“Wit’s End has a big sound with the power to conjure the Mardi Gras spirit in only a few notes. People sprint from blocks away to join their parades, sight unseen... it is impossible to listen to the album without feeling swept up in the excitement they bring to the streets. This album is like Mardi Gras magic in a bottle.” - Holly Devon

— ANTIGRAVITY, 2023

Wit’s End Brass Band is an expanding and contracting community of musicians gathered and guided by multi-instrumentalist Shaye Cohn in New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally formed in 2012 as a marching band for the underground queer festival Endless Gaycation, Wit’s End has spent more than a decade playing events, protests, and parades both large and small. Their music spans eras and continents, drawing from South American folk traditions, Turkish psych, modern jazz, New Orleans originals, and plenty of cumbia. Wit’s End is a portable party of tradition and experimentation, skill and whimsy, love and collective joy.
“One of a long line of fun-loving New Orleans marching Krewes that stumble into becoming truly remarkable bands.” - Joe Bebco

— The Syncopated Times

Drawing from a wide range of global traditions, the band’s music draws from brass band repertoire from around the world, with strong influences from Latin American and Caribbean styles, New Orleans street music, and contemporary experimentation. Their repertoire moves fluidly between traditional melodies, reimagined standards, and original compositions, with a throughline of groove, improvisation, and collective energy. Their music is meant to be danced to, sung along with, and experienced in the moment.

Not your standard band-for-hire, Wit’s End is a deeply community-oriented collaborative organism that has become a staple of New Orleans' cultural life. The band prioritizes community over commerce, and brings music directly to the people in the streets,  backyards, and public spaces of their hometown. Many members of Wit’s End are active contributors to New Orleans’ broader musical and cultural landscape, and the band’s sound reflects that diversity and interconnectedness. 

While firmly rooted in New Orleans, the band has increasingly shared its work beyond the city, touring regionally and forming meaningful connections with musicians elsewhere. Their 2025 exchange with Mexico’s Mixanteña de Santa Cecilia, initiated through Mixateña's invitation to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, reflects that music truly is a common and communal experience, transcending borders and affirming similarities between cultures shaped by rhythm, tradition, and collective life.

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