Member Spotlight: St. Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band

By Chanell O'Farrill, Hollywood Forever & CFDA Board Member

There’s something about a New Orleans style jazz band that adds such a unique touch of history and emotion. Sometimes somber, sometimes uplifting, a traditional second line at a funeral is a musical tribute like no other, and the Saint Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band is here to offer that musical tribute and be of service to you and your client families.

Thomas Wiggins started his professional New Orleans Brass Funeral Band after returning from producing 200 concerts in Italy for the World Cup playoffs in 1990. He had been working with the Olympia Brass Band from New Orleans, booking a 20 city tour, when he realized there were no brass bands like them in California. With the growth of his vision over the years, Wiggins’ Saint Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band now boasts 35 members all over California to play for communities from Nor Cal to So Cal. They are able to draw from a rich repertoire of music – not only in the classic style of jazz and gospel, but songs and genres spanning 125 years of music. They are even well-versed in authentic Asian funeral music, as they are often hired for Chinese and Vietnamese ceremonies. The Saint Gabriels Celestial Brass Band is ready to meet your family’s requests, surpass expectations, and uplift broken hearts through the power of music.

You can reach out to Thomas Wiggins and his Saint Gabriel’s Celestial Brass Band by emailing stgabrielsbb@aol.com