Featured Video
“The Fine Tuner” — Hot 8 Brass Band | Uptown Super Sunday (2013)
“The Fine Tuner” — Hot 8 Brass Band | Uptown Super Sunday (2013)
Composed by Raymond “Dr. Rackle” Williams and performed by the Hot 8 Brass Band at Uptown Super Sunday (2013), capturing New Orleans second line tradition in the streets.
Additional Details
Additional musicians vary by engagement. Dr. Rackle & The Sound Griots is a flexible ensemble featuring top musicians, assembled per engagement to suit each performance and project.
Audio
Recorded by the Hot 8 Brass Band on the Tru Thoughts (UK) label.
Composed by Raymond “Dr. Rackle” Williams.
Grammy-nominated recording.
Recorded by the Hot 8 Brass Band on the Tru Thoughts (UK) label.
Composed by Raymond “Dr. Rackle” Williams.
Grammy-nominated recording.
Composed by Raymond "De, Rackle" Williams
Jackie McLean — Blue Note Records
Composed by Raymond "Dr. Rackle" Williams
Jackie McLean — Blue Note Records
Composed by Alan Palmer
Jackie McLean — Blue Note Records
Raymond "Dr. Rackle" Williams — trumpet (band member)
Video
“The Fine Tuner” — Hot 8 Brass Band | Uptown Super Sunday (2013)
“The Fine Tuner” — Hot 8 Brass Band | Uptown Super Sunday (2013)
Composed by Raymond “Dr. Rackle” Williams and performed by the Hot 8 Brass Band at Uptown Super Sunday (2013), capturing New Orleans second line tradition in the streets.
Live at Tapp's 2 —Kevin Morris And His Uptown Production
Live at Tapp's 2 —Kevin Morris And His Uptown Production
Raymond Williams performing live with Kevin Morris And His Uptown Production during a weekly residency at Tapp's 2 in New Orleans, showcasing modern jazz improvisation and collaboration.
Live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum
Raymond Williams (Dr. Rackle) performing live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum, presenting original and traditional jazz repertoire in a formal concert setting.
Documents
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About Dr. Rackle And The Sound Griots
New Orleans trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. Student of Ellis Marsalis, Jackie McLean, and Dr. Michael White. Leader of Dr. Rackle & the Sound Griots. ...
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About
Raymond “Dr. Rackle” Williams Sr. is a New Orleans–based trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader whose music emerges from the living traditions of the city while speaking boldly in a contemporary voice. As a teenager, Williams studied under Ellis Marsalis at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), where he was deeply introduced to the music of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and the broader continuum of jazz, American classical music, and Black American musical traditions. It was under Marsalis’s guidance that Williams was inspired to pursue the life of a professional musician.
That early foundation led Williams to continue his studies in Hartford, Connecticut, where he became a direct student of legendary saxophonist Jackie McLean, further solidifying a lineage rooted in mentorship, cultural responsibility, and artistic excellence. Upon returning to New Orleans, Williams was mentored by Dr. Michael White, who guided him deeply into the language, history, and performance practice of New Orleans traditional music, grounding his artistry in the city’s earliest musical expressions.
As the leader of Dr. Rackle & the Sound Griots, Williams presents music that honors ancestral memory while forging new pathways forward—blending New Orleans brass band tradition, modern jazz language, and original compositions into a unified artistic vision. His performances move fluidly between street tradition and concert stage, embodying the role of the modern griot: preserving history, telling truth, and advancing the sound of New Orleans for future generations.
Members
- Raymond "Dr. Rackle" Williams, Sr. - Trumpeter, Composer, Arranger, Educator, Bandleader
Links
Hot 8 Brass Band
Dr. Rackle And The Sound Griots/
All Links
Influences
Jackie McLean, Ellis Marsalis, Earl Turbinton, Hotep Galeta, Rene McLean, Barry Harris, Dr. Michael White, Leroy Jones, Greg Stafford, Wendell Brunious, Willie Metcalf, Sigmund Walker, Harry Sterling, Willie Singleton, Chuck Easterling, Fred Kemp, George Jansen, Diane Lyle, Roger Dickerson