The term “brass band” calls to mind John Philip Sousa or Dixieland jazz. The boys Mark Knopfler sang about in Sultans of Swing, wouldn’t be interested.“They don’t give a damn about any trumpet playing band. It ain’t what they call rock and roll.” They should really reconsider though because they’re missing out on something awesome.
I often joke that you don’t have a real band unless you’ve got a horn section. Brass is optional but it just adds a layer that completes the sound. Horns are the pepperoni to a band’s pizza, the bacon to a band’s cheeseburger. The alternative to horns is plain.
I didn’t mention this in the viral post about The HU Band from Mongolia (which is still breaking our site), but I won’t deny that I think the right horn arrangement backing them would sound totally badass.
What happens when the horns ARE the whole band though? Unlike bands like Chicago or Tower of Power,or Ripe, or the many ska or Neo-swing bands, there are many brass bands that are drawing nightclub and festival crowds like any guitar, bass, and drum combo. The instrumentation varies but these bands are all horns with only a drummer. Often a big honking sousaphone is laying down the bass line.
They’re not playing anything Sousa would recognize though. They’re pushing the envelope by making brass (and sometimes a sax or two) the primary ingredient in a big, loud stew of hip hop and funk.
There are a lot of them and they hale from all over the world. I’ve got seven here to whet your appetite. In no particular order…
Youngblood Brass Band
Youngblood Brass Band Links
Lucky Chops
Lucky Chops Links:
No BS! Brass Band
No BS! Brass links
Renegade Brass Band
Renegade Brass Band links
Broken Brass Ensemble
Broken Brass Ensemble links
Too Many Zooz
Too Many Zooz links
The Soul Rebels
The Soul Rebels links
Do you have a favorite that we missed? Let us know in the comments.
- A Tale of Revenge That May Have Inspired The Statue of Liberty - February 6, 2019
- Tom McGuire & the Brassholes’ Debut Album Body-Slams You With Glaswegian Soul - February 1, 2019
- Monday Mop Up: Explosive West Coast Funk from ORGŌNE, Irish Country, Cannibal Rockers, and some Wunderkinds - January 28, 2019
Thanks for the shout out and support!! ?????
-pace
NO BS! Brass
I love NO BS! I’ve seen you guys live a couple of times. Once at Shepherd U. and once at the Black Cat in DC. Awesome shows.