On the streets of Chicago, eight brothers played trumpets, saxophones, trombones and even a tuba almost daily. The youngest was five years old. When it snowed, they sought refuge in the tents every two songs. They warmed up and came back out. They were looking for their own sound that was based on the foundations of contemporary jazz. When they found it, they called themselves the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and moved to New York. “One time Sting came over with his little son and said, ‘You guys are so good, no one knows I’m here,'” recalls Saiph Graves, the trombone’s brother. “The best thing that happened to us on the street was meeting great stars and artists who later congratulated us on our talent.”
One of those who was fascinated by his music was Prince. It happened when they were rehearsing to take part in a festival and the genius of “Purple Rain” came and sat in the empty auditorium to listen to them. Then he went to them and said to them: You will play with me. That night they made noise behind Prince, who later took them on tour with the album Musicology. “The collaboration was epic,” says Graves. In recent years, Hypnotic has also attracted the attention of singers such as Macy Gray and Damon Albarn, formerly of Blur and Gorillaz, with whom they recorded.
Born to three different mothers and the same father, the brothers will be playing in Spain this weekend (at La Nau in Barcelona and Sala Villanos in Madrid). “What we bring is the spirit and style of South Chicago, with a high-energy performance that incorporates the best elements of jazz, deep house, hip hop and even rock ‘n’ roll,” promises Graves. “We are real musicians who play with all our hearts.”
Dancing as a family
These Americans are capable of moving crowds of 100,000 people at festivals or, even more difficult, audiences at smaller venues. His style is initially based on Louis Armstrong’s “Hot Seven” and develops into “Earth, Wind & Fire”, attacked by the speed of rap and the “groovy” of funk. They took another step forward in their career by including their song War in the blockbuster film The Hunger Games.
As they began receiving invitations and traveling the world, the Grave-Hubert brothers (most of whom use their mother’s last name) had to give up the tuba because it made traveling very expensive. Seven brothers remained, playing bass, drums and guitar with three other guests.
“It’s hard to keep a great band together, but it’s even harder when they’re family. “To be honest, sibling interactions are a little more difficult, as they often are,” admits Graves. “We managed to stick together, give each other space and allow discussions until we reached an agreement. “We all have a voice and a vote.” On this tour they also feature Aquillah Sadalla, one of the mothers of this great tribe of musicians that was formed in Chicago in the 1990s and rehearsed in its cold alleys. At Hypnotic, everything stays in the family.
