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Breakestra

Ubiquity

The Los Angeles based ensemble is based in deep funk, soul, jazz fever and musical friendships. A Breakestra show is about dancing and swinging – eight men on stage getting loose, playing serious grooves. Think James Brown. Watching the Breakestra live is a tour de force. As bass player Miles says, “What are the first three letters of FUNK?”. The Breakestra began as the house band for the legendary club called the Breaks. Egon from Stonesthrow Records further explains the etymology of their name: “Break. As in “breakbeat.” That ten second slice of percussive magic in the middle of a funk song that, when looped together by progressive South Bronx DJs in the 1970s, became the basis of the hip-hop movement. Arkestra. Out-there jazzer Sun Ra’s funkafied concept of the stuffy classical orchestra.” When we combine the two concepts, you have the Breakestra or in other words an orchestra that plays breaks.
The Breakestra have played an A to Z of funk classics. James Brown, Jimmy Smith, all the way to the endless breaks sampled by Gangstarr and A Tribe Called Quest. The Breakestra have played so many covers of the aforementioned grooves that the only way a musician could be in the group is if they really knew how to play. If we were to construct a family tree of LA bands, Breakestra would be mentioned in the same breath as Weapon of Choice, Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Mesh of Mind and Ozomatli. These bands began in backyard jam sessions and random open mics held throughout the city from Echo Park to Venice, Highland Park to Topanga Canyon.
After years of playing in intimate venues they are getting so explosive that it is clear bigger stages are the next phase for the Breakestra. They opened up for De La Soul in Central Park. At the recent Root Down 7 year Anniversary party they rocked the house. Over 800 people were all smiles, sweating on the funk train. A few weeks later the boys put it down big @ the LA County Natural History Museum. These underground legends have followed the example set by their heroes and now carry on the legacy with the same momentum as the funk they play.