Hot 8 Brass Band: New Orleans

Traditionally, the various immigrant groups, of which there were many, mixed very closely in New Orleans. The laws introduced in the state of Louisiana around the end of the nineteenth century discriminating against black people were also directed against Creoles with French and Spanish ancestry: these were declared second-class »people of colour«. One of the results of these developments was that Afro-Americans and Creoles began to make music together. The Afro-American musicians, most of whom improvised and played by ear, joined forces with Creoles, who predominantly played from a score, to form street bands and other ensembles. With their hymns, spirituals, blues, marches, ragtime and European dances, they created the foundations for New Orleans jazz, the first real jazz style to form.

Every member of the Hot 8 Brass Band was born and bred in New Orleans; some of them have been playing together since high school. It is a combo full of authentic characters – and its music tells the stories of the streets. The musicians have experienced gang warfare (three band members were killed in shootings) and have survived vicious tropical storms. Through their music, they transform grief, anger and despair into joy and vitality, which is expressed through energetic beats, rousing wind riffs and brilliant trumpet and trombone solos.