New Orleans Jazz Hero
Louisiana
For over 40 years, trumpeter Gregory Davis has been a driving force in jazz and brass band music, and for 25 years programmer of contemporary jazz at the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Known to many simply as “Blodie,” he was born in New Orleans in 1957, and grew up in the St. Bernard Housing Project surrounded by the sounds of marching bands and second line parades.
As a child, Davis was invited by legendary guitarist Danny Barker to join the Fairview Baptist Church Band, setting him on a path that has reshaped the musical landscape of the Crescent City. By the time Davis entered high school, New Orleans was experiencing a musical shift, and ever since he’s been influential, ushering in change.
“Almost everybody was in an R&B or funk band,” Davis once recalled in an interview with Matt Sakakeeny. “But as the Fairview band started playing and guys were gravitating towards that, the disco and urban cowboy scenes were also emerging. This movement eventually led to the formation of the Dirty Dozen.” That band, organized by drummer Benny Jones, with sousaphone player Kirk Joseph and eventually saxophonist Roger Lewis going Davis, energized and updated the conventional brass band style, making it new and exciting.
“Some people were upset because it wasn’t the so-called New Orleans jazz or traditional brass band music,” Davis noted. “But older guys like Frog Joseph and Danny Barker encouraged us. And the people wanted to hear what we were doing.”
They still do, and Davis is in the forefront of preserving and expanding it. A dedicated mentor and advocate for the city’s brass band scene, he fits in community work around the Dirty Dozen’s busy tour schedule. He’s also curated 48 performances over eight days at the WWOZ Jazz Tent at the 2025 NOJ&HF (April 24 – May 4), highlighting locally connected artists including Astral Project, Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, Stephanie Jordan and Nicholas Payton along with Bill Charlap and DeeDee Bridgewater, Bill Frisell and Kamasi Washington. In recognition of contributions, the Jazz Journalists Association proudly honors Gregory Davis as 2025 New Orleans Jazz Hero.
— Baylee Badawy
New Orleans Jazz Museum
Photo by Jason White
