4 – 5 p.m. – Lecture and Q&A in Storer Auditorium
7 p.m. – Performance in Storer Auditorium
The Hot 8 Brass Band epitomized New Orleans street music for over a decade. The band plays the traditional Second Line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world. The members of the Hot 8 Brass Band were born and raised in New Orleans and many began playing together in high school.
What makes the Hot 8 so special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns. An evening with the Hot 8 is like no other.
Second lines trace their roots back to the 19th century and the fraternal societies and neighborhood organizations that collectively provided insurance and burial services to members, especially among the African American community. The “first line” of a funeral consisted of the people who were an integral part of the ceremony, such as the members of the club or krewe, or family and friends of the deceased. The “second line” originally referred to people who were attracted to the music. Led by a “Grand Marshal,” the band and mourners would move to the burial site, with the band playing a dirge to signal the struggles, the hardships, the ups and downs of life. On the way back, the music became more joyful. Relatives, friends, and acquaintances would become the second line and dance with wild abandon. The second line, usually sporting umbrellas and handkerchiefs, became traditional at these jazz funerals.
The noun second line, is also the name of a “unique dance”, performed to the beat of New Orleans traditional jazz. The dance is an evolved version of an old African dance known as the, “Bambula.”
This concert is free and open to the public with free parking. The most convenient lots are Lots 2 or 4 directly behind Ferrante Hall and Storer Auditorium.
Onondaga Community College’s Arts Across Campus is a year-round series of high quality arts and cultural programming designed to enhance student learning through the arts. Initiated by Onondaga Community College President Debbie L. Sydow, Ph.D., in 2003, Arts Across Campus showcases community favorites and also welcomes to Central New York new and emerging artists, scholars and performers who stimulate the mind and soul. For more information about this event or other Arts Across Campus events, please call (315) 498-ARTS (2787) or visit online at http://www.sunyocc.edu.
