Live
Hot 8 Brass Band: The Big Chill 02/08/08
Discovered by Quantic, championed by Gilles Peterson and signed by Tru Thoughts Not a bad triumvirate to promote this fresh sounding New Orleans band with a twist!
The Hot 8 Brass Band manage to combine the age old tradition of street band coupled with a Hip Hop sensibility and swagger. Hitting the stage with buoyed up and boundless energy - these beefy boys came to deliver and served up their gumbo goodness to one and all! This is a living, breathing music that would still flourish without any help from the music industry-picture De La Soul breaking into the village hall and stealing the Salvation Armys’ battered instruments and forming a funky brass band that kick ass!
The mighty swell of the horns, underpinned by Bennie Pete’s Tuba basslines, ruled the day. The sheer volley of sounds coming from this disparate horn section intended to slay all, with no artifice, just classic swinging, groovy music no heirs or graces!
The band literally steam rollered their audience into a flattened submission and involuntary flailing of arms and legs soon took the audience over, blaring trumpets, saxes and the big bass drum made sure absolutely no prisoners were taken.
Let’s face it how many of us have experienced this type of New Orleans mayhem before? Precious little I would guess, so in an ironic way at least something good has come from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Sad but true!
The scene was set,a gloriously sunny evening and an experienced band of heavy hitters thrashing it out. They have a raw unrefined, yet totally wholesome sound. “What’s my Name?” (rock with the hot 8) drew us in and won over all and sundry with it’s unabashed simplicity and rootsy authenticity. This lot have style and substance! This creole stew wasted no time in converting the hordes (and boy!) the ladies started their suggestive dancing immediately! As if they had been radio controlled from the off!
The stand out track 'Sexual Healing' an uplifting and life affirming
cover really smashed it home and sent the band and us into cosmic overdrive! This jewel has been gracing dancefloors and bedroom DJ’S decks since 2006 a firm favourite with the cognoscenti, do your self a favour and download it from ITunes and impress your friends with this evergreen classic.
The ten members of the Hot 8 Brass Band are all from New Orleans and formed in 1995, they have an unmistakable jazz spirit and a significant story to their work. They recently appeared in Spike Lee’s poignant documentary ‘When the Levees Broke’ (2006). The film captures the anger and despair surrounding one of the most horrific natural disasters in US history,but today folks, joyous noise was the order of the day and nothing bar a flood of biblical proportions was going to stop this merry band promoting their positive lifestlye and representing their community undividedly. These guys are the the real deal! Long live storyville!
Words Emrys Baird
