Tuesday, July 31, 2007

The Loose Cannon Brass Band At Blayney's


















A musical Rorschach test is conducted on a Westport sidewalk when The Loose Cannon Brass Band play their Friday matinee show at the open-air upstairs bar at Blayney's.


















Passerby are assailed by the blare of a New Orleans street party. Many people stop dead in their tracks as wide smiles form on their faces. These are the people I want in my life. Others stop and stare, unsure what to make of the improbable scenario. I'm cool with this cautious approach. Finally, there are the haters- people who are visibly contemptuous of the spontaneous party.

















The most uninhibitedly joyous sound on the planet may be the sound of a New Orleans-style brass band. Raucous, funky and celebratory, it's balm for the soul. With the exception of high school jazz band offshoots, it's been years, if ever, that I've encountered a locally-based brass band in Kansas City. The guys in Loose Cannon may not be changing the world, but I intend to squeeze into this tiny space to become a part of the music every chance I get.

(Original photos by Plastic Sax.)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i tottaly know thoes guys! my dad was friends with them! his name was jack allen! i see duck and jack in that one picture! ah man...i miss thoes guys!

Anonymous said...

"it's been years, if ever, that I've encountered a locally-based brass band in Kansas City"

If so, you've missed out on the Necessity Brass Band, which had many of the same players but has passed into history, I think, and Dirty Force, which isn't so much a band as a mob of in-your-face performance artists with garage-sale instruments.

Loose Cannon is a step (or a couple flights of stairs) above, though. Pay particular attention to the interplay between the drummers, which gives this band an authenticity you seldom find.

Happy In Bag said...

Steve has certainly been a part of several great acts, Anon #1.

I did miss the bands you reference, Anon #2. Thanks for filling in the gaps for me.