Events

[FUNK] When you hear skillfully rendered music pouring out into the street or onto the tracks of a train station, you tend to notice. While there are always exceptions and plenty of tricks people can use to make themselves sound better than what is truth, the stripped-down busking format tends to separate the men form the boys. The test is getting people to continue paying attention after they’ve noticed as they scramble through their busy days, and this is especially true in the bustle of a city like Manhattan. Brass-house pioneers (after all, it’s kinda their own genre) Too Many Zooz gained momentum after a clip of them at the Union Square subway station went viral four years ago, exposing their rhythmically driven instrumental high-jinks to over five million viewers (and counting). Baritone sax (played by the handsome Leo Pellegrino, who has a tendency to boogie down while he blows the brass) and Dave “King of Sludge” Parks on drums (often just a bass drum outfitted with easily reachable percussive doodads) create a rhythmic foundation while Matt “Doe” Muirhead’s super-skilled trumpet bobs and weaves on top. Jazz heads and music schoolers may have experienced something similar (maybe at Berklee), but beyond those specialized circles, Too Many Zooz is a one-of-a-kind talent feast that’ll keep you moving; they’d be right at home amongst Snarky Puppy fans. Did we mention they backed Queen Bey on a pair of tracks from her Lemonade disc and appeared with her for her 2016 CMA performance alongside Dixie Chicks? Heady stuff. They deserve every bit of it and more. Don’t miss their visit to Buffalo Iron Works on Tuesday, June 26 with support from locals Witty Tarbox.