The Hot 8 Brass Band in workshop and discussion with Harlem high-school students, hosted by Larry Blumenfeld and presented by the National Jazz Museum in Harlem in collaboration with the Finding Our Folk Tour.
On Tuesday, November 27th from 1pm-3pm, the Hot 8 spends time with the students of the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts in Harlem as part of the ongoing cultural and educational programming of The National Jazz Museum of Harlem. They'll perform both traditional and original repertoire for students, explain the fundamentals of New Orleans brass-band styles, and talk about the realities of post-Katrina life and art.
For the past dozen years, the Hot 8 Brass Band of New Orleans has been a standard- bearer of a centuries-old musical tradition as well as an innovator within that tradition, updating this jazz legacy with elements of R&B, funk and hip-hop. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the floods that followed the levee failures, the band's members have emerged as cultural and spiritual leaders in their local community and as important spokesmen on New Orleans for a wider audience. At traditional second-line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon by Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, brass bands such as the Hot 8 play and supporters follow along, dancing and clapping out rhythms. These events have always been powerful expressions of community; since Katrina, they express an even deeper message - of community, solidarity, and social purpose.
The afternoon will be hosted by veteran journalist Larry Blumenfeld, who has written extensively about cultural crisis and recovery in New Orleans for publications including The Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, Salon.com, and Jazziz; he'll share his experiences covering these issues - the challenges facing musicians, and the ways in which culture is central to the city's dynamic political and social change, drawn from a book-in-progress on the subject. And he'll lead a discussion with Hot 8 Brass band members about the role of brass-band musicians in post-Katrina recovery, the ways in which they have worked with civic leaders and students, and the importance of the tradition they carry. The Hot 8 Brass Band has epitomized New Orleans street music for over a decade. Founded by tuba player Bennie Pete, trombonist Jerome Jones, and bass drummer Harry Cook in 1995, the band plays the traditional second-line parades, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world. The members of the Hot 8 were born and raised in New Orleans; many began playing together in high school. The Band performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, world and jazz festivals across the US and Europe, and were featured in the Spike Lee documentary When the Levees Broke. The Hot 8 has been part of an important relief project following Hurricane Katrina - SAVE OUR BRASS!, a local grass- roots project that has brought music and instruments to shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities across the Gulf Coast. Working with the “Young People's Project", the Hot 8 toured the program Finding Our Folk working with young people to harness their historical and cultural traditions and to promote individual and community strength, development and self-determination.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem has been ensconced in its Harlem offices for over five years now; its public programs now attract several thousand people a year as they continue their efforts to obtain a permanent home.
The Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts (UASPA) aims to sustain a challenging college preparatory curriculum, infusing the performing arts into all aspects of the academic experience. By using the arts as a teaching tool and providing students with the means to express themselves, UASPA breathes life and creativity into all subjects and build confidence throughout the school community. Unlike many performing arts schools, UASPA does not audition its students; the students need only to exhibit a sincere interest in the arts. UASPA is committed to bringing a quality education, resources and opportunities to underserved areas and students.
During the Finding Our Folk tour, high school and college students, supported by community elders and grassroots organizations, toured America and visited cities where Hurricane Katrina survivors were displaced. The tour partnered with local and national community-based organizations and learning institutions, to identify evacuees and the cities where they were, to develop curriculum and provide training for high school and college students to facilitate workshops and support the overall documentation of the tour. The Finding Our Folk Tour hit the road in 2007 with the Hot 8 Brass Band and continues its work in New Orleans with both the Hot 8 and Black Men of Labor, combining performances, workshops, exhibits, master classes and presentations.
Larry Blumenfeld is a Katrina Media Fellow with the Open Society Institute and editor-at- large of Jazziz magazine. This workshop and performance was also made possible through the institute's generous support.
The Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts is located at 509 West 129th Street in Manhattan, tel. 212-234-4631. This is a private event for students; for press and other inquiries please contact Wilhelmina Grant at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem: [email protected], or 212-348-8300
For more information contact Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services.
