A lil Bit of Brass in Music Never Did Any Harm

[madametromba]

Reign of Kindo

Hello everyone, for this week I will be writing about personal favorite band that I have been following for quite some time now. Reign of Kindo, or simply, Kindo, as they more recently refer to themselves is a NY based band that plays with a blend of many different genres including rock, contemporary jazz fusion, and r&b to create their own unique sound. The band currently has a saxophone and trumpet player that has been playing with them for a long while now and have been killing it since. Below I have attached a link to a song that I love by them, Romancing a Stranger, which features several shift of character withing the music, from jazzy vibes in the beginning to lively Latin immediately after. The horns play an important role in the music and play in each shift of the song that are to die for. The intonation and precision with the each lick played is well orchestrated and quite frankly, you’re going to have to listen for yourself, click the link below! As for me, I’m going to enjoying checking them out LIVE next month, May 10th in Orlando, FL!  

[madametromba]

Control This!

So for this week’s post I am trying something a little different than the usual. Last night, Saturday, I was performing with my ska/rock-steady band, the Big Skandal (shameless plug lol pls check us out!), when the band that went on after us came on and wow. They were really good. If you’re into ska, rock-steady or Jamaican music in general and want to support the local music scene then Control This! is the band you need to check out ASAP! They’re a local band from the Orlando, FL scene that has been playing since 2012. A really cool fact is that their lead singer and sax player, Jeff Richie, was from the old two-tone ska band, the Toasters!, but he isn’t the only multi instrumentalist. The trumpet player, Austin Kelly also sings and plays keyboard, and the trombone player, Andy Smith, does backing vocals as well. These guys really caught my attention with their horn parts, their intonation is awesome, and I loved how they split the chords up among the horn section. I’ve attached a video of Control This! performing last night, so please enjoy this great music in a not so great video.

[madametromba]

Lettuce

For this past week I wasn’t to sure who to write about  and decided to conduct a little research on a group I hadn’t really heard of. Based on the bands and musical genres I listen to more regularly I stumbled upon the group, Lettuce, which is a band originally from Boston, MA that started up in 1992. This band’s main focus is funk with what they call a ‘hip hip inspired urgency’ which is just perfect a wonderful environment for some killer horn parts to be unleashed. Inspired by Earth, Wind, & Fire and Tower of Power, Lettuce creates their own funk with exceptional musicianship and improvisational, rhythmic genius.

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Ripe !!!!

Yooooo happy end of March! For this week’s band with brass to listen to we’re going to step aside from the instrumental trend we were taking and talk about this really cool funk/rock/alternative and honestly overall dance music group with some fun and memorable horn sections!! Ripe is a Boston based band that started up at the Berklee College of Music playing  parties and jamming. If you guys haven't heard of that these guys, drop what you’re doing and get ready to jam out to some sweet tunes that honestly, I’m surprised haven’t gone mainstream. Something I really enjoy about the music is how tight the brass section and how easy it is to get one of their lines stuck in your head. The arrangement of the music overall is so well put together, with clear spots for the horns to do their thing and not just be a side piece to the music. Anyway, here’s a video of one of there songs during an Audiotree session. Enjoy!! P.S. If you really wanna hear a bop, check out their song ‘Downward’ :)

[madametromba]

No BS! Brass

For this week’s post I’m going to be strongly applauding the amazing work of the 11-13 piece brass band, No BS! Brass. These guys are total monsters at their instruments and definitely do not shy away from playing their instruments to the highest level possible. 

On a cool side note, I noticed that the tuba player plays on a marching horn called a contra. The reason this stood out to me was because usually in the brass you see groups utilize a concert tuba or a sousaphone, so seeing a contra was a first for me.

This is the first time I’ve attached a video but man is it worth it. These guy perform a 13 minute song in one sitting with multiple solos and feel changes all in one sitting. I was amazed watching this and I hope you are too. The amount of technique and knowledge required to perform at the level these guys is insane! If you want to hear quality brass playing that is fun to listen to and watch, check out No BS! Brass!!

[madametromba]

Snarky Puppy

Hola friends, this week I will be commenting on Snarky Puppy’s horn section! Specializing in jazz fusion, these players can truly show off their polished and creative skills with this group. The horn section is virtually featured in every song of the band and even with opportunity for some killer solo sections. I was lucky enough to get to enjoy Snarky Puppy and their horns live at Ground UP 2018 and got to witness the complexity of their music and brass lines in specific. I really enjoyed hearing how some of the guys in the horn section would incorporate different sound effects they would get from a pedal board similar to what a guitar player would use. I had never heard a horn player utilize electronics for the instruments in that way before and it just added a whole other level to the music. Something that is pretty cool about these guys is that they all pretty much studied at the University of North Texas, which helped shape them as musicians and bring them together as a whole. 

[madametromba]

Streetlight Manifesto

So this past week got to hit it off with big name, Bruno Mars and his group, but this week we’re going to be talking about another popular band with some fantastic brass players. Although these guys might not be ‘mainstream’ and heard on popular radio stations, Streetlight Manifesto is a very well known American Ska Punk band with a phenomenal brass section that has strong following from musicians throughout. Something I’ve noticed is that their horn section tends to front a lot of the musical ideas in the band. The horn line often plays catchy melodies that are often emulated by other ska bands. Their legendary horn section has been one of the reasons they have become one of the most popular ska punk bands today.

[madametromba]

Bruno Mars and the Brass

Hey y’all, as you can tell from the pics, today we’re going to be talking about pop icon, Bruno Mars and the way he utilizes brass sounds in his music to give it that special flair we all recognize him by. Bruno focuses on creating funky songs with a strong eclectic vibe that brings listeners back to the 60s through the 90s regardless if you lived ‘em or not ! How does he achieve this ? One way is by having brass muscians accent and detail the backgrounds of his songs with catchy brass lines and melodies that immediately connect listeners to songs they can relate to and have heard in the past. Much like a big band, Mars is the frontman of his group with brass behind him creating the right kind funky vibes for his audience to jam and dance to. ‘Uptown Funk’s groovin’ Motown vibe is completed by charted hornline sections that help finales the style he’s going for in the particular piece. The players aren’t just anyone though, they are professionals at what they do and have the right type of articulation and style to make their notes and lines zing ! 🎺 

[madametromba]

Brass playing in music other than jazz and marching band?

When most people thing of brass instruments as a part of different music ensembles the answers are usually very black and white. Either one type of group or the other. Either they answer brass in the jazz setting or in a ‘band’ ensemble (ex: concert band, marching band), but in reality brass musicians have been parts of various other types of musical groups and are increasingly more popular and common in other genres! As a brass player, I find myself playing in so many different types of musical settings that I would’ve never imagined possible. All these musical experiences I’ve gone through have triggered me to search for new music and see where else I can hear brass musicians and listen to what they’re doing with their horns. It’s crazy to see how much color and feel the sound of a trumpet or trombone can affect and add to any genre. Brass players can be heard in a variety of music, from Phil Collins music in the 1980s to some of the latest music on the radio like Cardi B, Bad Bunny, & J Balvin’s ‘I Like It’. Brass musicians are becoming much more prominent in popular music and in this new weekly blog I will be exploring various music groups from different genres that include brass sections as an important part of their music!