Derrick Tabb (born May 27, 1975) is an American musician, a long-standing member of the

Rebirth Brass Band The Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans brass band. The group was founded in 1983 by Phillip "Tuba Phil" Frazier, his brother Keith Frazier, Kermit Ruffins,Skelly, RichardAllMusic Profile Retrieved 2013-02-9 and classmates from Joseph S. Cla ...

and a co-founder of The Roots of Music, a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

organization that sponsors an after-school academic and music program for children in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. For onstage performances, Tabb plays the

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

with

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

s mounted on stands. He was born and raised in the

Tremé Tremé ( ) is a neighborhood in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Tremé" is often rendered as Treme, and the neighborhood is sometimes called by its more formal French name, the Faubourg Tremé; it is listed in the New Orleans City Planning Districts as ...

neighborhood of

Early life

Tabb was born in the

neighborhood of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, an area historically known as "The Birthplace of Jazz". He began playing drums at the age of 7 and was earning a living as a professional drummer by the age of 11. Tabb attended Andrew J. Bell Middle School, where he joined the band and credits his middle school band director, Donald Richardson, for personal and professional success.''The Cultural Legacy of New Orleans Brass Bands'', CBS News 48 Hours, 2014. Retrieved 12-29-2015
/ref>

Career

In 1994, Tabb and some friends formed Loony Tunes Brass Band, later renamed

Hot 8 Brass Band The Hot 8 Brass Band is a New Orleans–based brass band which blends hip-hop, jazz and funk styles with traditional New Orleans brass sounds. It was formed by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jones, and Harry Cook in 1995.

. The band kept the name when Tabb left in 1996 to join

and Dinerral Shavers replaced Tabb as the snare drummer for Hot 8. Shavers was murdered in

in 2006, a victim of mistaken identity. As a member of

, Tabb won a Grammy in 2012 in the

Best Regional Roots Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 as the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the regionally based traditional Ameri ...

category, for the studio recording ''Rebirth of New Orleans''.

The Roots of Music

In 2007, Tabb co-founded The Roots of Music, a

after-school program for at-risk children ages 9–14 in

schools. The Roots of Music serves 140 students each year and has a waiting list of approximately 400 students. Derricktabb roots001

In the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, area school districts reduced funding to music programs, specifically middle schools.

member Tabb and Allison Reinhardt co-founded The Roots of Music, a

after-school program for

Orleans Parish Orleans Parish (; ) is a parish of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Since 1870, the parish has been coextensive with the city of New Orleans, and the parish and city are largely governed as a single consolidated city. History On April 10, 180 ...

at-risk children ages 9–14. The students are mentored in music by local New Orleans music educators and professional musicians. Academic mentoring and tutoring is provided by volunteers and graduate students from

Tulane The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it be ...

and Xavier universities. Tabb stated that his goal in starting Roots was ''"to do for a new generation of kids what his own middle school band did for him.''" Monday through Thursday, the organization's school buses pick up students from 40

middle schools and transports them to its facility in the

neighborhood in

. For the first hour and a half, the students receive homework assistance and academic tutoring by volunteers. After homework, the students receive music instruction and field practice. Before the students are transported home via school bus after practice, the students receive a hot meal. The program is entirely free for the students and relies wholly on private and corporate donations and volunteers to cover operating expenses. The Roots of Music Crusader Band and Tabb have received numerous meritorious awards for academic achievement as well as musical accolades. Tabb was a top finalist of the CNN Heroes Award in 2009, he was also the recipient of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Angel Award (2011), and was a finalist for induction into the ''Energizer Keep It Going'' Hall of Fame (2010). Tabb has also received proclamations from the City of New Orleans (2009 and 2012) and the State of Louisiana (2011) for his work with kids. In 2013, the band participated in the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

in Pasadena, California and was acclaimed for having the youngest participant in the parade's long history, 6 year-old Lawrence Honoré Jr. On August 29, 2015, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

visited New Orleans to remark on the 10-year mark of

. A small ensemble of The Roots of Music performed prior to his speaking and the band was complimented by the president during his speech.

"The Treme Two"

On October 1, 2007, Tabb and his brother, trombonist Glen David Andrews, were arrested for "parading without a permit" and "disturbing the peace by tumultuous manner" in the

neighborhood of

during a gathering honoring fellow musician, Kerwin James. James, the younger brother of

Rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * '' ...

founders, Phil and Keith Frazier, had died following complications from a stroke in 2006. A crowd of musicians and spectators had gathered to honor James in music and song that night. Police officers, after asking the crowd the disperse and being refused, arrested Tabb and Andrews. This incident, witnessed by resident news journalists, stirred the small community and sparked outcry against the police department, as street parades are inherent to the history and culture of New Orleans. The community, viewing the pair of brothers as advocates for their voice in the city, dubbed the pair with the nickname, "The Tremé Two". After several weeks of unrest and protest by neighborhood residents to the New Orleans Police Department and city council, in February 2008, the District Attorney dropped the charges without comment. A fictional adaption of the incident featuring Tabb and Andrews as themselves was incorporated into an episode of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

television series, ''Treme'' (season 3, episode 1, "Knock with Me, Rock with Me").

