Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (also known as The Bad Boys of Jazz) is an eight-piece, Chicago-based brass ensemble consisting of eight sons of the jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran. Their musical style ranges from hip-hop to jazz to funk and rock, including calypso and gypsie music. They call their eclectic blend of sound "now music", or "Hypnotic". Reared in the teachings of music since they were children, they grew up on the stage playing as the "Phil Cohran Youth Ensemble".
Early history
The brothers were raised in a house where music was a constant element of the household. Phil Cohran's "Circle of Sound" held rehearsals in the living room and put on live shows in the adjacent loft/theatre called the "Sun Ark". The brothers were obligated to wake at 6am and play their horns before and after school. As adolescents, they played around Chicago as the "Phil Cohran Youth Ensemble", performing for the likes of Harold Washington, Nelson Mandela, and other prominent figures of the day.
As the brothers grew into high school, many of them set their horns aside for a while. Enduring the deaths of close friends and family, including brother Anthony Neal, close friend Robert Lock (for whom they later wrote a song entitled "Flipside"), and Level Todd (for whom their song "Todd" was written), they decided to pick their horns back up. In 1999, the brothers took to the subways of Chicago and presented their music. Shortly after, they formed a full-fledged, 8-piece brass ensemble and by 2004 recorded their first project "Flipside".[1]
Collaborations
They have performed with Mos Def, Aquilla Sadalla, Phil Cohran, The Recipe, Nomadic Massive, Tony Allen, Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, Prince, Femi Kuti, Gorillaz, B52's and at the North Sea Jazz Festival. They have recorded with names ranging from Erykah Badu to Ghostface Killah of the Wu Tang Clan to BK-One to Childish Gambino to Maxwell. They supported Blur for their Hyde Park reunion concerts on 2–3 July 2009. They are also collaborators on a number of tracks from the third Gorillaz studio album, Plastic Beach. Their hit song "War" was featured in the box office smash The Hunger Games as the theme song for Caesar Flickerman. They collaborated on tracks with the group Rocket Juice & the Moon, a project featuring Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) on vocals/guitar/keyboard, Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) on bass, and legendary Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen (Fela Kuti and many others) on the group's self-titled debut album.
Personnel
- Gabriel Hubert ("Hudah") - trumpet
- Saiph Graves ("Cid") - trombone
- Amal Baji Hubert ("Baji" or "June Body") - trumpet
- Jafar Baji Graves ("Yosh") - trumpet
- Seba Graves ("Clef") - trombone
- Tarik Graves ("Smoove") - trumpet
- Uttama Hubert ("Rocco") - baritone horn
- Drew "Dru.M" McLean - drums
- Hashim "Hash" Bunch - bass
- Kevin "VoEra" Hunt - guitar
Discography
Year | Title | Label | Format |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | Flipside (aka Hypnotic Orange) | Independently released | CD-R |
2005 | Jupiter (aka Hypnotic Green) | Independently released | CD-R |
2006 | Jupiter b/w Balicky Bon | Pantone | 10" vinyl |
2007 | War b/w Mercury | Pantone | 10" vinyl |
2007 | New York City Live | Independently released | CD-R |
2007 | Brass in Africa b/w Brass in Africa (Bulljun Remix) | Handcuts | 7" vinyl |
2007 | Sankofa (split with Salah Ragab and the Afro-Egyptian Ensemble) | Honest Jon's | 12" vinyl |
2008 | The Brothas | released by Pheelco Entertainment | CD-R |
2009 | Alyo b/w Flipside | Honest Jon's | 10" vinyl |
2009 | Hypnotic Brass Ensemble | Honest Jon's | CD and 12" vinyl |
2010 | Heritage EP | ChoiceCuts | CD and 12" vinyl |
2011 | Bulletproof Brass https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bulletproof-brass-ep/id534458507 | Pheelco Entertainment Inc. | digital/ CD/ Vinyl |
2012 | Kryptonite (single) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/kryptonite-single/id437816277 | Pheelco Entertainment Inc. | digital |
2013 | Fly: The Customs Prelude https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fly-the-customs-prelude/id662123624 | Pheelco Entertainment Inc. | digital/ CD |
2014 | All In (single) https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/all-in-single/id939787624 | Pheelco Entertainment Inc. | digital |
2015 | Straight Business (single) https://itunes.apple.com/album/id939791704 | Pheelco Entertainment Inc. | digital/CD |
References
- ↑ "Interview: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble". VenueOne. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
Videos
- Straight Business Official Video
- City Livin Official Video
- Saikou Official Video
- Warsaw Full Show 2014
- Kryptonite Live
- "FLY" Full Album
Write Ups
- OkayPlayer Article
- TheSource Article
- SugarClub 12/03/14
- Bristol 12/12/24
- Amsterdam 11/24/14
- The Promontory Chicago 1/15/15
- Chicago SunTimes Article 1/12/15
- Hare & Hounds Manchester 11/12/14
- Brothers Hypnotic Film
- Straight Business Video/ De La Soul Show 1/15/15
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. |
- Hypnotic Brass Ensemble website
- Hypnotic Brass Ensemble fanpage
- Hypnotic Brass Ensemble/Mos Def/MF Doom 2014
- Bulletproof Brass Album review
- Bulletproof Brass Album review
- Album review
- Bulletproof Brass
- Bulletproof Brass Album review
- Bulletproof Brass Album review
- Album review
- Bulletproof Brass Album review
- Bulletproof Brass Album review