Dixie Power Trio
What trio with four members plays anything from New Orleans jazz to thrash rock? Dixie Power Trio.
Formed in 1992, the group has developed as one of Washington's freshest sounds. The group was conceived as an answer to an infrequently asked musical question: What would happen if a traditional jazz band played something else? The members of the Power Trio decided to find out and the result has been exciting audiences throughout the D.C. area.
They may tackle anything from Louis Armstrong to Louis Jordan to Lou Reed. Borrowing material from the Neville Brothers, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dr. John, Chuck Berry, the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and countless other groups, the Dixie Power Trio has a knack for reinventing classics. At the same time, they take pride in the authenticity of their New Orleans jazz repertoire. The common thread is that it's all good music.
The group's foundation is tubaist Andy Kochenour. He lays down the bass lines while Bert Carlson dictates rhythmic and chordal directions on plectrum banjo. Riding on top of the grooves is Zach Smith, playing cornet, washboard, accordion, harmonica and just about anything else he can lay his hands on. This makes for a popular threesome, but the four-piece trio is invented when percussionist/drummer Byron McWilliams adds his expertise.