Photos: Brass Rewind brings big talent and big numbers to the stage

January 10, 2024

Allison Scavo,

Brass Rewind. // photo by Allison Scavo

Brass Rewind is a jazz rock cover band recreating classics with a twist. With upwards of 13 members onstage at a time, the band is able to perform songs with precision and accuracy, to say nothing of a whole lot of soul and energy. The Pitch sat down with founding member and pianist, Jerry Hooper, to discuss the specifics before their show this past Friday, January 5, at Knuckleheads.

The Pitch: Tell us a little bit about Brass Rewind.

Brass Rewind began in September 2019. There were two other guys that wanted to perform it with me, but eventually, it was left with me. This has been my dream since I was 14 or 15 years old.

How long have you been playing music?

Well, I started at age 7, then I stopped for a while. I started again in high school, and then I haven’t stopped. I retired at the end of ’14, and all I did was practice for two years until I was ready to play [in a full band]. One of the things that really distinguishes this group apart from others is they really care about each other. The chemistry is very unusual. They’re kind, just nice people. I’ve had back problems for a long time. These guys always carry my stuff without complaining.

Just, everyone comes together like a community. There aren’t any egos, they don’t have superstar attitudes, but they’re real fine musicians. One of the other neat things is we practice quite a bit of diversity.

We have, essentially, two families. One is very young, that’s the horn players, and then the ones you see on stage [setting up] are much older. I mean, I’m the oldest. I’ll be 70 this summer. We have musicians of all religions and races, and occasionally, our drummer’s wife will sign what we’re doing—ASL. We play cover music from Chicago, Blood, Sweat, Tears, Earth, Wind, and Fire. Average White Band, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, a whole bunch like that.

Tonight, I think there will be six horns: two trumpets, a trombone, and three saxophones. Plus four in the rhythm section.

What do you predict 2024 will be like for Brass Rewind?

We did 12 gigs last year, but this year, I am projecting more. Last year, we had to make some changes and assimilate with the new musicians. What we really like to do is play in civic things. We’re going to Clinton, Missouri, to play in their Old Glory Days. We’re going to Junction City, Kansas, for the fourth year in a row to do their Oktoberfest. We like to play Knuckleheads. We were the last band before COVID, and then we were the first band to return when the city opened up.

All photos by Allison Scavo

Brass Rewind