On Friday, March 13 at 7:30pm Raging Brass Reggae makes its debut appearance at The Dance Hall in Kittery. Formed in 2014 trumpeter Marc Chillemi, this 7-piece brass band pays tribute to 1960s Jamaican Ska, Rocksteady and Roots Reggae instrumentals and includes trumpet, trombone, alto & tenor saxophones, guitar, tuba and drums. Featuring an all-star collection of musicians from Portland based bands Primo Cubano, Rustic Overtones, The Fogcutters Big Band, Sly Chi, and the Portland Rumba Project.

Raging Brass Reggae has been a long time vision of Chillemi's that has finally come to fruition. After hearing the music of the legendary Skatelites for the first time, he knew wanted to learn and play the music. He assembled a hand-pick horn section from Portland's most inventive and soulful players. Using tuba instead of electric bass, which is common in New Orleans music and brass bands from around the world, the beginning of the RBR sound was in place. Chillemi calls this rhythmic foundation "T&D".  In addition to the performance side of RBR, there is an educational element. In 2014, Chillemi was awarded a project grant by the Maine Arts Commission to implement a pilot program teaching young music students about jazz improvisation and how to groove as a group through Jamaican music and the history that lead to its invention. The program serves as an expansion to the existing methods used in public schools throughout the United States. The goal is to inspire groups of horn players to explore and discover their own sound and style. Out of many, one sound. Marc Chillemi is trumpeter, arranger, composer and bandleader. He holds a B.A. in Jazz Composition from Berklee College of Music, and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from the University of Southern Maine. His eclectic musical interests and style has invited him to share the stage with a variety of international recording artists including, Orchestra Baobab, The Skatelites, Alton Ellis, Slavic Soul Party, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Antibalas, and G. Love & Special Sauce. 

Other musicians in the band include:

Barry Saunders - tenor, baritone and soprano saxophone.  Mike Ayotte - alto and tenor saxophone. Dave Noyse - trombone. Matt Wasowski - guitar.  Rafael Kielt-Freyre - tuba. Garry Gemitti - drums

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and can be purchased at www.thedancehallkittery.org or www.brownpapertickets.com.