Born and raised in the Upper Ninth Ward, Mr. Pete embraced this heritage. At 18, he helped bring together two brass bands, the Looney Tunes and the High Steppers, into the Hot 8. Mr. Pete once found himself leading a jazz funeral for a dog. “He was a popular dog for one of the popular musicians,” he told Esquire magazine in 2014, “and they threw a big second-line parade through the streets for him. Mr. Pete and a few bandmates ended up in Atlanta.

Source: New York Times September 18, 2021 20:15 UTC