Letters From The Porch

In these days of social distancing, it can be difficult to gather together a full band, but some duets work quite well.

Mark “Tuba” Smith toured with the Pinstripe Brass Band and has appeared with a countless number of New Orleans ensembles where his tuba playing has kept the music swinging.

Trumpeter-singer Dwayne Burns has also been in many brass bands through the years, having been originally inspired by 1950s trumpeter Thomas Jefferson.

For this delightful set which is literally from a front porch, Smith and Burns perform such numbers as “Down By The Riverside,” “Avalon,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” (which Smith sings quite passionately), and “The Saints.”

It might only be a duo but this group certainly has the spirit.

– Scott Yanow