Read the full article by Scott Thomas Anderson at Sacramento News & Review
It’s a hot morning on Sacramento’s waterfront and members of the Dirty Chops Brass Band are spread across its worn lines of wood, their bodies shifting through rhythmic stances that resemble church-swaying or parade marching-in-place. The group’s drummer starts hypnotizing the crowd with some savvy, snare-hitting dynamism. As visitors look on, the tuba player begins punching low-end notes like a boxer throws hooks and crosses, his bandmates holding their horns to the side, their hands free to clap to an ever-more riotous and relentless beat.
It’s the opening moments to the city’s inaugural Sac Brunch Fest in June. Those arriving like what they hear.
In unison, the musicians start chanting, “I feel like funkin’ it up, fee-eel like funkin’ it up.” They’re reciting a jazz anthem first popularized in New Orleans by the Rebirth Brass Band, a tune that often sends crowds two-stepping through the street with an almost spiritual intensity. Now, as the players chant louder, the trombonist calls out, “Who dat? Who dat!” Then, he and the trumpeter put mouthpieces to their lips before they let their blaring brilliance pierce the air.