Honk for applause! Jack Brass Band reinventing horn traditions at fair food parade

Always eager to bring New Orleans' second-line music heritage to the opposite end of the Mississippi River, Jack Brass Band has suddenly flipped those rich traditions on end this month in the name of the Minnesota State Fair.

The funky Twin Cities-based ensemble set up shop on the fairgrounds last Thursday for the Minnesota State Fair Food Parade, and it's not leaving its post until Labor Day.

It's that lack of movement that's so danged weird.

"It's been a pretty surreal experience for us so far," said Mike Olander, bass drum player and founder of Jack Brass.

Like a Bizarro World twist on second-line music traditions, Jack Brass is staying in one place each of the food parade's 13 days. It's the audience that rolls by, not the musicians — as is usually the case with New Orleans brass bands, which originated as marching ensembles for funeral processions parading through the streets.

To limit the COVID-19 health risks that sidelined the "real fair," the food parade is strictly a drive-through event. Attendees are told not to leave their vehicles as they move from vendor to vendor.

Each of the food parade's 19,000 tickets — which sold out in just 2½ hours — came with set arrival times, a route map and a list of safety guidelines. Those rules also still apply where Jack Brass is performing, on the corner of Dan Patch Avenue and Underwood Street.

"Some people have honked their horns for applause," Olander recounted after the first two days on the job. "Some people have started dancing in their cars — or tried to, anyway."

A State Fair tradition in its own right, Jack Brass has performed on the free stages and/or paraded through the fairgrounds nearly every year going back to its first appearance in 2004.

"We always love it, and love the exposure it brings to our kind of music," Olander said.

"A lot of people in Minnesota aren't familiar with New Orleans brass bands. The fair is a great opportunity to show people of all ages and backgrounds how much fun this music is."

The fair's entertainment supervisor, Nate Dungan, said hiring them fit the food parade's goal to be a place "where fair fans could still experience a taste of their fair tradition."

"The Jack Brass Band has performed at the fair before, and we knew their upbeat music would be the perfect addition," Dungan said. "We have received nothing but positive feedback from parade-goers."

Jack Brass also made sense logistically speaking, given the rather arduous task at hand and the limited setup for its performances.

The band is out there performing from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. all 13 days of the food parade (continuing Thursday through Sunday, and again Sept. 3-7). It's doing so with no amplification, and with its own bit of inner-band social distancing.

To help them all stay apart as well as upright, only six members have been performing at one time at the fairgrounds this year instead of the usual eight. There are 18 musicians in total on tap for the gig, with different players rotating in and out based on their schedules.

"It's another reason we were a good choice for this gig," Olander said. "We're used to playing anywhere, anytime, and have a big enough roster of players who can sub in and out throughout the 13 days."

They also have a giant playlist of songs that the members all know; although, Olander acknowledged, they could probably just play "When the Saints Go Marching In" nonstop all week and their ever-rotating audience wouldn't know the difference.

"We're mixing it up for ourselves, if not everyone else," he laughingly clarified.

A music student turned educator from White Bear Lake who caught the NOLA music bug when his mom took him to a Dirty Dozen concert as a teenager, Olander leads Jack Brass through an incomparably wide assortment of jobs each year. A typical calendar has them playing everywhere from July 4th parades and Fat Tuesday parties to club gigs, school events and, yep, lots of funerals and even occasional trips to Louisiana, which underlines the group's authenticity.

Locally, Jack Brass' alumni roster reads like a who's who of other horn-driven bands in town. Its members have also played with Nooky Jones, Davina & the Vagabonds, Sonny Knight & the Lakers and Salsa del Soul.

Of course, like all musicians, the Jack Brass players were largely unplugged by the coronavirus in March. The group has at least stayed active with its "Social Distancing Sessions," a series of virtual performances with New Orleans musicians from Dirty Dozen, Big Sam's Funky Nation and Rebirth Brass.

Reid Kennedy, drummer with both Jack Brass and Nooky Jones, sees the food parade as a much-needed "reason to be happy" for both State Fair lovers and the musicians.

"For fans of the State Fair, [it's] a chance to be on the fairgrounds, grab a bucket of cookies and enjoy a few hours with friends and family," Kennedy said. "For us, it means the opportunity to get together, play music that we love and share it with others."

While the musicians finally get to enjoy each other's company again, they actually don't get to partake in the food offerings. Given the strict orders against foot traffic on the fairgrounds, they're not allowed to walk over to the food stands while on break.

"That's been the biggest drawback so far: smelling all that food that we know so well, but not getting to enjoy it," Olander said.

Somebody get this troupe of horn players a bucket of Sweet Martha's, and stat!

Chris Riemenschneider • 612-673-4658

@ChrisRstrib