Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Music runs deep in the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Raised on the south side of Chicago, the band is made up of seven brothers, the sons of Jazz trumpeter Phil Cohran, who played with the deep spiritual Jazz group, Sun Ra Akestra. He trained them all to play their horns from childhood and instilled in them a profound sense of the spiritual roots of music. Each morning began with them all emptying their breath, producing a unified meditative tone. This music is very much as a transcendental practice. The cathartic energy of their live shows draws its raw power from this deep reserve, it is an authenticity that can‘t be faked.

In 1999 they took their music to the subway stations of Chicago and later relocated to New York where they played impromptu concerts in Prospect Park and on street corners, honing their polished sound with the grit and swagger of the Big Apple. Since the 2004 release of their debut album ‘Flipside’ they have become recognized as the world‘s leading brass ensemble and have toured and recorded with Prince, Gorillaz, Macy Gray, De La Soul, Erykah Badu and Mos Def among others. The caliber of their collaborators reflects not only the esteem with which they are held but also the scope of their own vision. Their talents stretch way beyond just music making as the brothers are also talented songwriters, producers and entrepreneurs. Undoubtedly, they scored their biggest success to date when their song „War“ was featured in the the feature film phenomenon ‘Hunger Games’, their music instantly gaining an audience of hundreds of millions.