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When I was in college and first heard New Orleans brass-band music, I dug it, though I think what first grabbed me was the debut album by Lester Bowie’s Brass Fantasy, I Only Have Eyes for You (ECM, 1985)–I still love his version of the Flamingos hit. But my deeper love of brass-band music came much later, whenever the Music Box first screened Emir Kusturica‘s Underground. The opening sequence, which I’ve embedded below, blew my mind. Considering how crazed the film was, I assumed the director had cooked up the manic brass-band sounds, recorded by the great Boban Markovic (pictured at the upper left), to suit his vision, but I soon learned that this high-velocity approach was a real Balkan tradition. I was hooked.
UPDATE: Since a canceled flight from New Orleans over the weekend prevented drummer Hamid Drake from participating in Anderson’s birthday celebration at the Velvet Lounge, he’ll be playing a last-minute duo gig with the saxophonist for the second set on Wednesday–the trio with Bankhead and Daisy will just play the first set.
