Progressive country icon Sturgill Simpson made his way to 30 Rockefeller Plaza for a performance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend. Joining him on stage was a trio of New Orleans players, including saxophonist Brad Walker, trumpeter Scott Frock (King James and the Special Men, Delfeayo Marsalis) and trombonist Jon Ramm (Magnetic Ear).

The New Orleans-based musicians were part of a horn section that provided some prominent accompaniment during “Keep It Between the Lines” and “Call to Arms,” a pair of tracks from Simpson’s Grammy-nominated 2016 album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Ramm and Walker each got a chance to take solos on “Keep It Between the Lines,” while Frock’s moment in the spotlight came during “Call to Arms.”

It’s safe to say all three of them knocked it out of the park.

“The coolest thing about all this is that we get a chance to represent what, to me, is the greatest music city in the world on a national and international stage with a really compelling artist,” Walker told us earlier this year. “It’s a great honor to represent the music of this great city. We take it very seriously and represent it in the truest way we can.”

As noted in our September article, Walker, Frock and Hamm have been on the road with Simpson for much of the year as part of his backing band. The country music maverick’s latest album utilizes horns to a much greater degree than his previous efforts, and he felt a genuine New Orleans horn section was best way to bring it to life on stage.

Smart move, Sturgill. We couldn’t agree more.

“Keep It Between the Lines”

“Call to Arms”