Commonwealth Brass Band

About the channel

The Commonwealth Brass Band, based in New Albany, IN, was founded in 1989. Its members are drawn from the Louisville, KY metropolitan area and southern Indiana. Brass bands differ from military and concert bands in that they consist exclusively of conical bore brass instruments (cornets, euphoniums, alto horns, flugelhorns, trombones and tubas) and percussion. The brass band tradition began in England in the early 19th century where bands were organized by manufacturers and mines for the recreation of their workers. The popularity of brass bands grew such that by the turn of the century there were some 20,000 such bands active in Britain. Similarly popular in the United States, virtually every town in America had a band in the middle of the last century. Many companies on this side of the Atlantic also sponsored bands. (In Louisville, The Courier-Journal and American Standard were two among many.) The CBB performs free concerts several times a year.