Hot 8 Brass Band | |
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 Hot 8 playing funeral for New Orleans bloggerAshley Morris, April 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz,hip hop,funk |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Tru Thoughts |
| Website | hot8brassband |
TheHot 8 Brass Band is aNew Orleans–basedbrass band which blendship-hop,jazz andfunk styles with traditionalNew Orleans brass sounds. It was formed by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jones, and Harry Cook in 1995.[1] Two earlier bands merged, the Looney Tunes Brass Band and the High Steppers Brass Band.[2]
Since June 2007, the band has been signed toTru Thoughts, aUnited Kingdom label,[3] the label's first U.S. act.[4]
The Hot 8 Brass Band plays insecond lineparades hosted Sunday afternoons by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs;[1] in theNew Orleans metropolitan area they also play at traditionaljazz funerals[5] and at local jazznightclubs. They play regularly at theNew Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and have played in theZulu Parade,San Antonio Zulu Association Festival, the City of New OrleansNew Year's Celebration and Mo' Fest, theTom JoynerMorning Show, and theMaster P music video "Hootie Hoo". The Hot 8 Brass Band has toured inJapan,Italy,France,Spain,Finland, andEngland.[6]
In the wake ofHurricane Katrina, the Hot 8 Brass Band was propelled to wider prominence by an appearance inSpike Lee's 2006 documentaryWhen the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. Because of the appearance according toNational Public Radio, "A new legion of fans caught onto the band's mix of traditional marching music,hip hop, andR&B."[5]
In 2009, the band added its New Orleans style to an "Iko Iko" cover song of the Swiss band Schtärneföifi, who re-recorded their Swiss German version from 1995'sHeicho – Ohni Znacht is Bed together withThe Dixie Cups in New Orleans. The song was released on the album,Wältberüemt.[7][8][9]
Four members of the band have died since its formation.[4] Past and present band members include:
In October 2007, the band releasedRock with The Hot 8, their first studio album, on theTru Thoughts label.[10] Hot 8 Brass Band was featured onDown in New Orleans, the2008 album bythe Blind Boys of Alabama. They released their second studio album,The Life and Times of the Hot 8 Brass Band in November 2012.[11] In May 2013 "Tombstone" was released, the sister album to "The Life and Times...," a recording mostly dedicated to former band members, living and dead.[12]
The band has been mentioned in theU.S. media because three of its members, all of whom were between the ages of 17 and 25, over the years have died due tohandgun violence. In 1996, 17-year-oldtrumpet player Jacob Johnson was found shot execution-style in his home.[5] In 2004,trombone player Joseph "Shotgun Joe" Williams was shot dead by police in controversial circumstances. According to a local news source:[13]
The same source reported that severaleyewitnesses say that police shot Williams while he was unarmed and his hands were in the air.[13]
In 2006,drummerDinerral "Dick" Shavers was shot and killed while driving with his family. According toThe Times-Picayune:[14]
Police said the bullet was intended for Shavers's fifteen-year-old stepson.[15] The Hot 8 Brass Band played at Shavers' funeral.[5] Bennie Pete died in September 2021 from complications fromsarcoidosis and COVID-19.[16]
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