Hot 8 Brass Band

Formed in New Orleans in 1995 by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jones and Harry Cook, the Hot 8 Brass Band grew out of the merger of two local groups, the Looney Tunes Brass Band and the High Steppers Brass Band. The band draws on the Louisiana brass-band tradition while blending hip-hop, funk and jazz, producing a street-band sound marked by the energy of second lines, parade rhythms and a direct link to the city's jazz funerals. The Hot 8 Brass Band initially played within New Orleans’ community fabric alongside the Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs before expanding to club and festival stages, including the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and later touring Europe and Japan. Their visibility increased after appearing in Spike Lee’s documentary When the Levees Broke (2006). Signed to Tru Thoughts, Hot 8 Brass Band released Rock With The Hot 8 (2007), The Life & Times of the Hot 8 Brass Band (2012) and Tombstone (2013). Over the years they have also crossed paths with artists such as the Blind Boys of Alabama while maintaining a strong root in New Orleans’ popular, celebratory culture.