DPRAM

Kirk Joseph

Kirk Joseph stands as a towering figure in New Orleans music—a sousaphone innovator who elevated the instrument from simple basslines to soulful, melodic leadership. Born and raised in the city’s Seventh Ward, he was immersed in brass traditions from an early age, taking the sousaphone into streets, funerals, and later onto global stages with a rare sense of curiosity and mastery.

As a co-founder of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Joseph helped launch a sonic revolution in the late 1970s, blending the deeply rooted brass band tradition with funk, jazz, and R&B. This transformed the soundscape of New Orleans and offered a new blueprint for how brass bands could evolve and thrive—with a walking, melodic sousaphone front and center.

His enduring leadership as the head of Backyard Groove reflects a personal commitment to groove, community, and improvisation. Blending Afro-Caribbean rhythms with jazz and funk, he further pushes his instrument into fresh territory while collaborating with legends like Dr. John and continuing to influence younger artists carrying on the tradition.

Joseph’s playing isn’t just about hitting notes—it’s about presence, tone, and storytelling, whether in an intimate club or through the streets of a second line. That ethos is captured in every performance, whether televised, recorded, or in a winding jazz parade.

What sets Kirk Joseph apart is his blend of technical prowess and humble soul. Though his instrument is physically imposing, his touch is unexpectedly lyrical, and he has redefined what audiences expect from sousaphone. His legacy resonates in every brass band rehearsal, every funk-infused festival, and every aspiring sousaphonist eager to do more than just keep the beat.