Sunday, March 20 at 7:30PM
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is teaming up with Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Cha’s to celebrate the sounds of New Orleans right here in South Orange, New Jersey. Don’t miss this feel-good event featuring two world famous music machines!
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances while Nathan and The Zydeco Cha Chas are the hottest Zydeco/Blues band in the world.
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Celebrating 45 years since their founding in 1977, New Orleans-based Dirty Dozen Brass Band has taken the traditional foundation of brass band music and incorporated it into a blend of genres including Bebop Jazz, Funk and R&B/Soul. This unique sound, described by the band as a ‘musical gumbo,’ has allowed the Dirty Dozen to tour across 5 continents and more than 30 countries, record 12 studio albums and collaborate with a range of artists from Modest Mouse to Widespread Panic to Norah Jones. Forty-five years later, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band is a world-famous music machine whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances.
In 1977, The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club in New Orleans began showcasing a traditional Crescent City brass band. It was a joining of two proud, but antiquated, traditions at the time: social and pleasure clubs dated back over a century to a time when Black southerners could rarely afford life insurance, and the clubs would provide proper funeral arrangements. Brass bands, early predecessors of Jazz as we know it, would often follow the funeral procession playing somber dirges, then once the family of the deceased was out of earshot, burst into jubilant dance tunes as casual onlookers danced in the streets. By the late ’70s, few of either existed. The Dirty Dozen Social and Pleasure Club decided to assemble this group as a house band, and over the course of these early gigs, the seven-member ensemble adopted the venue’s name: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
Nathan Williams plays zydeco, the fast and furious accordion-driven dance music of the Creole people of South Louisiana, a relatively modern style that emerged after the Second World War. Zydeco is now a familiar sound to many, heard in commercials for mainstream companies such as Burger King and Toyota, and there are pockets of devoted zydeco dancers throughout the world.
The music of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas is the expression of a remarkable South Louisiana family. Dennis Paul Williams, Nathan’s brother, brings his Jazz-influenced guitar chops to the band. He’s also a well-known painter whose work has been shown throughout the country, and has recently published a collection of his work. The eldest Williams brother, Sid ‘El Sid O’ Williams, is a Lafayette legend unto himself, and Zydeco would never have survived into the new millennium without him.
Nathan formed The Cha-Chas back in 1985, and since then has brought his unique take on this regional South Louisiana music to all corners of the globe. From Lincoln Center in New York to The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Nathan’s music has crossed all barriers to speak to the very heart of his audience.
SOPAC Member Discounts
$10 off tickets ($25 and up) for Benefactor, Impresario and Producer-level members ($900+)
$5 off tickets ($25 and up) for Advocate, Family, Ambassador and Champion-level members ($65-$500)
Covid-19 Precautions & Policies
Read our Covid-19 Precautions & Policies
Please know that SOPAC is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of our entire community and we thank you in advance for reviewing our Covid-19 Precautions & Policies when planning your visit.
Questions? Contact the SOPAC Box Office at
(973) 313-2787 or boxoffice@SOPACnow.org
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If you or a member of your party needs assistance, please notify SOPAC at the time your tickets are purchased. The SOPAC Box Office can be reached at (973) 313-2787.