Hot 8 Brass Band
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hot 8 Brass Band | |
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| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Country | United States of America |
| Years active | 1995–Present |
| Genres | Jazz Hip Hop Funk |
| Labels | Louisiana Red Hot |
| Website(s) | www.hot8brassband.com |
The Hot 8 Brass Band is a New Orleans based brass band that blends hip-hop, jazz and funk styles with a traditional New Orleans brass sounds. It was formed in 1995 by tubist Bennie "Big Peter" Pete, merging two earlier bands, the Looney Tunes Brass Band and the High Steppers Brass Band.[1][2]
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Hot 8 Brass Band was propelled to wider prominence by an appearance in Spike Lee's 2006 documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Because of this appearance, according to National Public Radio, "A new legion of fans caught onto the band's mix of traditional marching music, hip hop, and R&B."[3]
The band has also been mentioned in the media because of the deaths of three of its members through handgun violence.
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[edit] Music
The Hot 8 Brass Band plays in second line parades hosted each Sunday afternoon by a Social Aid and Pleasure Club and jazz clubs in the New Orleans metropolitan area. They play regularly at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival ("Jazz Fest") and have played in the Zulu Parade, San Antonio Zulu Association Festival, the City of New Orleans New Year's Celebration and Mo' Fest, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and the Master P music video "Hootie Hoo". The Hot 8 Brass Band has also toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England, and Sardinia.[2]
According to the band's own description:
...even more than their boundless energy, what makes the Hot 8 special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns. Listen to [...] the magical harmonies and the magical, sweet tone that make it impossible to mistake this band for any other.[4]
In New Orleans, the Hot 8 Brass Band also provides music for traditional jazz funerals in which a procession is led through the streets to the grave.[3]
[edit] Violence
The violent shooting deaths of three Hot 8 Brass Band members within a ten year time span has gained national attention through discussion on All Things Considered and elsewhere.
In 1996, seventeen-year old trumpet player Jacob Johnson was found shot execution-style in his home.[3][5]
In 2004, trombone player Joseph "Shotgun Joe" Williams was shot dead by police in controversial circumstances. A local news source describes:
According to New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) accounts, officers were stopping 22-year-old trombonist Joe Williams for driving an allegedly stolen vehicle when Williams slammed the white Ford F-150 into reverse, accelerating into an NOPD squad car and officer. His actions, says Deputy Superintendent Marlin Defillo, caused officers to fear for their lives and thus open fire, killing Williams.[6]
The same source reports that several eyewitnesses say that police shot Williams while he was unarmed and his hands were in the air.
In 2006, drummer Dinerral "Dick" Shavers was shot and killed while driving with his family. According to The Times-Picayune:
Dinerral Shavers, 25, died from a gunshot to the back of his head at about 5:30 p.m. while behind the wheel of his black Chevrolet Malibu in the 2200 block of Dumaine Street… His family was not injured… Although critically wounded, Shavers continued driving four blocks up Dumaine before stopping. By 6 p.m., Shavers lay motionless on his back in the middle of the street just outside the open driver's side door… Shavers was taken to a hospital, but died within an hour.[7]
Police said the bullet was intended for William's fifteen-year old stepson. The Hot 8 Brass Band played at Williams' funeral and there bandleader Bennie Pete told a reporter:
We feelin' that dirge. We expressin' that dirge to the dead. We feel in our mind he could see this some kind of way but if he can't, we don't know, but if he could, he gone see I brought my best for him on this morn this day.[3]
[edit] Membership
Past and present band members include:
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[edit] Audio clips
[edit] Video clip
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Biography at Lowell Folk Festival
- ^ a b [2] Hot 8 Brass Band Website
- ^ a b c d [3] Drummer's Funeral Underlines New Orleans Violence], All Things Considered, 6 January 2007. NPR.
- ^ [4] History of the Hot 8 Brass Band
- ^ National Public Radio said he was age seventeen. Another source says his age was eighteen.
- ^ Reckdahl, Katy. "Why?", Gambit Weekly, 17 August 2004. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
- ^ Filosa, Gwen. "Two die in New Orleans shootings", The Times-Picayune, 29 December 2006. Retrieved on January 6, 2007.
