For this KC LGBTQ+ brass band, lending support more important than playing in tune
On a recent Friday in June, the sounds of the sousaphone, trumpet, trombone, saxophone and drums reverberated through a streetcar rolling through Kansas City’s River Market. Members of the Sass-A-Brass street parade band crammed into the aisle of the car and treated passengers to a variety of jazz tunes as the band made its way to the City Market Pride celebration. Band members and streetcar riders alike laughed as instruments were jostled by bumps in the tracks and the occasional out of tune note sounded as the streetcar ground to a stop.
Sass-A-Brass, Kansas City’s only LGBTQ+ street parade brass band, formed under the direction of Rosie O’Brien to lead the first pride parade in O’Brien’s hometown of Lawrence. “We specify that we’re a queer street parade brass band not just because a lot of our members are gay or trans or otherwise queer, but also because queer is a term that describes an opposition to a dominant culture,” O’Brien said. “The jazz tradition is a lot about freedom, and so queer refers to both of those things.”
Pride Month in June and during Mardi Gras are the times when Sass-A-Brass members spend the majority of their time marching. While the band is heavily inspired by New Orleans style jazz, they also strive to create their own culture, both preserving long-standing jazz traditions and creating their own. From Jazz classics like “When the Saints Go Marching In” to modern pop hits like Chappell Roan’s “HOT TO GO,” Sass-A-Brass brings a broad repertoire wherever they perform.
Spectators are invited to join in the party that Sass-A-Brass brings to the streets of Kansas City and Lawrence. “The crowd is invited to sing along, and everybody kind of gets to know these songs. Maybe not word by word, but it’s part of a part of the culture,” O’Brien explained. She says the band’s mission is to “provide music for free and for the public and for all ages, and include the public in that celebration.”
O’Brien and her band mates have found freedom from expectations of perfection through playing in Sass-A-Brass. A classically trained soprano, O’Brien picked up the sousaphone just two years ago and now finds joy in leading a band where mistakes and imperfection are accepted. Sass-A-Brass recruits musicians of all ages from Kansas City and surrounding areas. O’Brien describes the culture of the band as supportive and a space for band members to learn together. All interested folks have to do to join the band is contact O’Brien through the band’s email and bring their instrument to the next rehearsal.
The larger jazz community in Kansas City has also been an important factor in Sass-A-Brass’s formation and success. O’Brien made sure to credit other bands that have inspired them, including Hot 8, Rebirth Brass, Preservation Jazz Band and Relativity Brass. Even O’Brien’s instrument, an antique sousaphone, was a gift from her local jazz community and has been used by many Kansas City musicians over the years.
O’Brien also spoke about Sass-A-Brass’s place in the community and the importance of monetarily supporting their queer friends and family. “Sass-A-Brass tries to try to support and initiate a lot of mutual aid efforts to raise funds for local people in our queer community,” she said. Additionally, she hopes the band can become a space for people to find a chosen family if they are not supported by their biological families after coming out.
“We don’t want to live in a world where being queer is like something crazy and different, you know? We’re trying to build a world where this is the norm,” O’Brien said.
As a crowd of many others hoping to change the world’s norms gathered to join the City Market Pride celebration and marched down Delaware Street, the strains of Albert E. Brumley’s “I’ll Fly Away” drifted through the sidewalks.
“I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away (in the morning)
When I die, hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away.”
