JAMESTOWN — Establishing the Bourbon Brass Band in Colorado is something founding member Ethan Harold Leaming never expected to happen.
The band initially formed in his home city of New Orleans in 2000, and it continued until Leaming moved to Fort Collins in 2018. He currently performs in a guitar duo based in Loveland, called Mountain Duo. His duo partner, Kerry, suggested he should start a brass band in the area.
Leaming recreated the band in Fort Collins in 2021, playing far less frequently than in the high-demand tourist market of New Orleans.
“We’re a bit of a novelty here, and we enjoy that,” says Leaming. “We don’t play all that often, but when we do, it’s very special for us, and also for the audiences that don’t get a chance to see bands playing this music and wearing the traditional New Orleans brass band attire.”
The Colorado lineup includes Chris Leonard playing the tuba, Steve Amedée on snare drum, and Andrew Vogt adding the saxophone.
Outside of the group, Leonard teaches music at Poudre High School, Steve Amedée performs with The Subdudes, and Vogt works as a freelance jazz musician and a band teacher in Loveland and Fort Collins.
“I feel so fortunate. They’re all great musicians and a lot of fun to play with,” says Leaming. “I think we come pretty close to representing the Louisiana style of brass band playing.”
Leaming heard brass music in the Mardi Gras parades and other festivals of his home city, but he didn’t start performing until his 30s, working professionally with brass bands as a trombone player.
“It was new to me as a professional,” says Leaming, “but the sound was already well-established from childhood.”
The band primarily performs traditional New Orleans jazz, and along with wearing the traditional attire, they hope to bring an accurate representation of New Orleans brass bands to the Fort Collins area.
“We hope that the takeaway would be a New Orleans traditional experience,” says Leaming. “It’s cultural. We hope that we can provide a cultural experience that’s accurate.”
The Bourbon Brass Band will be performing at the Jamestown Mercantile, located at 108 Main Street in Jamestown, on Friday, October 30, for their Halloween party from 7 to 9 p.m.
