It began in 2001 among friends in Bergen op Zoom, and they immediately threw themselves into it. For a year, the young musicians from Brabant built up a repertoire until their first public performance in August 2002: on the terrace of Pol, their host. That summer day sparked the creation of a band that is now booked for jazz festivals across Europe and beyond.
The OhnO! Jazzband is a large ensemble, and it shows. Alain Sebregts and Yasta Michielse play trumpet, Leonard Bogers and Victor Hopmans trombone, Dirk Proost alto saxophone, and Rob Marrees tenor saxophone. Six wind players create a section that can play both melody and response simultaneously: the trumpets lead, the trombones counter with riffs, and the saxophones fill out the middle register. This creates the call and response of street parades, with the power of a brass band.
Beneath this lies a foundation, also built in two layers. Rogier Stuart and Olivier Vermeulen play banjo, Roel van Daele the sousaphone, accompanied by washboard, snare drum, and bass drum. This rhythm section is made for the parade. The bass drum marks the beats, the snare adds syncopation, the sousaphone and banjos maintain the two-beat pulse, and the washboard crackles on top. Anyone who doesn't move with this is out of place.
Musically, the band covers a wide range. New Orleans traditionals and Dixieland stand alongside swinging blues and powerful up-tempo horn numbers. Occasionally, the band indulges in a funk groove, and modern New Orleans groups like the Rebirth Brass Band have clearly left their mark. Pieces like "Steamin' Blues" and "Everybody Loves Saturday Night" showcase both sides.
The list of performances ranges from the Breda Jazz Festival, Jazz in Duketown, and North Sea Round Town to the Lenk Jazz Days in Switzerland and the Israel Festival. The Riverboat Jazz Festival in Silkeborg, Denmark, has invited the band to perform in 2027.
The Brabanter have made their mark in Dresden on several occasions. In 2023 they played at the main train station, and in 2024 at the Hotel Königstein. Such venues suit the band, as they don't need a stage to kick off a party: it's enough for the bass drum to lay down the first beat and for the six brass players to join in.
