some of the former band members, they changed their name to "The Original Pinettes Brass Band."[1]

In 2013, after twenty-two years as a band, the Pinettes released their debut full-length CD titled Finally.[5] They hold a popular Friday-night residency at Bullet's Sports Bar in the Seventh Ward.

Red Bull Street Kings competition

In October 2013, the Original Pinettes Brass Band won the Red Bull Street Kings competition. Facing three other prominent New Orleans brass bands, the Pinettes not only won the title, but changed it to "Street Queens."[1][6][7][8]

Residency at Bullet's Sports Bar

Since 2014, band has held a popular Friday night residency at Bullet's Sports Bar in New Orleans's Seventh Ward neighborhood.[9]

References

1. DeCoste, Kyle. "Street Queens: New Orleans Brass Bands and the Problem of Intersectionality". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
2. MacCash, Doug. "Original Pinettes all-female brass band blasts French Quarter Fest 2015". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
3. McConnaughey, Janet. "Unique all-female New Orleans brass band at Jazz Fest". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
4. DeCoste, Kyle. "Street Queens: The Original Pinettes and Black Feminism in New Orleans Brass Bands". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
5. "Finally by The Original Pinettes Brass Band" . Retrieved 2015-08-18]
6. Sakakeeny, Matt. "Street Queens Bury Competition In Brass Band Blowout". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
7. Odell, Jennifer. "The Original Pinettes Brass Band: Meet Last Year's Winners of NOLA's Red Bull Street Kings contest". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
8. Reuters. "The Original Pinettes Crowned Street Queens in Biggest New Orleans Brass Band Blowout of the Year". Retrieved 2015-08-18]
9. Yuan, Jada. . Retrieved 2020-05-18]

Further reading

• Kyle DeCoste, Street Queens: New Orleans Brass Bands and the Problem of Intersectionality (2017. Online)
• Kyle DeCoste, Street Queens: The Original Pinettes and Black Feminism in New Orleans Brass Bands (2015. Online)
• Matt Sakakeeny, Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans (Duke University Press, 2013)
• John Swenson, The Original Pinettes Brass Band: Brass-Pop (2012. Online)
• Sherrie Tucker, A Feminist Perspective on New Orleans Jazz Women (2004. Online)