"Jesus On The Main Line (Tell Him What You Want)" - New Birth Brass Band

“Jesus On The Main Line (Tell Him What You Want)” (PDF) from the New Birth Brass Band album, D-Boy.

(2023 revision):
The tradition of New Orleans brass band music begins with the African-American spirituals used in funeral processions to send the departed home in a dignified manner. As the second-line celebrations became more popular, uplifting gospel tunes like “This Little Light of Mine,” “I’ll Fly Away,” and “Glory Glory” (which all share the same song form) were incorporated to capture the spirit among the congregation. “Jesus On The Main Line” first appeared on Rev. Gatemouth Moore’s 1960 album Revival! and the fact that it was recorded by both New Birth and Rebirth recorded in 1997 demonstrates how popular the modern gospel tune was among brass bands.

Because the architecture of “Jesus On The Main Line” is also with those previous gospel tunes, this trombone solo doesn’t break any new ground in terms of improvised techniques or melodies, relying on the blues scale with some bebop influence. But the melodic interval between the major 6th (G) and the upper tonic (Bb) is a direct influence of gospel-shout leaders’ call and response phrasing. As New Orleans music developed into R&B and funk during the late Twentieth-century, the U.H.O.P. shout bands of the southeastern region of the United States, specifically in North Carolina, utilized the power of gospel phrasing on brass instruments, most favorably the trombone.

Here’s a YouTube video featuring some powerful U.H.O.P. gospel trombone:

Recommended reading: Roll With It: Brass Bands in the Streets of New Orleans by Matt Sakakeeny. Published by Duke University Press.