If seen on the street, minus their sousaphones and trombones, the guys from the Black Bottom Brass Band would look like any of the other slightly hip types that wander around Shibuya or America-mura. A guess about their musical tastes would probably run toward some obscure DJ or indie rock's flavor of the month.
But though they have played with artists as diverse as Towa Tei and the Zoobombs, in their heart of hearts, the Black Bottom Brass Band is pure New Orleans.
Founded in 1993 as a guerrilla brass assault on unsuspecting pedestrians in the cities of Kansai, the band, like the Louisiana funeral bands and social-club groups that are their inspiration, cut their chops on the street.