The New Orleans-bred and brass-flavored septet The Dirty Dozen will be dishing out some spicy musical gumbo tonight at The Maintenance Shop.

Over the years, The Dozen has lent its talents to albums by Sonia Dada, Elvis Costello, Manhattan Transfer and the Neville Brothers, among others.

The group has shared the stage with Miles Davis, Al Green, Bonnie Raitt, Wynton Marsalis, The Grateful Dead and Ray Charles.

That’s not to mention appearances on the “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show” and “Austin City Limits.”

And The Dirty Dozen has seven releases under its brass-buckled belt. The most recent being 1996’s “Ears to the Wall” on Mammoth Records.

In light of the impressive past the band has had enjoyed, the M-Shop is definitely in for a treat when the band graces its stage tonight.

Efrem Towns, The Dozen’s trumpeter, said listeners should be prepared to bust a move New Orleans style.

“We’re going to give [listeners] a New Orleans lively atmosphere,” he said. “Just come to party.”

Towns said it has been difficult to categorize the band into a specific genre.

The group’s styling ranges from traditional New Orleans jazz and funk, to the slower sounds of R & B and pop music.

“We’ve been trying to [categorize the band] for years,” he said. “We try to do a lot of improvisation, that way you keep [the music] fresh,” he said.

Towns credits the band’s formation to the late jazz guitarist Danny Barker, who left New York in the early 1970s to help revitalize the slumping brass band scene in New Orleans.

Barker founded the Fairview Baptist Church Band to stimulate youthful interest in playing brass instruments.

His first star trumpet player was 15-year-old Leroy Jones. Jones later formed the Hurricane Brass Band, which included his classmate Gregory Davis, trumpet player and vocalist for The Dirty Dozen.

Jones left the Hurricane Brass Band to play Bourbon Street and the group added members and dubbed itself the Tornado Brass Band, which would later meld into The Dirty Dozen.

Towns said the band derived its name from a defunct New Orleans’ “benevolent society” that would provide assistance for needy families.

He became a member after a friend introduced him to various band members and has been playing trumpet for the band for about 20 years.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said about his serendipity.

The band keeps a tight touring schedule and is on the road nine months out of the year. The Dozen has performed in over 30 countries on five continents.

The group also plays several jazz festivals, most notably on its home turf at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The band has appeared at nearly every one of the festivals since 1979.

“[The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival crowd] is one of the most demanding crowds to play for,” he said. “The people expect you to make them move. You have to present yourself to make the people respond.”

And people have responded favorably.

In 1996, the band recorded with the Black Crowes on its “Three Snakes and One Charm” album and then toured alongside the Crowes.

“Working with the Black Crowes was a moving experience for me,” he said.

The Dozen just finished recording its new album, Towns said, which has yet to be titled. The album is slated for release by the end of the year.

One might think that with the incessant touring, the festivals, the recording sessions and the television appearances, that the band would get tired.

“The energy comes from the music,” Towns said.

The Dirty Dozen perform at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students and $11 for general admission.