Music: Name Some Bands with Great Horn Sections

[Elvis P]

I've always believed that a great horn section (and 3 great backup singers) could really add to a band's sound. Earth Wind and Fire, Tower Of Power, Kool and The Gang, Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, Ohio Players, Prince - different versions with different horn sections. I've listed a few to get the ball rolling, but as the Beatles wrote "I get by with a little help from my friends...Going to try with a little help from my friends"

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[irunthepeg]

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment have a great trumpet player (Donnie). They're more hip hop though so I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for. I assume you've heard of them and Chance the Rapper as well, being from Chicago?

 

[kook10]

Van Morrison has always had great bands with brass

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

 

[Bobby Orrtuzzo]

Not sure if this qualifies for what you're looking for, but they have two horns and are pretty good.

 

[Roo Returns]

Earth, Wind, and Fire
Tower of Power
King Curtis Band
Blood Sweat and Tears
Fishbone
Mighty Mighty Bostones
Cherry Poppin Daddies
James Brown Orchestra
Antibalas
Parliament (when they were horn heavy)
Brecker Bros
The Specials
Rocket From The Crypt
Jaco Pastorious when he had the Word of Mouth band
Defunkt
Ozomatli
James Chance and the Contortions
Lounge Lizzards


and to a lesser extent but I still give them props
Ian Dury and The Blockheads

 

[YoSoyLalo]

Not Chicago because Peter Cetera ruined anything good that band has done

Van Morrison is a good one.

 

[Porn*]

Fishbone
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
RHCP (when they use it)

 

[kihei]

Don't like horn sections. Traffic is as far as I go (only one horn, though).

 

[Acadmus]

Not Chicago because Peter Cetera ruined anything good that band has done

Shut yo' blasphemous mouth!

Frankly I think Chicago got really good when Cetera finally came into his own vocally. Wasn't a fan of their more subdued sound, and his falsetto had a rare, haunting tone that few singers can manage.

Only band I could think of that's missing here (since I was going to post Bosstones) is Madness. But I guess they didn't have so much a horn "section" as a couple horn-playing members.

 

[Neutrinos]

A local band I came across a few years ago

This tune is catchy as fudge!

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

Clarence Clemens was awesome.

 

[Roo Returns]

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

Clarence Clemens was awesome.

He was tremendous. I'm not a huge Springsteen guy (just was never exposed to his music other than the hits growing up) but I gotta say the Born To Run album with Clemens, Brecker Bros, Wayne Andre, and David Sunburn....yeah that's pretty awesome for a horn section.

I love when RHCP use horns. On Freaky Styley they had all those PFunk dudes and on Mother's Milk when the guys from Fishbone and Tree played. Flea's trumpet adds some cool stuff and has been featured on at least six of their albums (MM, BSSM, BTW, SA, IMY, TG) I'd love to see them do an album one day where they had like 3-4 horn heavy tracks with all the LA horn guys on board.

I also really love Idiots Rule by Jane' Addiction with Flea and the Fishbone guys playing horns.

 

[SirPaste]

Lettuce
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Dumpstaphunk
The Motet
Kung Fu
Space Capone
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Turkuaz
Galactic
Here Come The Mummies

 

[kook10]

Lettuce
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Dumpstaphunk
The Motet
Kung Fu
Space Capone
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Turkuaz
Galactic
Here Come The Mummies

I guess you could say Rebirth has a great horn section too!

 

[tarheelhockey]

Reminds me of this classic Reddit "advice" post.

 

[SB164]

I'm seeing them tonight.

 

[Pavelski2112]

Beat me to it. One of my favorite bands.

 

[td_ice]

Lettuce
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Dumpstaphunk
The Motet
Kung Fu
Space Capone
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Turkuaz
Galactic
Here Come The Mummies

Big fan of Lettuce.


Never heard of the others, but I am curious now, will check them out. Thanks.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Lettuce
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe
Dumpstaphunk
The Motet
Kung Fu
Space Capone
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
Turkuaz
Galactic
Here Come The Mummies

Yeah Turkuaz!

Also Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds and B lack Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears. Also The Iguanas. Apparently bands with horns like animal names.

The Phenix (Earth, Wind & Fire) horn always stood out to me. And Chicago's Jimmy Pankow is the best. I must've seen ToP a half-dozen times back in the 80s.