We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jerry Hooper a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jerry, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Founding a band like Brass Rewind has been a mission of mine since I was 14 years old. I was attending church camp during the summer of 1969 when I first heard Blood Sweat & Tears….and I was HOOKED! I subsequently attended their first concert in Kansas City in November of the same year and was even more HOOKED! I was overwhelmed by emotion when I heard their rendering of God Bless The Child and vowed to myself that I would have a band that would play that song and that type of horn music someday.

My resulting vision is that people, especially those who grew up listening to the horn bands, will want to listen to, and follow, the bands that play that music if it is played extremely well. My first try failed due to many errors. Two of the musicians from the original band and I formed Brass Rewind in September 2019. Both of those men subsequently bowed out shortly after our inception. It was at that point that I determined that I would use all of the skills owned to locate and recruit the musicians for Brass Rewind.  We are now 11 musicians: five horns (two trumpets, two saxophones and one trombone), four rhythm players:  bass, drums, guitar and keyboards and two vocalists.  We also are extremely fortunate to have a dedicated soundman!  To date, we have played in the highest visible club in the Midwest, several outdoor venues, two civic festivals, two weddings and numerou8s  other venues.  Our followers love us and follow us all over the area. Thank you for your interest!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I founded and lead the band Brass Rewind, based in Kansas City, MO. I had a “vision” of forming this band at age 14 after I had my first taste of Blood Sweat & Tears and was HOOKED. Not long after that, I attended a BS&T concert in KC with high school band mates and was overcome with feelings and joy. I vowed to have a band that played that music in the year 1969. The dream was shelved, by necessity, for many years as I had a career to work on. I never forgot my dream and stayed very active in the KC music scene by following and listening to my mentor and idol, Joe Cartwright…and others as well. After a bit over 40 years in banking, I retired in June 2019 and immediately went to work on the dream along with two other friends who left the project at various stages. The band was officially formed in September 2019; we just had our three-year anniversary!
We play the music that came during the late 1960’s and 1970’s from the great horn bands…Blood Sweat & Tears, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Average White Band, Steely Dan and many others. We have been called “the best band in the midwest” by another fine musician and “the best band in the region” by another musician. To sum up, this is my dream come true!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I’ll adapt this question to read “what’s been the most effective strategy for improving my band?” As all bands do, we’ve had our share of difficulties. Without seeming arrogant, the improvement of the band has come from:
1. I have met with all our band members before officially inviting them into the band. Their music ability is not the question but, rather, whether they will fit into the band as people.
2. I treat every member of the band with dignity, fairness and to varying degrees, love. The core of the band has been together for the better part of three years and we have become a family. We care about each other and treat each other with kindness and respect. Matter of fact, we’ve had concert attendees tell us that they can tell that we care about each other while we perform!
3. We brought in people with professional education backgrounds and who had also spent years in the business while I was working in banking. Our drummer, Mark Olson, is a retired educator and handles all of our graphics and media. Our guitar player, Tracy Smith, is a retired music educator and agreed to become our Music Director. He manages all the rehearsals, the music we play during a show and helps determine who does what. We have also a dedicated soundman, Chris Miller. Without the three of these men, there is no question in my mind that the band would be gone.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

It is imperative to treat your team as adults and with respect and dignity. You must care about them as people, not just part of your team. You must lead with integrity and always do what you said you’d do. You lead by example and, as a result, we have people asking to join our band!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.BrassRewindKC.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1542080449277540
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEB&search_query=Brass+Rewind+Band

Image Credits
Clay Johnson Mark Olson