“To Be Continued…” (PDF) from the TBC Brass Band album, To Be Continued.

Please contact TBC Brass Band regarding official sheet music.

Thanks to Patreon supporter Sam for recommending this album for me to transcribe!  It ends with this song of gratitude for music, and having now researched the career of TBC Brass Band through its trombone solos, here is what I have learned about the role of music within the lives of young black American musicians:

Supported by the music program at George Washington Carver High School in New Orleans, the members of TBC quickly established their professional career as street performers throughout the French Quarter, eventually earning national and global acclaim.  After being displaced by Hurricane Katrina, the band managed to reform to reclaim the city despite the challenges of poorly managed recovery efforts. The community grieved through the murder of bandmate Brandon Franklin and fought the local noise ordinances that shut down the band’s performances at Bourbon & Canal.  But TBC Brass Band endures and lives up to its own name by becoming one of the city’s most prolific acts through its contributions back to the culture of New Orleans.  We should all be thankful for the music of TBC Brass Band.

Music matters.  Black Lives Matter.

Here’s a YouTube video by Deborah “Big Red” Cotton of TBC playing their self-titled song:

Recommended viewing: From The Mouthpiece On Back. Dir. Jason DaSilva and Colleen O'Halloran. Perf. To Be Continued Brass Band. Awl Films, 2008. DVD.