About

Background

Born in New Orleans, Kenneth became a fan of the trumpet at the young age of 7. At 10, he became the protegé of legendary jazz musician Milton Batiste. Mr. Batiste taught Kenneth many lessons about jazz, music and its history, one of the first of which was to listen and analyze the music before playing. After a session of discussing the song, its meaning and why it was written, the two would pull out their horns and begin to play.

As an astute student of traditional jazz music, Kenneth has perfected the craft of fusing this genre with hip hop, R&B, country and contemporary jazz. Kenneth’s music remains popular due to his ability to blend the elements of today’s music with his strong foundation of traditional jazz, which appeals to fans of multiple genres of music.

As an ambassador of the traditional heritage of jazz bands, Kenneth feels that the gift of music is one that should be shared with others. This belief led him to give free lessons to youth of the New Orleans area who share his passion for music. Terry’s expertise has spawned many your jazz bands.

Bands

Kenneth was a founding member of the New Birth Brass Band and the original leader of the Junior Olympia Brass Band. He has performed with:

  • Rebirth Brass Band
  • Soul Rebels
  • Pinstripe Brass Band
  • Olympia Brass Band
  • Forgotten Souls Brass Band
  • Tuxedo Brass Band
  • Preservation Hall Brass Band
  • Bucket Men Brass Band
  • Tuba Fats Brass Band
  • Algiers Brass Band
  • Treme Brass Band
  • Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Orchestra
  • Kenny Terry Jazz Band
  • New Orleans Swamp Donkeys Jass Band

He has played around the world, including Africa, Europe, Canada and Australia.

Music Credits

Kenneth’s song-writing credits include Fire, Your Neighborhood Spiderman, You Been Watching Me and Give That Girl a Wedgie. He has recorded on the following CDs:

  • Treme Traditional by Treme Brass Band
  • The Jazz Discography Vol. 16
  • The New Orleans Jazz Festival (2005)
  •  Jazz Crusade: New Orleans Reborn Vol. 1

Television and Film Credits

Kenneth has appeared in:

  • the HBO series Treme
  • the CBS series NCIS
  • Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke
  • Ken Burns’ documentary Jazz, Episode 10
  • the films Angel Heart and Tightrope
  • Sesame Street
  • several television commercials

Publications

Kenneth has been featured in several publications, including:

  • New Orleans Magazine
  • National Geographic
  • Lagniappe section of the Times-Picayune
  • Jazz Journal International
  • Savoy Magazine
  • Cadence
  • Louisiana Weekly
  • Zitty
  • Huffington Post
  • b212.com
  • New Orleans Jazz Fest: A Tutorial History
  • Music Hound Folk
  • Washington Post
  • The Daily Beast
  • Talk That Music Talk