Low-Down Sires fire up early jazz

Before the swinging big bands, before jazz went cool in the ’50s, there was small combo hot jazz, born on the streets and in the clubs of New Orleans. Weaving strands from brass band music, ragtime, Creole dance tunes, spirituals, hymns and blues into a hard-hitting improvisational mix, Big Easy musicians created one of America’s greatest art forms in the early 20th century.

Bringing that tradition into the new millennium, Asheville’s The Low-Down Sires return to White Horse Black Mountain on Friday, Sept. 11 with their special brand of toe-tapping vintage jazz.

The rough and tumble nature of early jazz reflects its origins in the wide open port of New Orleans with its barrelhouses and bordellos. It was music for intimate spaces and neighborhood gatherings and relied on a finely tuned interplay between the musicians and group improvisation. The Low-Down Sires are dedicated to recreating the sounds of early jazz, inspired by the compositions and arrangements of Joe “King” Oliver, Edward “Kid” Ory, Jelly Roll Morton and other jazz pioneers.

The core of the band is Mick Glasgow (trumpet, cornet, vocals), Michael Gamble (bass, soprano sax), James Posedel (piano, bass) and David Wilken (trombone). But they’re frequently joined by members of a talented extended musical family on other trad jazz instruments. The Low-Down Sires also appear in the upcoming independent jazz film “SwingX.”

Fellows of bordellos

Who: The Low-Down Sires

When: 8 p.m. Sept. 11

Where: White Horse Black Mountain

Cost: $10 advance, $12 door