As many of you know, New Orleans brass bands hold a special place in my heart – after all, if you don’t feel genuinely happy when you hear a great brass band, you must have a cold, cold heart.
When I caught the Soul Rebels Brass Band perform at the opening night of the New Music Seminar Festival at Webster Hall last June, they were among my personal highlights of the entire festival. Much like their counterparts in the Rebirth Brass Band, their sound employs elements of hip-hop and old school soul and R&B – while remaining dedicated to funk and to the their hometown’s musical traditions (without being stodgy or inaccessible).
Check out some photos from their live set at Brooklyn Bowl last week, and catch them at a venue near you.
There’s my mom, who was my date, with a very lovely concert friend by the name of Adelyn. Whenever a brass band comes out, anyone who has even a passing connection to New Orleans comes out to show love; although I have to admit that the first time I caught Rebirth at Brooklyn Bowl took the cake, only because that show felt like half of New Orleans had come up and there was a dedicated group of folks who had brought incredibly detailed parasols – the type that you’d see while catching a second line march. Of course, I think the weather played a little bit of a role in that.
Slick Rick joined the boys for a messy rendition of “Children’s Story.” I couldn’t hear half of Slick Rick’s vocals as he was drowned out by the band; however, most of the crowd, including me, knew the lyrics and wound up shouting along in unison.
For these photos and more, check out the Flickr set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yankee32879/sets/72157641187641654/
