Mardi Gras has been a defining part of Mobile’s identity for centuries, and few local institutions embody that tradition quite like the Excelsior Brass Band. For 143 years, the group has provided the musical energy behind Mobile’s Carnival season, and this year the city’s residents have once again voted it the area’s Best Brass Band in the 2026 Reader’s Choice Awards.
Soprano saxophonist James “Jelly” Moore has been marching with Excelsior since 1967, when his band director personally recruited him into the group’s ranks. The director passed away just three weeks later, but Moore has carried on with the band ever since, becoming part of what he describes as a lineup more exclusive than any Mardi Gras secret society. Membership in Excelsior is not something a musician can simply apply for — players are chosen, and once chosen, they tend to stay for the long haul.
“That’s a great feeling,” Moore said of the recognition. “It’s an honor to be in the Excelsior Band. You know, you can’t get in that band unless you’re chosen. Then, you stay in until you can’t do it no more or die.”
Mobile’s brass band scene has grown more competitive in recent years, as newer groups with modern influences have joined the city’s Carnival parade routes. Even so, Moore said Excelsior sets itself apart through its commitment to nearly continuous playing, rather than leaning on drum lines between songs the way some newer bands do. “They march just by the drums most of the time,” he said. “And that’s the good thing about us, and that’s what I love about it. We’re always playing, especially when people see us coming. They start hollering, and we play. When we’re taking a break from playing, people holler, ‘Come on! Play us something!’ We’ll play again.”
Where some of the newer brass groups have incorporated pop, funk or hip-hop influences into their sets, Excelsior has kept its setlist and delivery largely unchanged over the years. Moore said maintaining tight formation during a street march remains a priority for the band, and he can typically be found bringing up the rear of the line. For Excelsior’s members, that discipline is about more than performance — it is a way of carrying forward more than a century of Mobile Mardi Gras history each time they take to the streets.
Moore’s connection to the band actually predates his membership. “The Excelsior Band has been around since 1883,” he said. “Since I was a little kid, when I would go to Mardi Gras, I just loved that band. I said, ‘I’m going to be in that band one day.'” Since its founding in the late 19th century, Excelsior has performed in a wide range of parade and ceremonial settings across Mobile, but Moore said nothing compares to playing during Mardi Gras itself.
“When we do the Monday and Tuesday parades, they are packed,” Moore said. “That’s what we love. The Sunday parades are fun, but that Monday or Tuesday, oh, man! You can’t even get down to Mobile.” As long as Carnival season continues in Mobile, Moore said he intends to remain in Excelsior’s ranks for as long as he is physically able.