Ari Teitel: a New Orleans story
Music is everywhere in New Orleans. Originated from the ryhthm&blues, jazz and second line brass bands, funk became a essential part of the city's musical gumbo. The funk tradition is kept alive and well by preserving the legacy from generation to generation. Take for example Dumpstaphunk, formed by Ivan Neville. He is the son of Aaron Neville, and he joined his father along with two uncles — Art of The Meters, who defined New Orleans funk, and Cyril — in the Neville Brothers before starting Dumpstaphunk. Another example is the band The Rumble, who just released their sophomore album Ain't no Dying. The Rumble come from the Black Masking Indian tradition, which has been a part of New Orleans culture since the 1800s. At that time, Black people were not allowed to be part of official Mardi Gras celebrations. So, they created their own traditions that paid homage to the Native Americans who helped escaped slaves to freedom. Important venues in the crescent city that hold the tradition alive are for instance the Maple Leaf on Oak Street in the Carrollton neighborhood.
Taking a closer look, we discovered there's a guitarist who is playing a key role in all of the above: Ari Teitel. He is co-founder, guitarist and producer of The Rumble, guitarist in Dumpstaphunk and hosts weekly improvised groove sessions at the Maple Leaf. If you think that is impressive, there is more: Teitel is part of DTF, with Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch and hammon organist Sam Fribush. And Teitel released two solo albums with a third one coming up next month. High time we asked Ari Teitel some questions to found out more. His thoughtful and inspiring answers below reveal his deep respect to the city's tradition and his dedication to music.
TNF: You're originally from Detroit. You seem to have fully embraced the culture and music history of New Orleans. You play together with band members who were born in New Orleans and have inherited the traditions from their parents and even ancestors. What makes the city and its people so well able to fully absorb musicians from outside and make them part of the scene and how did you experience that yourself?
Ari: New Orleans musicians have an innate ability to groove. Music is a part of daily life, whether you hear it at second lines and parades, a marching band practicing down the street and it’s involved in almost every celebration. Musical performance is truly communal in New Orleans. Many New Orleans musical traditions, particularly jazz, funk and brass music are really about musicians leaving space for each other and playing counter rhythms and melodies based on what others are playing. When you put those factors together, you have a city full of musicians who are great listeners, have a wide groove and are easy to play with. The music here is inherently welcoming. If you come to the city and respect the culture and music, it will respect you back. I came from a city and scene with similar musical values, so I think that helped me fit in. I was fortunate to meet some musicians when I moved here who embraced me and gave me some opportunities. Tony Hall from Dumpstaphunk and Terence Higgins who now plays with Gov’t Mule hired me early on, and I met a lot of cool people through them. Eric Bloom of Lettuce lived in New Orleans when I first moved here, and he also gave me some of my first notable gigs in the city. The Maple Leaf, which is one of the legendary venues here also gave me lots of opportunities to cut my teeth. The first Rumble and DTF shows were at Maple Leaf, and I host Very Good Tuesdays there. It remains an important institution here.
TNF: How important is the collective character of The Rumble and how can you hear this on the new album Ain’t No Dying?
Ari: Extremely important. Everyone in The Rumble contributes to the songwriting process, and our gang vocals have become a prominent facet of the band. Each musician comes from a different musical background, and if you pay attention you can hear how they come together. Most of us play jazz & funk. Our trombonist Joe Maize and trumpet player Aurelien Barnes both came up in the brass band culture. Our drummer Trenton O’Neal studied jazz but also grew up playing in church, and plays bass drum with the Mardi Gras Indians. Him and Aurelien are the same age and grew up going to the same jazz camps from the time they were in middle school. Andriu Yanovski has a jazz background but also has worked with most of the city’s funk legends, and works frequently in the songwriter space, so he brings that perspective. Our bassist TJ Norris comes from a heavy church back ground, but also played with Dirty Dozen Brass Band on trombone and has a masters in jazz. Of course, Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux is a 4th generation Mardi Gras Indian Chief. His father was a founder of The Wild Magnolias, which is one of the most important funk bands and Mardi Gras Indian bands to come out of New Orleans. He also has a strong hip-hop background. Some of us, particularly Aurelien and Trent, have been studying African and Latin music lately, so that influence has seeped into the sound on Ain’t No Dying. On this record you really hear our collective influences coalesce. Take ‘What They Say’ for example. It’s heavily African and Cuban influenced, with a whole montuno section. I play funky rhythm guitar over it, Big Chief Joseph does a Mardi Gras Indian chant on it with call and response vocals, we have a brass band style horn line and some more jazz influenced harmony.
TNF: The band process of The Rumble differs quite a lot from the realization of your introspective solo albums that you write and play on mostly yourself, like your new album honest. that you will release next month. Is this a contrast that you are actively seeking to explore different musical directions?
Ari: I definitely tried to find new colors and textures to pull from when writing honest. Since I already play a lot with two hard hitting New Orleans funk bands, and get to play more instrumental music with DTF, I wanted to focus more on songwriting and production. I didn’t feel the need to make a funk record, even though funk is somewhat present on the record. I thought about how Prince made great pop records that weren’t necessarily funk records, but you can hear how funk influenced a lot of his decisions and musical approach. I also wanted to layer more guitars and use guitar as a production tool, not just as a means to accompany myself. Everything was layered and overdubbed on the record, so there’s less of the live performance aspect in this record. I wanted to experience making something more heavily curated. There are nods to other artists I like who aren’t necessarily in the funk or r&b realm like The Beatles, Bon Iver, Mk.gee and Lenny Kravitz. I challenged myself to think outside of the box with guitar tones and with my songwriting - to make musical decisions I haven’t made before.
TNF: Are you working on new material with Dumpstaphunk and what is your role in the creative process of this band?
Ari: I haven’t really had the chance to work with Dumpstaphunk in a creative capacity, but hope to soon. We plan on recording new material.
TNF: Can we expect new material and concerts from DTF in the near future and how is it to work with Adam and Sam?
Ari: We’re announcing some tour dates shortly, and have tracked our 2nd LP. Working with Adam and Sam is a blast. We have a mutual love for the classic organ trio sound, but also love modern jazz and hip hop. I feel like I can play anything with them. They are both some of the most grooving musicians period. We capture most of our tracks within a few takes - everything comes together so quickly and easily with this project.
The Rumble has their release party in the Blue Nile on Frenchmen Street on 17 October, where they will present the vinyl album. Soon the record will be also available in our record store, where we have Dumpstaphunk., Neville Brothers, Ivan Neville, the Meters, Adam Deitch and many more. Teitel's new solo album honest. is expected to be in store once it is released 13 November. Tracks are featured in our Spotify playlists.
11 OCT 2026 Jeroen van Genuchten
