New Orleans' own Hot 8 Brass Band performs at 8 p.m. on
Friday, September 28, 2012
Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Fairfield University, Fairfield, CT
Ticket: $35, $30, and $25
Authentic New Orleans brass band music takes center stage at Fairfield University's Quick Center for the Arts when New Orlean's Own Hot 8 Brass Band performs at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2012. The band has epitomized New Orleans street music for over a decade, in fusing performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world. A post-performance Q&A with members of the Hot 8 Brass Band follows the concert. Tickets are $35, $30, and $25.
The members of the Hot 8 were all born and raised in New Orleans, Louisana; many of them began playing together in high school. In 1995 they came together and began playing traditional New Orleans brass band music professionally. Founded by Bennie Pete, Jerome Jones, and Harry Cook, the band has played in traditional Second Line parades hosted each Sunday by a Social Aid and Pleasure Club ever since. They also play a weekly Sunday evening show at the Wolf Den in New Orlean's Warehouse District. Hot 8 are famous for playing all day in the sun, then hopping to a club gig and playing through the night. But what makes the Hot 8 special, even more than their boundless energy, are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns.
It was not until after Hurricane Katrina, however, that Hot 8 became known nationwide. Featured on CNN, Nightline, HBO's "Treme," in the New York Times , and most notably in Spike Lee's Katrina documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts", Hot 8's work with the Finding Our Folk Tour has brought music to evacuee shelters, temporary trailer parks, and to communities throughout the U.S. that have provided a temporary home to displaced New Orleanians.
The Hot 8 Brass Band, like all of New Orleans, has had its share of tragedy in the aftermath of Katrina. In addition to displacement caused by the storm and subsequent violence and uncertainty contained therein, drummer Dinerral Shavers was shot and killed in late 2006 while driving with his wife and child in New Orleans. In addition, two other members of the band have lost their lives due to violence on the city streets. In response to these tragic setbacks, The Hot 8 Brass Band has recommitted itself to bringing people together through their unique brand of music to celebrate, to heal and to learn. This passion for music and social outreach led to an integral role contributing to the success of the Finding Our Folk Tour.
Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at www.quickcenter.com .
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com .
Posted On: 1348153740000
Volume: 45 Number: 40
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic university rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and across the globe are pursuing degrees in the University’s five schools. Fairfield embraces a liberal humanistic approach to education, encouraging critical thinking, cultivating free and open inquiry, and fostering ethical and religious values. The University is located on a stunning 200-acre campus on the scenic Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.