ThirstyFish

The UCC Royal Brass Band is a New Orleans style brass band made up of musicians from the Camden - Philadelphia area. This photograph was taken during their musical march down South Street on a Sunday summer evening.

Brass Bands have their roots in military bands. During the Siege of Vienna in 1529, Ottoman soldiers marched to the sound of bass percussion, cymbals and the beat of snare drums. After the failed siege, Turkish military music became popular in Vienna and influenced the likes of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who incorporated the military sound to their music. Eventually the sound of the military band spread across Europe and became the music of the people and festivities.

In the New World, marching bands become popular in Boston and New Orleans and by the 1840's the term "Brass Band" came to existence to denote the shift to the all brass sound. During the American Civil War (1861-1865), African-Americans on both sides took parts in military bands and infused African tones and rhythms to the music. By late 19th Century, brass bands were becoming popular and their sound had a significant role in the development of traditional Jazz. New Orleans style brass bands can now be found in many places around the world.