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New Orleans’ own Hot 8 Brass Band
New Orleans’ own Hot 8 Brass Band has epitomized New Orleans street music
for over a decade. The band plays the traditional Second Line parades,
hosted each Sunday afternoon by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, infusing
their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music
loved around the world. The members of the Hot 8 Brass Band were born and
raised in New Orleans and many began playing together in high school. What
makes the Hot 8 so special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved,
well-worn horns. An evening with the Hot 8 is like no other...
Members of the Hot 8 Brass Band have toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain,
Finland, England and Sardinia. The Band performs annually at the New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival, world and jazz festivals across the US and
Europe, and were featured in the Spike Lee documentary When the Levees
Broke. The Hot 8 has released three critically acclaimed recordings and
is featured on the latest Blind Boys of Alabama recording on Time-Life
Records.
The Hot 8 Brass Band has been part of an important relief project following
Hurricane Katrina SAVE OUR BRASS! is a local grass-roots project that has
brought music and instruments to shelters, temporary trailer parks, and
communities across the Gulf Coast.
The History of the “Second Line”
Second line parades are the descendants of the city’s famous jazz funerals
and, apart from a casket, mourners and a cemetery visit, they carry many of
the same traditions with them as they march down the streets. Today, the
parades are not tied to any particular event, holiday or commemoration;
rather, they are generally held for their own sake and to let the good times
roll.
Photo
© 2007 Will Templin
Second lines trace their roots back to the 19th century and the
fraternal societies and neighborhood organizations that collectively
provided insurance and burial services to members, especially among the
African American community. The "first line" of a funeral consisted of the
people who were an integral part of the ceremony, such as the members of the
club or krewe, or family and friends of the deceased. The "second line"
originally referred to people who were attracted to the music. Led by a
"Grand Marshal", the band and mourners would move to the burial site, with
the band playing a dirge to signal the struggles, the hardships, the ups and
downs of life. On the way back, the music became more joyful. Relatives,
friends, and acquaintances would become the second line and dance with wild
abandon. The second line, usually sporting umbrellas and handkerchiefs,
became traditional at these jazz funerals.
The noun second line, is also the name of a "unique dance", performed
to the beat of New Orleans’ traditional jazz. The dance is an evolved
version of an old African dance known as the, "Bambula".
recordings: Louisiana
Red Hot Records and MunckMix
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OVERVIEW
The Hot 8 Brass Band is keeping the brass band alive by providing
opportunities for students and the public to learn about and experience a
unique cultural tradition. Working with the “Young People’s Project”, the
Hot 8 Brass Band toured the program Finding Our Folk
where the band worked with young people to harness their historical
and cultural traditions and promote individual and community strength,
development and self-determination. This acclaimed project served as the
blueprint for the following activities. The ensemble creates dialogue that
seeks to build bridges between individuals and communities, linking the
physical and social reconstruction of New Orleans to the need for a cultural
revival in communities across America. In the end, participants may
recognize that in many cities in the United States today, there are
similarities to post-Katrina New Orleans.
The following activity descriptions broadly outline the types of residency
services offered by the Hot 8 Brass Band. The ensemble and the programs are
remarkably flexible, and the group is always willing to accommodate the
unique needs of each outreach event.
RESIDENCY ACTIVITIES:
School Performance:
Tradition, Tragedy and Hope: A brief survey of brass band
music.
School Performances include storytelling and music from the New Orleans
tradition explaining the root of the culture and its connections to West
Africa. Church and blues music reflecting songs familiar to the southern
experience, are performed interspersed with stories about the history of New
Orleans and Katrina’s impact on the lives of her victims.
Duration: 60 minutes
Age Range: Elementary
through College
Number of Participants: No minimum or
maximum number
Tech Requirements: Can be held in
auditorium or gymnasium and will require PA system and an adequate
number of vocal mics to fit space
Lecture/Demonstrations
The Lecture/Demonstration listed below has been developed for students,
faculty and community members. It combines live performance with the
personal stories of band members to connect participants to the people,
music, traditions that have emerged from the streets of New Orleans.
“Hot 8 Gumbo—Rap, Jazz, Rock, and Myth: Tradition and
Transformation in Contemporary New Orleans Brass Bands”,
This talk and demonstration focuses on the techniques and
ideas from New Orleans’ musical heritage, its origins, how it is carried on,
and the threats posed to its continuation in the aftermath of Katrina.
Duration: 60 minutes
Age Range: Elementary
through College
Number of Participants:
No minimum or maximum number
Tech Requirements: Can be held in
auditorium or gymnasium and will require PA system and an adequate
number of vocal mics to fit space
Master Classes/Demonstrations
Music: The Hot 8 works specifically with brass band students. This class
allows participants to immediately try out various musical ideas discussed
and explained.
Duration: 60
minutes - 2 hours
Age Range: Elementary
through College
Number of Participants: 20-30
participants
Tech Requirements: Band room or
large open space and appropriate seating.
Dance/Movement: Participants will work with Hot 8 Brass Band’s Grand Marshal
and learn about traditional movements/dances as well as the famous 2nd
Line Parades (African influenced). The Hot 8 provides live accompaniment.
Duration: 60 minutes
Age Range: open to all
ages
Number of Participants: 20 participants
Tech Requirements: space large enough
to allow participants ample room for movement
SAVE OUR BRASS!
Following Hurricane Katrina the Hot 8 Brass Band members, like most New
Orleanians, were scattered throughout the country. On September 15th,
2005, two weeks after the storm, the band regrouped, helping to initiate
SAVE OUR BRASS! a local grass-roots project that brought music to evacuee
shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities that have reached out to
New Orleanians. The Hot 8 Brass Band continues their efforts to provide
hope and healing for those impacted by the storm through the Finding Our
Folk Tour, traveling to 8 cities in four consecutive weekends during January
and February, 2006. The tour successfully connected young people and adults
from around the country with the plight of people and families directly
impacted by the storm.
Please
contact
Baylin Artists for technical information.
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