LAHORE, June 16: Stooges Brass Band from New Orleans (US) gave a magnificent performance at Alhamra Art Center, The Mall, on Saturday night despite dormant air-conditioners amidst loadshedding, making the audience clap and dance to their fabulous music. The band performing to over 100 people did some fine fusion of traditional brass with hip hop jazz. Their blend of traditional New Orleans brass with contemporary urban beats brought a fresh wave of music for brass band fanciers.
The opening by the seven-member band was quite catchy. Playing on the saxophone, the snare Drum, the trumpet, the trombone, the tuba and the bass drum, laced with funk hip hop and lively interaction with the audience, made the band an instant hit at Alhamra Hall 3.
The band members, Cameron Johnson, Errol Marcuand, John Perkins, Larry Brown, John Cannon, Bernell Edwards and Lamar Heard, throughout their performance interacted with the audience by asking them to repeat what they were singing.
To the call of performers, young boys hovered around the stage and danced to the upbeat music.
The upbeat tunes, the silky rhythm of music and tapping and clapping by a responsive audience gave a lively effect to the performance.
The band founded in 1996 was here under an initiative by US Mission from New Orleans. During the tour the band will perform at different events and participate in musical exchanges in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. The tour is aimed at promoting cultural understanding between the US and Pakistan.
Band members said they were excited to be in Pakistan. They were looking forward to share their music and to learn more about Pakistan.
While in Lahore, the band conducted a music workshop and performed at a concert for some 100 students from a US-funded after-school English language programme and for university students at the National Museum of Science and Technology. They also tagged a concert at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.
While appealing to the emotions of traditional jazz, the band uses hip hop influence to create a new sound. It has an extraordinary performance history, including sharing the stage with stars like Ray Charles, Black Star, Jessica Simpson and Jadakiss. They have toured Asia, Europe and South America. — Shoaib Ahmed