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NOLA Brass Comes to Waikiki

TheeErin / Flickr
TheeErin / Flickr
Nick Yee
Credit Nick Yee

Hawai‘i is getting a little taste of New Orleans music this week.

Brothers Keith and Phillip Frazer founded the Rebirth Brass Band in the early 80’s playing a style of music known as “Second-Line”.  It’s upbeat Jazz combined with elements of Funk, Soul, and Hip-Hop.  Imagine a full horn section playing a funky groove, accompanied by handclaps and shouts.  Second-line groups are a tradition in New Orleans, accompanying community events ranging from Mardi Gras parades all the way to Jazz funerals.

The band has been instrumental in musical education as well as spreading information about New Orleans culture through frequent tours.  Keith Frazer is a founding member.  

The Rebirth Brass Band plays its last show in Hawai‘i this evening at the Blue Note Hawaiiin the Outrigger Waik?k?.

Nick Yee’s passion for music developed at an early age, as he collected jazz and rock records pulled from dusty locations while growing up in both Southern California and Honolulu. In college he started DJing around Honolulu, playing Jazz and Bossa Nova sets at various lounges and clubs under the name dj mr.nick. He started to incorporate Downtempo, House and Breaks into his sets as his popularity grew, eventually getting DJ residences at different Chinatown locations. To this day, he is a fixture in the Honolulu underground club scene, where his live sets are famous for being able to link musical and cultural boundaries, starting mellow and building the audience into a frenzy while steering free of mainstream clichés.
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