On the spot

Description

After celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015, the Hot 8 Brass Band returns with a 5th album, On the Spot, and a world tour that will get the French moving with its inimitable blend of funk, hip-hop & big easy jazz. The album's title comes from an expression used when a brass band, during a parade, takes a rare break but still keeps playing by improvising to please the crowd, and the magic happens, resulting in a new piece. In 20 years of career, the band has many stories to tell. There are beautiful stories, including a Grammy nomination for The Life and Times of the Hot 8 in 2012, appearances in the series Treme (HBO) and in two documentaries by Spike Lee, When the Levees Broke in 2006 and The Creek don't Rise in 2010, concerts on the biggest stages in the world, and prestigious collaborations with Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, and the Blind Boys of Alabama. There are also sad stories with the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, the separate deaths of five band members, and the tragic loss of the legs of trumpeter Terrell 'Burger' Batiste. After all that, the band continues to move forward by honoring departed friends and working for the future of their community, whether locally or through music. On the Spot is the best proof of that.