T on the Fringe: Young Blood Brass Band @ Cabaret Voltaire
Despite the skill of the musicians, their sensitivity to each other's playing ensures that they never disappear into self-indulgence, swapping solos and switching lead instruments with precision.
| 13 Sep 2006
Boasting a front-line of two trombones, two trumpets and a saxophone, the Young Blood Brass Band take New Orleans jazz and give it a supple hip-hop funk. They bounce along on a lively, percussive groove, interspersing instrumental work-outs with passionate raps, as tight and precise as samples before flowing into fiery improvised solos. The crowd are driven into a dancing frenzy from the first beats.
Showcasing numbers from their new album and throwing in a cover from pioneers the Rebirth Brass Band, the Young Bloods are a wild party band, combining consummate musicianship with joyous abandon. They slow the pace for a few ballads, allowing the saxophonist to reveal a subtle delicacy, but their set is a powerhouse of thumping beats and a melodic wall of sound. When their rapper tears in, wound up and coruscating, they raise the temperature to boiling point.
Despite the skill of the musicians, their sensitivity to each other's playing ensures that they never disappear into self-indulgence, swapping solos and switching lead instruments with precision. This timeless ensemble sound has a contemporary, aggressive edge: loud, vibrant and melodic, they prove that hip-hop can be more than a DJ and two decks, and that jazz can be modern and angry. [Gareth K Vile]
Showcasing numbers from their new album and throwing in a cover from pioneers the Rebirth Brass Band, the Young Bloods are a wild party band, combining consummate musicianship with joyous abandon. They slow the pace for a few ballads, allowing the saxophonist to reveal a subtle delicacy, but their set is a powerhouse of thumping beats and a melodic wall of sound. When their rapper tears in, wound up and coruscating, they raise the temperature to boiling point.
Despite the skill of the musicians, their sensitivity to each other's playing ensures that they never disappear into self-indulgence, swapping solos and switching lead instruments with precision. This timeless ensemble sound has a contemporary, aggressive edge: loud, vibrant and melodic, they prove that hip-hop can be more than a DJ and two decks, and that jazz can be modern and angry. [Gareth K Vile]