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The surname Neville is so inextricably linked to the music of New Orleans that I am at first surprised, when I catch up by phone for a chat, that saxophonist Charles Neville lives in Massachusetts.

While a lot of Crescent City musicians relocated since Hurricane Katrina, Charles has been up north for twelve years. These days the brothers in the ‘First Family of Funk’ are far flung. Katrina wiped out the homes of Aaron (here for Bluesfest with the Blind Boys of Alabama), who now lives in Nashville; and Cyril, who works a lot with Galactic, was based in Austin for some years prior to moving back to the outskirts. Art, who will be here with the Funky Meters, is the only brother was been able to remain in New Orleans.

“Right now we are kind of in limbo,” says Charles when I ask him about the current status of the Neville Brothers. For several years after Katrina they did not appear at New Orleans’ famous Jazz Fest but they are now back in their traditional closing spot. “We are hoping to record something but we are not sure when that is going to be able to happen.”

“Maybe we’ll be in the same place at the same time maybe at least once!” he laughs when I mention that three of them will be in Australia shortly – separately.

The other surprise is that the 72-year-old Charles - who has released three of his own jazz albums and often plays in the jazz tent at Jazz Fest – will be touring here with Youssoupha Sidibe and The Mystic Rythms Band and exploring his African roots. Their first album together, Tree Of Life, is set for its Australian launch at Apollo Bay.

Over the years Charles has performed with Ray Charles, James Brown, B.B. King, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Herbie Hancock, and many more, while his saxophone solo helped The Nevilles win a Grammy in 1989 for ‘Healing Chant’ on the classic Daniel Lanois produced Yellow Moon album. In the ‘50s he had been on the road backing rhythm & blues greats like Johnny Ace, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Big Maybelle, James Brown, B.B. King, Bobby Bland and Ray Charles. He also played saxophone behind Allen Toussaint, James Booker, Ernie K-Doe and Huey ‘Piano’ Smith. It’s an impressive roll call.

Given that he also cites amongst his musical influences musicians such as Louis Jordan, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Professor Longhair it has been evident that he has also been the most musically experimental of the brotherhood.

For his latest musical venture Charles has teamed up with Senegalese kora player Youssoupha Sidibe, who was nominated for a Grammy for his collaboration with Matisyahu in 2007 and has performed and recorded with Michael Franti and Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, amongst others.

Neville met Sidibe five years ago when the Senegalese musician lived nearby and his sister in-law introduced them. They talked about music and then went into the studio to do what he says were ‘test recordings’. They both liked the results.

“We just went in and played,” he says. “The stuff came out really beautifully and that went on the record. Then he moved away and I did not hear from him for several years. Then he called to say the record was out and asked me to tour. My response was, ‘What record?’ Then he reminded me. I listened to it again and thought, ‘Oh this is so beautiful.’ So I just played with him and improvised along with what was happening. So each show was really different.”

“We have blended the sound of the saxophone with the beautiful sound of the kora,” explains Neville, “and the music just really feels kind of spiritual. We did a recording with just the two of us but when we did a tour at the end of the year we had the rhythm section, The Mystic Rhythms, so the music was quite different. We blend some of the New Orleans rhythms in with it, some more jazzy rhythms, some Latin rhythms, some reggae rhythms.”

“The songs he [Sidibe] sings in his language,” continues Neville. “He has told me what they relate to. I don’t understand the words when he is singing but I feel the energy so I play along with what he’s doing based on what I feel.”

Neville explains that the music is still mostly improvised, that the musicians don’t have anything pre-arranged.

“I listen to what he’s doing and play something that I feel will blend with what he’s doing.”

Of course, the African influence and some of its rhythms have been a constant theme in the music of the Neville Brothers over the years.

“That particular rhythm that is identified with New Orleans music,” explains Neville, “is an amalgamation of some of the original African rhythms with rhythms of Cuba, Puerto Rico as well as the Caribbean islands. We have some of that and it comes out different each night, depends on how we feel or what the spirit tells us to do that particular evening.”

Charles Neville with Youssoupha Sidibe & The Mystic Rhythms band appear at the Apollo Bay Music Festival this month.