Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Phil Cohran related)

faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
edited September 2006 in Strut Central
I see these guys all the time and like them a lot....For These Street Players, Brass Runs in the Family[/b] Members of the eight-member Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, seven of whom are the sons of the Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Kelan Phil Cohran, performing in Times Square.By LILY KOPPELPublished: September 4, 2006[/b]The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble seems to live up to its name. This eight-piece band of street performers, seven of whom are the sons of the Sun Ra Arkestra trumpeter Kelan Phil Cohran, recently relocated from the South Side of Chicago to Queens. The young players perform daily outdoors and underground, most often in Union Square, Times Square and Columbus Circle. Video: The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble An old photograph of three, in background, of the seven brothers of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, all of whom were trained by their father. Their syncopated, often lyrical tone ??? incorporating jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop ??? is produced by horns that now look like world-worn hand-me-downs. Still, the instruments do the job, resonating off buildings blocks away.???Our music has a special gravitational pull,??? said Gabriel Hubert, 29, who plays trumpet, during a recent interview with the brothers in their Ozone Park bungalow. ???People can???t walk past it. People always tell us, ???I just had to follow that sound.??? ??? Like all the band members, Mr. Hubert has a nickname or two; his are Archangel or Hudah. ???The oracle??? is what the brothers call their father, Mr. Cohran, still composing at 79, who was a founder of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, a collective of musicians and composers dedicated to nurturing, performing and recording original jazz and contemporary music.Mr. Cohran has 15 sons and 7 daughters, and Hypnotic is composed of his 7 youngest sons, all very different in height, features and style. (Born from three mothers, most of the youngest brothers have taken their mother???s last name.) The only outsider is the group???s drummer, 26-year-old Christopher Anderson, a k a 360, who was hired but is now virtually part of the family.Starting when the boys were between 3 and 5, Mr. Cohran taught them to play trumpet, tuba, drums, French horn, cornet and trombone. He would wake them at 5 a.m. for practice in their room, lined with bunk beds. First the boys were given just mouthpieces. Only when they could produce a pure sound did they graduate to the body of the instrument. ???The main thing I tried to teach them was that they have access to the universe just like everyone else,??? Mr. Cohran said in a phone interview from Chicago, where he still lives. He often painted ancient signs and symbols on the walls of their childhood home. The family logo was a double orange X. Saiph Graves, or Cid, 29, who plays trombone and speaks for the group, said that ???our father is an astronomer,??? and then identified his place in Orion. Some of the children are named after stars or constellations.The ensemble is also composed of Tycho Cohran ( L. T., for lieutenant), 27, who recently traded in his dented white tuba, which he calls his ???fairy tale talisman??? or ???museum piece,??? for a new one; Amal Baji Hubert (June Body), 28, who plays trumpet; Seba Graves (Clef), 25, trombone; Dredded Jafar Baji Graves (Yoshi), 26, trumpet; and Tarik Graves (Smoove), 22, trumpet. The band, which supports itself with its music, has played on the streets of numerous American cities, and plans a European tour this fall. It has three independently produced albums, ???The Flip Side??? (2001), ???Hypnotic Brass Ensemble??? (2005) and the recently completed ???Pay Up.??? The creation of Hypnotic in 1999, after a stint as a hip-hop group called the Wolf Pack, represented the sons??? return to their instruments and one another after teenage rebellions, including quitting music for a period of time, against their father???s stern principles. ???As the sons, as the legitimate heirs, we???re coming out here to reclaim the sound,??? Saiph said.

  Comments


  • yes, these dudes are incredible, and their first CD is pretty well done as well. It was a good move for them to go to Queens... aint enough love in this damn city for that kind of talent.

  • I caught these guys playing in the Times Square station a few months ago and promptly bought a CD off them. Great stuff.

  • I want to purchase this.

    But I didn't come up with anything on a quick google search. Anybody know someplace I can order a CD from?

    Thanks for putting me up on these guys. They sound great from the video. Maybe they can do a duet with Talib Kweli like the Youngblood Brass Band.

  • LewisLewis Connecticut 101 Posts
    amazing and beautiful music. thanks for the post. it's nice to see his legacy continuing via his sons. will definitely try to cop some of their releases.

  • BsidesBsides 4,244 Posts
    The creation of Hypnotic in 1999, after a stint as a hip-hop group called the Wolf Pack, represented the sons??? return to their instruments and one another after teenage rebellions,


    Too bad, the vans song was pretty good i thought. Hope the jazz thing works out for dudes.

  • I've seen them play a couple times out here and I also picked up their first disc...it's good stuff. My suggestion would be check them out at a club and bring a lady who likes to dance and watch her move. Hypnotic indeed.

  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    The creation of Hypnotic in 1999, after a stint as a hip-hop group called the Wolf Pack, represented the sons??? return to their instruments and one another after teenage rebellions,

    Too bad, the vans song was pretty good i thought. Hope the jazz thing works out for dudes.

    Is this for real? FOR SERIOUS Phil Cohran's kids are Wolfpack?








  • Is this for real? FOR SERIOUS Phil Cohran's kids are Wolfpack?

    no

  • man, I was wondering why I havent caught these cats downtown this summer. they really are pretty fucking amazing, friendly too!

  • TREWTREW 2,037 Posts
    man, I was wondering why I havent caught these cats downtown this summer. they really are pretty fucking amazing, friendly too!

    they were the group who used to play by water tower, right? i remember them str8 killin' kool and gang tunes.. too bad they had to bounce.
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