Bouncing Brass Bros

November 8, 2016 6:38 AM

New York City brass group Lucky Chops makes the 34th st subway station feel good.
posted by Sokka shot first (22 comments total)

I love seeing a small guy playing the tuba; it really goes against type. Wish they'd let him step forward to a front line for a little bit.

One of the most exciting things about live music in New York lately is the explosion of brass. These guys are a great example, but I've also enjoyed this year Super HiFI ("Brooklyn's finest double trombone-fueled live dub), the Brooklyn Blowhards (sax player Jeff Lederer's mix of Albert Ayler and sea chanties) Battle Tank (amazing circular-breathing based all-sax quartet), Slavic Soul Party! (New York's Official #1 Brass Band for Balkan Soul Gypsy Funk) and Roy Nathanson from the Jazz Passengers playing free shows with a quartet at my neighborhood coffee shop. It's a good time to live in Brooklyn.

Thanks for posting.
posted by layceepee at 6:59 AM on November 8, 2016 [6 favorites]

This is wonderful and made me so happy! Thank you for posting! The music is awesome and the DANCING just makes my heart sing with joy.
posted by brainwane at 7:10 AM on November 8, 2016

Wait! Is it Lucky Chops or Too Many Zooz? Did Too Many Zooz change its name or is this some kind of subway supergroup?
posted by feckless at 7:12 AM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I caught them in Grand Central last year.
posted by andoatnp at 7:18 AM on November 8, 2016

I think they've been on before partly as Too Many Zooz, but this is a cool performance, glad to see it!
posted by carter at 7:23 AM on November 8, 2016

I sure would like to see those guys wearing hearing protection. Hearing loss among musicians who play instruments like these is a real thing, and you typically don't notice it until the damage is already done.
posted by slkinsey at 7:23 AM on November 8, 2016

I love stumbling onto these guys; I've seen them in at least 2-3 stations and they bring it.
posted by griphus at 7:25 AM on November 8, 2016

The half-valve smears at 1:30, 4:48, and 5:05 were flipping awesome.
posted by plinth at 7:29 AM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

Wait! Is it Lucky Chops or Too Many Zooz?

I believe they're a separate band with some overlap in membership and the YouTube video is mislabeled.

In other Zooz news, they played with Beyonce at the CMAs and have been doing some collaboration and touring with Beats Antique.
posted by Candleman at 7:32 AM on November 8, 2016 [3 favorites]

There are a bunch of these brass bands playing the subways. I catch William B Johnson's Drumadics under the Port Authority fairly frequently.
posted by JaredSeth at 7:38 AM on November 8, 2016

Nice! Sad I haven't yet had the good fortune to see them in person.
posted by ferret branca at 7:40 AM on November 8, 2016

At the end one of them says "We are the Lucky Chops from New York City" so I guess it's the Lucky Chops. And they're from New York City.
posted by aubilenon at 8:02 AM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

damn, that break around 2:10. Thanks so much for this!
posted by es_de_bah at 8:11 AM on November 8, 2016

and then at 4:10. Honestly. This is the cure for all my election day blues.
posted by es_de_bah at 8:14 AM on November 8, 2016

Hearing loss among musicians who play instruments like these is a real thing, and you typically don't notice it until the damage is already done.

"I SAID YOU TYPICALLY DON'T NOTICE IT UNTIL THE DAMAGE IS ALREADY DONE."
posted by Paul Slade at 8:18 AM on November 8, 2016 [6 favorites]

To keep with the upbeat music, if you've ever thought brass bands need more bagpipe and early German influence, you might like Wolgemut.
posted by Candleman at 8:19 AM on November 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

The Half-Valve Smears opened for Iggy and the Stooges the last time I hit CBGBs. Shit was epic.
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 8:20 AM on November 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

That's some classy brass right there.
posted by Bob Regular at 12:03 PM on November 8, 2016

I'm a late-40s white lady and I can. Not. Get. Enough. of Too Many Zooz. I have all their albums and listen incessantly. Leo P. seems to be the only overlap with Lucky Chops, and this band seems to only do covers (as far as I can find on YouTube). Good stuff though.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:38 PM on November 8, 2016

Love this!
posted by ellieBOA at 1:25 PM on November 8, 2016

Such seamless, shameless segues! Glorious!
posted by On the Corner at 2:01 AM on November 9, 2016

So freaking joyful! Awesome!
posted by Samizdata at 8:19 AM on November 9, 2016