For any of you poor souls who have never had the pleasure of seeing a New Orleans brass band in full ass-shaking flower, here are some sample scenes: a smoky bar (they still have those in the Dirty South), the back yard of a frat house (for many, the only reason to set foot in one), a why-the-hell-not parade down the street (you don't need much excuse to start second-lining). Whatever the venue, a group of usually young, usually Black men, each bearing an instrument, struts to the fore. Inevitably, the low-end is handled by a sizeable customer with a sousaphone or tuba. The bandleader is, again inevitably, a charismatic young guy holding a trumpet or trombone. The split second before they hit the first downbeat, he will give a knowing smile to the crowd. A moment later, it's all about the rhythm -- the pounding, percussive force of a wall of brass players, each taking a turn at driving the riff, all trying to reduce their audience to a throbbing, heaving, terpsichorean mass.

It's a good time.

Revolutionary Snake Ensemble is what happens when people who appreciate a traditional art form for everything that makes it great make an effort to put it into every context they can think of. There's no mistaking either the composition or the band's musical bent as anything but New Orleans brass band format. Indeed, Year of the Snake's opener, "Parade", easily stands among the most memorably funky of the genre's tunes. However, what's truly amazing about this album is the variety of musical directions in which they take their basic sound; it is this characteristic that takes what could've been a wannabe retread made by a group of white guys, and makes it instead a singular and original blending of ideas.

The first clue that Year of the Snake is a quality release is the fact that it's on Innova, an imprint that has made its name by combining high-minded concepts and remarkable talents with down-to-earth approaches to the music they create. In addition to the aforementioned "Parade", standouts include the title track, which is a strange combination of tone poem-style sustained chords and frenetic drumming, and "Central Square", which sounds like a brass band falling down a set of stairs while somehow keeping their sound intact.

The preceding only takes into account the group's original compositions. With a range of interpretations that includes the inevitable and estimable N.O. classic "Iko Iko", James Brown's "Soul Power" and Sun Ra's "A Call For All Demons", the group's interpretations both remake these tracks according to their band format, and celebrate their lasting legacy.

Simply put, this is one of the most successful combinations of booty-shaking and brain-stimulating music to be released this year, and it deserves your attention -- and the accompanying shaking of your booty -- post-haste.