Using the New Orleans second line brass sound, Largemouth Brass Band’s members sharpen their skills as music instructors by performing together. Credit: Courtesy of Kodjo Somana
Largemouth Brass Band, an eight-person ensemble of classically trained music educators, aim to teach listeners just how fun brass instruments can be.
Bold, loud and lively, the band hopes to make audiences across Columbus dance this summer with their unique fusion of New Orleans Second Line brass, funk, pop and hip-hop.
“I think that what’s exciting about us and exciting about brass instruments is that people don’t know they like what we give them, and they don’t know that they like brass music. It’s like this exotic thing,” Ben Stingo, one of the band’s trombonists, said.
The band originated in 2017 in Athens, Ohio, where band members Stingo, Ben Baker, Seth Alexander and Frankie Wantuch attended college at Ohio University. The group later moved to Columbus in 2019 — where Taylor Leonard, Jocelyn Smallwood, Ian Harrah and Chris Hines joined the group.
Because many of the musicians are also currently music educators, they practice their instruments often and share a deep passion for music and performing, Smallwood, tubaist for the band, said.
“I know a lot of people who, the second they don’t have to play anymore, they put their instrument down and they don’t touch it, but they think they’re going to go teach music. And so part of what I love about being in this group is that it’s a bunch of people who teach music and are also serious about their musicianship,” Smallwood said.
The band’s first album, “Repilot,” was released Jan. 13 and features 10 tracks, stretching across genres including jazz, soul, folk, funk and pop, Alexander, drummer and percussionist for the band, said.
“It’s called ‘Repilot,’ as in you take a TV pilot and just do it again with a new cast, which is kind of what we’re doing for this album,” Baker, tenor and baritone saxophonist for the band, said.
Alexander said finding times to meet and collaborate during a pandemic hasn’t been easy. The band has frequently written and recorded separately, but during the times they have been able to meet, Stingo said they have gotten things done quickly and professionally.
Live show and festival cancellations have made it hard for the band to play in front of an audience, but in the spring and summer months, they often play in outdoor settings such as parks, neighborhoods or street corners, Alexander said.
Wantuch, alto saxophonist for the band, said attending outdoor shows is a great way to support local artists during this difficult time.
“For people to just show up, support and share what local musicians are doing, I think that would be a great way for musicians to feel like they’re not being left behind,” Wantuch said.
Baker wrote five of the album’s 10 songs. He said he is inspired by other brass bands such as Lucky Chops but also by his own life experiences, as seen in his writing of “Rum & Cider.”
“I wanted it to be like a happy-go-lucky, summer-fun, pop-ballad, get those royalties, ‘Top 40’ big hits,” Baker said. “And I was drinking rum and cider just back-to-back and I was like, ‘Yep, that’s it. That’s the feeling. That’s what it’s all about.’”
Many of the songs on the album are inspired by music from all around the world. One of the songs on the album, “Duped,” was written by Alexander and Wantuch. Wantuch said she approached Alexander with the idea after getting inspired by new music equipment.
“I kind of imagined Carnival in South America. I think they did that in Brazil, just a big celebration on the street. Everybody’s dancing and so it’s a very communicative experience,” Wantuch said.
Harrah, one of the band’s trumpeters, wrote three songs on the album. One of the songs, “Squid Kick,” was named to fit the nautical theme of the band’s name, he said.
“So I was thinking about football, and the ‘squib kick,’ and I just replaced the B with a D. We’re not sure if the squid is doing the kicking or the squid is receiving the kicking. So that’s really up to the listener to decide,” Harrah said.
Leonard, one of the band’s trumpeters, said the group is looking forward to connecting with other musicians in Columbus and Ohio.
“I think now that we have some really great material out there, we can kind of use that to shop ourselves around a little bit and say, “Yeah, we’ve got something cool going on,” Leonard said.
