By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Known for blending jazz with everything from hip hop to funk to rock, the eight-piece Chicago-based group Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (HBE) will return to Rio de Janeiro to perform live at Circo Voador in Lapa on Thursday, June 2nd.
Also known as “Bad Boys Of Jazz”, “Yo Favorite Band”, and “Tha Bros”, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble consists of brothers Gabriel Hubert (“Hudah”), Amal Baji Hubert (“Baji”), Jafar Baji Graves (“Yosh”), and Tarik Graves (“Smoove”) on trumpets; Saiph Graves (“Cid”), and Seba Graves (“Clef”) on trombones; and Uttama Hubert (“Rocco”) on baritone horn.
Born to different mothers, all are sons of famous jazz trumpeter, composer, and Sun Ra’s Arkestra member Kelan Phil Cohran. The brothers were the youngest of some twenty-three children fathered by Cohran and during their childhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States, they performed together as part of the Phil Cohran Youth Ensemble.
The brothers later played live on the streets and subways of Chicago and New York City before becoming an official ensemble. As the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, they released their debut album, Flipside, in 2004. Multiple albums, downloads, and singles followed, helping the ensemble to build a fan base around the world.
HBE has performed with artists including Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Wu Tang Clan, De La Soul, the B52’s and Femi Kuti and is well know for their lively shows and unique sounds.
“Our music is described as ‘Now Music,’ a term coined by our father as music that is ‘fresh and eternal,'” HBE member Gabriel Hubert told the San Franciso Bay View during a recent interview in February. “It encompasses all the elements people look for when they listen to music.”
Circo Voador gates will open at 9PM on Thursday, June 2nd.
Who: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
When: Thursday, June 2nd, 9PM
Where: Circo Voador, R. dos Arcos, s/n – Lapa
Entrance: R$40 – R$80