Brian Carrick & His New Orleans Heritage Jazz Band

Biography

Brian Carrick & His New Orleans Heritage Jazz Band is one of several working names for the groups led by British clarinetist and tenor saxophonist Brian Carrick (b. 1943, South Shields, UK), a specialist in traditional New Orleans jazz. Growing up in northeast England, Carrick became deeply drawn to the classic New Orleans sound and, from the early 1970s, began making regular trips to New Orleans to absorb the music at its source, especially the Preservation Hall tradition. His first visit to the city was in 1973, and after years of touring as a visiting European musician he finally obtained a work permit in 1993, which allowed him to perform extensively with local veterans and consolidate his reputation as a stylist in the old New Orleans clarinet and tenor-sax idiom.

From the 1990s onward, Carrick organized a succession of bands under names such as Brian Carrick & His New Orleans Heritage Band, Brian Carrick and His Heritage Hall Stompers, and Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers, all dedicated to preserving the rough-edged, ensemble-driven style of classic Crescent City jazz. His groups focused on repertoire associated with Kid Thomas Valentine, Paul Barbarin, and other mid‑20th‑century New Orleans figures, emphasizing collective improvisation, spirituals, stomps, and blues rather than modern jazz stylings. Working between the UK, continental Europe, and New Orleans, Carrick’s bands became a bridge between British traditional‑jazz circles and older New Orleans players, helping sustain interest in pre‑bop New Orleans music into the late 20th and early 21st century.

Fun Facts

• Brian Carrick led several closely related bands under different names—including Brian Carrick & His New Orleans Heritage Band, Heritage Hall Stompers, and Algiers Stompers—reflecting both personnel changes and a consistent mission to present authentic New Orleans jazz.
• Although he first visited New Orleans in 1973, Carrick had to wait about twenty years before obtaining a work permit in 1993, after which he extensively documented the city’s traditional jazz scene in performance and on record.
• Carrick’s clarinet and tenor saxophone style is explicitly described as "in the Old New Orleans Style" associated with Preservation Hall, aligning his UK‑based bands directly with the classic New Orleans sound.
• In addition to leading his own Heritage and Algiers groups, Carrick was also a member of The Church Alley Irregulars, continuing his commitment to traditional jazz within the wider British scene.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Kid Thomas Valentine - New Orleans trumpeter and bandleader whose repertoire, feel, and approach to ensemble New Orleans jazz strongly shaped Carrick’s style and the concept of his New Orleans Heritage bands. (Live performances with Kid Thomas in New Orleans and Europe; repertoire featured with Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers and New Orleans Heritage Band.) [Carrick’s New Orleans visits from the 1970s; documented collaborations by the 1990s.]
• Preservation Hall / Old New Orleans style clarinetists (e.g., George Lewis school) - Carrick is described as playing clarinet and tenor sax "in the Old New Orleans Style" akin to the sound heard at Preservation Hall, reflecting the influence of classic New Orleans clarinetists associated with that scene. (General stylistic model for Brian Carrick & His New Orleans Heritage Jazz Band’s repertoire and arrangements.) [From Carrick’s first New Orleans visit in 1973 onward.]

Key Collaborators

• Waldren "Frog" Joseph - New Orleans trombonist with whom Carrick recorded a full album documenting 1990s New Orleans jazz. (Album "Jazz In New Orleans – The Nineties – Brian Carrick with Waldren Frog Joseph and His New Orleans Boys.") [Recorded in the 1990s; issued by Upbeat Recordings.]
• Alton Purnell - Former George Lewis and Kid Thomas pianist; one of the New Orleans “originals” Carrick worked with both in Europe and in New Orleans, reinforcing the authentic traditional style of his Heritage bands. (Live performances and club dates in New Orleans and European festivals alongside Carrick-led groups.) [Performances during Carrick’s recurring trips from the 1970s through the 1990s.]
• Milford Dolliole - New Orleans drummer and another of the local veterans Carrick played with while developing the concept and sound of his Heritage/Algiers Stompers bands. (Live New Orleans dates and European appearances with Carrick’s bands.) [Active collaborations during Carrick’s New Orleans visits, particularly around the 1990s.]
• Gabriele Gad - Band colleague listed as a member of Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers, contributing to the personnel core that overlaps with his New Orleans Heritage ensembles. (Performances and recordings with Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers.) [Documented as a member in later‑career line‑ups (1990s and after).]
• Malc Murphy - Drummer in multiple Brian Carrick bands, helping anchor the rhythm section in his Heritage and Algiers groups. (Work with Brian Carrick’s bands including the Algiers Stompers and Heritage Hall Stompers.) [Ongoing association during Carrick’s mature bandleading years (from the 1990s).]
• Mike Lunn - Pianist associated with Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers and related groups, contributing to the traditional New Orleans piano style in the band. (Appearances with Brian Carrick’s Algiers Stompers and Heritage projects.) [Active particularly in Carrick’s European band line‑ups (1990s onward).]

External Links

• Spotify