Formed in 2018, Voodoo Brass Band is already one of London’s freshest and most exciting new brass bands. Comprising of 9 musicians from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, they have seen their reputation go from strength to strength following sell-out shows all across London including regular performances at venues such as Hootananny, Brixton and Matchstick Theatre, Deptford.
Their repertoire includes inspired arrangements of pop, rock and New Orleans second line songs, as well as original material that draws on a wide range of influences reaching from London based jazz-fusion bands such as Ezra Collective, to American brass bands such as The Soul Rebels, Youngblood Brass Band and pioneers Hot 8 Brass Band. The music in Voodoo Brass Band is arranged and composed by Simon Chorley (Bass Trombone) and George Jefford (Trumpet).
In November of last year Voodoo Brass Band released their first single ‘Earthquake’ (available on all streaming platforms), a cover of the 2011 hit by Labyrinth to critical acclaim. In the next few months they will be releasing their upcoming single ‘12 Years’– an original composition, as well as working towards recording their first E.P. in the summer of 2020.
Recent performance highlights include a ‘Brass Off’ against Chronotic Brass at Matchstick Theatre back in October, a sell-out show at Underbelly Hoxton in November and multiple performances at day festivals across London in the summer of 2019. The band is thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase themselves at the legendary PizzaExpress Live, with the evening shaping up to be one of their best performances to date!
The band also hopes to expand into education, with plans in the making to hold workshops for children of all ages and abilities. These workshops would provide an opportunity to introduce the music of New Orleans and the brass band culture to people that may not be able to experience it otherwise, something we think is important in helping the thriving UK jazz scene continue to grow.
