Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is certainly worth mentioning as far as ethnic brass ensembles. Using a New Orleans-style instrumentation, hip-hop/funk influence, and colorful, jazz-influenced harmonies, this band has risen to international fame. It is a 9-piece ensemble, eight of them brothers of the same father, coming out of the south side of Chicago.

The HBE started out playing small gigs in Chicago, including at subway stations. They decided on their name when a man in a suit at the subway watched them for hours, missing train after train. Afterwards he came up to them and said "You guys just hypnotized me."

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