Brass Band · Traditional · Est. 1958
New Orleans
Olympia Brass Band
The Legacy
Founded by Harold “Duke” Dejan in 1958, the Olympia was the first brass band to tour widely and a fixture at Preservation Hall.
The Olympia played the funeral band in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die — carrying New Orleans brass to the world.
Established 1958 · New Orleans
A Living Legend.
The Olympia Brass Band was formed in 1958 by saxophonist Harold “Duke” Dejan, who split off from the Eureka Brass Band and revived a legendary name — the original Olympia had counted Freddie Keppard, Kid Ory, and Sidney Bechet among its ranks a half-century earlier.
From the 1960s on, Dejan’s twelve-piece became one of the most important brass bands in the city — the first to tour extensively, a Preservation Hall staple, and even the funeral band in the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. A bridge between the old tradition and everything that came after.
The bridge to the modern brass sound.
New Orleans
