Hot 8 Brass Band

New Orleans was the birthplace of jazz at the end of the 19th century. With the Hot 8 Brass Band, Enjoy Jazz looks back to the beginnings of the genre and at present day developments: over 20 years ago, this group was born from different school marching bands and has been stirring up the New Orleans jazz scene with funky rhythms and hip hop beats ever since. It covers Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and Sade’s “Sweetest Taboo”, does street performances and also performs in concert halls, they tour around the world and accompany funerals. Over the years, the band has also had to accompany funerals of its own band members: four of them died, three of them due to violence. Their music can therefore be understood as a statement from within the Afro-American community. Hot 8 go to schools, pass on traditions to younger-generation brass bands and dedicate themselves to fighting violence in cities. When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, they played for the evacuees. They performed prominently in Spike Lee’s documentation of the catastrophe and became known across the country. Their debut “Rock With The Hot 8” was released in 2007. They played the opening act on a Lauryn Hill tour and the 2012 album “The Life & Times Of” was Grammy nominated. Bennie Pete, founder of the band once said, “We got stronger. We relied on each other. And music was there to help us.” And all of this can be heard when they play!