Brass Balagan — 19 February 2020 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Brass Balagan joined guest host Geneviéve Rossi on ‘Rocket Shop‘, Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator. Catch up with them at facebook.com/brassbalagan.

On Wednesday almost all of Brass Balagan spilled into Big Heavy World in bright red jumpsuits, an outfit that is intended to make them stand out from other groups, that they wear for all of their performances. The name comes from their extreme focus on brass instruments, and the yiddish word Balagan, which means fiasco or chaos, is exactly how they’d describe themselves: chaotic.

Brass Balagan brought us in with a take on Feeling Good. Jumping in with a semi-jazzy take on the song, they kicked things off with one of the alto sax players playing the lyrics. It was a calm, slow beginning but it wouldn’t be long until the whole band jumped in for the instrumental. Even with the entire band being percussion and brass instruments, Brass Balagan covered the whole song expertly, both making it easily identifiable and putting their own spin on it. 

Of the current 12 person iteration of the band, only one original member remains since their 2009 debut. The group tells us that they estimate that a total of 50 unique members have been in the band over the course of its existence. This high quantity of members is thanks to the groups’ openness to new bandmates and love of getting people who are excited involved in their music. 

With the second song, “Que la Paso,” a Puerto Rican bomba, Brass Balagan played a song that, if not for the cozy space and freezing temperature, would have had us marching down the street. If you hear them live at one of the various events they play for, be that a bar mitzvah, wedding, or activist event, you’ll likely hear this song or something similarly energetic. 

Speaking of activist events, the band doesn’t necessarily all share the same views on political issues. They in particular do tend to gravitate towards events dealing with issues like environmental change, women’s issues, and immigration, but the band is willing to do most any event if they have a member who feels strongly about the cause.

For the third song, Brass Balagan took a chance to let the high ends all show their stuff, having the clarinet, trumpets, and saxophones take turns with solos. About halfway through, the song seemed like it was coming to an end but frantically picked up again even faster than before with the whole group pulling together as the tempo increased, only stepping back when it returned to the normal tempo. When we thought that the group couldn’t move around their small confines more, a couple of the players started to circle one another in a sort of Trumpet vs Sax duel. 

Brass Balagan has almost no recordings except for some songs from a few years ago, so if you’re looking to hear them your best bet is at one of their gigs. They’re not afraid to hold their events year round however, as just last night they performed outside, so don’t expect to have to wait for summer to hear this street band perform. 

To wrap things up, Brass Balagan took us through a punchy song with sections focusing mostly on the lower ends and drums while the others danced about with choruses of the whole band jumping in. Brass Balagan absolutely knows how to fill a space. 

Anyone who wants to learn more about Brass Balagan can find them on Facebook and Instagram at Brass Balagan, and on their website: https://brassbalaganbtv.weebly.com/. While you can find some of their music on ReverbNation, they absolutely must be seen live.

Text by David Carlos

Photo by James Lockridge.