"Rebirth Medley: My Song / Pie Pt 2 / Mexican Special" - Rebirth Brass Band

“Rebirth Medley: My Song / Pie Pt 2 / Mexican Special” (PDF) from the Kermit Ruffins with Rebirth Brass Band album, Throwback

The seamless transitions of this Rebirth medley, segueing between blues, second line, and Caribbean grooves, mimics the band’s sound throughout the streets of New Olreans over the course of a four-hour parade. And while parade tunes can be called on-the-fly to control the crowd’s energy, there appears to be more significance to this medley’s song selection beyond the shared key of B-flat.

“My Song” was originally released on the 1991 album Do Whatcha Wanna by Mardi Gras Records; “Pie Pt. 2” was originally released on the 1992 album Take It To The Streets by Rounder Records (the sequel to “Here To Stay (Pie)” from the 1984 album of the same name on Arhoolie Records); “Mexican Special” was originally released on the 1989 album Feel Like Funkin’ It Up by Rounder Records - By 2005, as the music industry attempted to monetize digital music distribution under the scrutiny of Apple’s Steve Jobs, the future ownership of those early Rebirth Brass Band recordings was in question.

Therefore, it was a wise business decision to re-record re-Re-Brith tunes, along with the Ruffins/Fraizer publishing credits, on the New Orleans record label Basin Street Records (of which Kermit Ruffins had an integral role in its launch) with the intent on owning the distribution and commercial licensing of the recordings.

In similar fashion, the trombone solo work throughout this Rebirth medley demonstrates this principle: you can literally play the same thing over different formats, and all you have to do is put in the extra behind-the-scenes work of hitting that high D note.

As I post this, we approach eight months of COVID-19 spread and 230,000+ deaths throughout the States due to this administration’s negligence and apathy. Over the next few years as it becomes safe again for public gatherings without the threat of a communal airborne virus, we will rely on live music to recover. Here is a YouTube video of Kermit Ruffins reflecting on the hurricane recovery efforts in New Orleans and Houston:

Recommended viewing: Never A Dull Moment: 20 Years of Rebirth Brass Band, music documentary.