On Monday, Oct. 12th, Behrend’s Music at Noon: The Logan Series welcomed Butter Chicken Brass Band to perform at the McGarvey Commons, with Behrend students, staff, and nearby locals all in attendance. 

The Butter Chicken Brass Band brings together a group of dedicated musicians from a wide variety of disciplines, who collaborate to fuse South Asian music with New Orleans-style jazz. The result is an energetic and spontaneous funk underlined by a heavy rhythm section. 

The group was co-founded by Catie Hickey who plays the trombone for the group, along with Akshat Jain who manages the group and plays the sousaphone, a tuba-like instrument with an important stature in New Orleans style brass bands. The band’s jazz style is furthered by Kyle Brooks on the soprano saxophone and is complemented by Kabir Dalawari on the dhol, a two-sided percussion instrument native to South Asia. 

Butter Chicken’s unique fusion of vastly different genres emphasizes what the Logan Series is all about. In the words of Joel Hunt, a music professor at Behrend and Director of the concert, “the value of the Music at Noon series [is] exposing students to artists and music they might not otherwise encounter and providing meaningful experiences with live performance outside the classroom.” With many students in attendance, and their music ringing through the halls of the Reed Union building, it’s safe to say that Butter Chicken has succeeded in this mission. Sparking curiosity into how vastly different cultures can combine together to create music that transcends borders. 

For those interested in donating to the series, gift forms can be accessed here.