First Listen: The Low Down Brass Band finds a "Ghost Town"

Share this article

    (November 19, 2017) The bio for the LowDown Brass Band begins by listing all of the venues where this New Orleans frontline meets hip-hop collective has performed. That’s followed by a diverse roster of performers who have shared the stage with the LowDown Brass Band.

    (November 19, 2017) The bio for the LowDown Brass Band begins by listing all of the venues where this New Orleans frontline meets hip-hop collective has performed. That’s followed by a diverse roster of performers who have shared the stage with the LowDown Brass Band.

    There’s a reason why performers as distinct as Dumpstaphunk and trombonist Wycliffe Gordon would want to perform with the Lowdown Brass Band on tracks such as “Ghost Town,” the first listen selection form the ensemble’s latest project LowDown Breaks. The LowDown Brass Band hits hard with a horn section that can harmonize when playing in unison, while also the individuals possess the chops to step out on their own. That horn section is backed by drums that play funk and hip-hop – all in that classic New Orleans shuffle march style. That instrumental talent is on display on “Ghost Town,” a track where the band confirms what other instrumental hip-hop groups such as The Roots have made obvious for years – that musicians can match the most skilled MC.

    By Howard Dukes