Back in New York there's a rag-tag group of musicians called "The Hungry March" band. They tend to deploy in the service of various politically-progressive groups, and have a long history of working with Reclaim the Streets, Complacent, and other arty urban interventionists. Their shows always have a vaguely vaudevillian aspect - a little song, a little dance, maybe some makeup and costumes - and their music blends pep-rally punch, oom-pa bounce, funky breaks, and straight-up carnie kook. They make an excellent focal point for unlicensed parades and marches, as they are accessible and family-friendly. Though I don't know if they've ever played themselves into a paddywagon, I have the feeling that tubas and trombones help make one rather arrest-proof.
But I digress.
In Paris there are a number of bands like the Hungry March, similar in sound if not in politics, and I have been told that its actually a fundraising tradition amongst specialist universities - engineering schools especially. How this little tradition became established I'll get back to you on, but suffice to say that this sort of public display of brass is far from uncommon, especially in the warm months as tourists flock to town. I ran into these guys on the corner of boulevard St-Germain and boulevard St-Michel, just next to the park behind the Cluny baths. Here's the better part of one of their numbers.
