Rambunctious
2009 – PRESENT
You make up a title
We make up a song!
Rambunctious is an ever changing collective of horn players improvising dance party music, while I improvise lyrics. Seasoned veterans play alongside jazz school students or beginner amateurs of every age. Sometimes a 5-piece "cabaret act", sometimes a 15 or 20 piece explosion of good vibes; every show is a once-in-lifetime experience. We draw on the traditions of swing, ska, hip-hop, funk, disco and more. We get a title from the audience, decide a key and a form, then launch into a new song, complete with lyrics, harmonies, choruses, the lot. But be clear, this is not some experimental artistic exploration, it's a party.
ram·buhngk·shuhs - adjective
- difficult to control or handle; wildly boisterous
- turbulently active and noisy
- a social gathering that became rambunctious and out of hand
elsewhere on the internet
MLJ leading a community “Get Rambunctious” workshop at Small World Music, Artscape, Toronto
promo video made by our friend Pedja Milosavljevic from a party for a literary magazine at Saving Gigi, Toronto. guessing 2010?
Pedestrian Sunday, Kensington Market, October 2017
our annual Skeleton Parade
joined by Samba Elegua and other random drummers
featuring members of Lemon Bucket, Detroit Party Marching Band, and some random players who just got up and joined in. Pittonkatonk festival, Pittsburgh, PA, 2025.
a nice short DOC made by Small World Music in 2012
a decent overview of what Rambunctious is all about