We have always said our Jazz section is one of our favorites, partially because the musicians we highlight are some of the best we have heard, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is no different. The band is comprised of 9 members, 8 of them being the sons of Jazz musician Phil Cohran. The name gives away the composition of the group, 8 horns and a drummer. The group got their start as a street ensemble in Chicago before performing with the likes of Mos Def and recording with Erykah Badu, Maxwell, and the Gorillaz.
The group has a decently large discography but I want to focus on one song, “War”. Coming from an album with the same name, “War” shows the groups abilities and the specific subgenre of Jazz that they play in for the album. The up-tempo beat that gets your head bobbing to the sounds of the horns and the percussion has elements of Funk and Jazz. The song starts out slow but builds to a wall of sound when the drums and all of the horns are playing at once. The song alone is great but the album is worth listening to also. But that’s not the end of the track.
Nick Catchdubs gave the song the mash-up treatment soon after it came out. The way I know Nick Catchdubs is through one of Wale’s earliest mixtapes, 100 Miles and Running, which Catchdubs mixed. This song is my favorite I have heard from his mixes. Mr. Catchdubs brings the brass ensemble together with Philadelphia Freeway, Beanie Sigel, and Jay-Z through his mash-up. The lyrics that are laid over “War” are “What We Do” off of Freeway’s album Philadelphia Freeway. The two match up perfectly, showing the versatility of the music that the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble makes. Enjoy both of the tracks.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – War (Featuring Freeway, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z)
This is great. I’m sure to play this next Monday night on Radio Valencia. Thanks for sharing.