Discography

Tabb is credited as the snare drummer on all studio and live recordings billed as "Rebirth Brass Band" since 1997. ''(see Rebirth Brass Band - Discography for complete listing of all Rebirth recordings)'' Additionally, Tabb appears (by himself) as a guest artist on the title track of the 2012 studio album ''

¿Which Side Are You On? ''¿Which Side Are You On?'' is the 17th studio album by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, released on January 17, 2012. The title track is a revised version of the 1931 Florence Reece song "Which Side Are You On?" which was popularized by Pete ...

'' by

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

, along with his Roots of Music Crusader Band. He is also credited as a featured artist on the 2010 movie soundtrack ''

For Colored Girls ''For Colored Girls'' is a 2010 American drama film adapted from Ntozake Shange's 1975 original choreopoem '' for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf''. Written, directed and co-produced by Tyler Perry, the film ...

''. Tabb also acted as songwriter/composer on the

tracks: *"Do It Again" from the

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Award-winning album ''Rebirth of New Orleans'' (2012) *"Move Your Body" from the album ''Move Your Body'' (2014) *"Rebirth Groove" from the album ''Move Your Body'' (2014) *"Why You Worried Bout Me" (single) (2011) (featured in season 1, episode 10 of ''The Originals'')

Filmography

Television

* ''The 3rd Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' (2009) * CNN's ''Larry King Live'' (August 21, 2009) * HBO'S ''Treme'' (2010-2013) **Season 1, episode 1 "Do You Know What it Means" - Tabb can be seen playing the snare drum in a second line parade **Season 3, episode 1 "Knock with Me, Roll with Me" - Tabb plays himself, along with his real-life brother and former

member, Glen David Andrews. The pair is arrested for disturbing the peace for playing music at a street memorial in the musically historical neighborhood of

. This episode is a fictional account of a real-life incident in 2007 in which the community dubbed the pair "The Tremé Two".''Best Music Writing in 2008'', Nelson George, Da Capo Press 2008 **Series finale, season 4, episode 5 "...To Miss New Orleans" *''48 Hours Presents: The Whole Gritty City'' (2014). This episode of '' 48 Hours'' won a

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

in the category "TV and Cable".

Films

*''

The Skeleton Key ''The Skeleton Key'' is a 2005 American supernatural folk horror film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and Joy Bryant. The screenplay by Ehren Kruger follows a New Orleans hospice n ...

'' (2005), as a member of the

*''The Whole Gritty City'' documentary (2013), as himself, preparing The Roots of Music Crusader Band for

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...

parade season in

Awards and honors

*2009 -

CNN Heroes ''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...

(Top Finalist) *2009 - City of New Orleans Proclamation (Recipient) *2010 - Energizer ''Keep It Going'' Hall of Fame Nominee (finalist) *2011 - Blue Cross Blue Shield Angel Award (Recipient) *2011 - Young Leadership Council Role Model Award (Recipient) *2011 - ''OffBeat Magazine'' - Best of the Beat Award for Music Education (Recipient) *2012 - (with

)

Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 as the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the regionally based traditional Ameri ...

Spera, Keith. (February 11, 2012)
''Rebirth Brass Band wins its first Grammy Award'', The Times-Picayune. Retrieved 2013-02-9.
/ref> *2012 - City of New Orleans Proclamation (Recipient) *2015 - Millennial Award - Cultural Ambassador (finalist) *2015 - Katrina First Cultural Responder (Honoree) *2015 - Louisiana Children's Museum Silver Linings Award (Honoree) for ''"making a lasting and positive impact on the lives of young children in the community following

".''''Louisiana Children's Museum CHAIRish the Children has the best seats in the house'', Sue Strachan, Times-Picayune, 8/24/2015. Retrieved 1/13/2016.
/ref>

References

External links

Rebirth Brass Band websiteThe Roots of Music website(Editorial) What really happened in Treme the night musicians were arrestedDerrick Tabb live solo with Rebirth Brass Band (video)CNN Heroes Tribute: Derrick Tabb (2009)Rick Weil: Walking Interview with Derrick Tabb about Treme (video)Derrick Tabb: 2011 Blue Cross Blue Shield Angel Award RecipientHBO's ''Treme'' television series website''The Whole Gritty City'' movie website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tabb, Derrick Grammy Award winners Living people Jazz musicians from New Orleans American percussionists American music educators American jazz drummers American male drummers African-American drummers 1975 births Educators from Louisiana 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Rebirth Brass Band members 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians Hot 8 Brass Band members Drummers from New Orleans

Early life

Career

The Roots of Music

"The Treme Two"

Discography

Filmography

Television

Films

Awards and honors

See also

References

External links