Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and the other jazz greats of early twentieth century New Orleans could little imagined the impact their music would have on the world. They invented and popularized an original American art form that changed music forever. From New Orleans to Chicago to New York and across America, those earliest roots of jazz resounded through the decades of the twentieth century and today ring clearly into the twenty–first.
In Tucson, Arizona, a committed and energized group of talented jazz musicians has, since the fall of 2002, been spreading the "gospel of traditional jazz" in southern Arizona.
The Original Wildcat Jass Band, comprised of six of the finest musicians in Arizona, offers traditional New Orleans and Chicago jazz, performed in a spirit and style that is true to its musical roots and wildly popular with audiences around the southwest United States. Their energetic performances are sizzling with musical energy and seeped in good humor. These "doctors of jazz" have found the cure for the common blues – it’ red–hot jazz, and it’s contagious!
In 2005 and 2007, the band performed as featured guest artists at the Adams State College Jazz Festival in Alamosa, Colorado, and also at the invitation of the Rio Grande Jazz Society in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The group has also been featured at AZ Jazz Week at the University of Arizona, at the 2007 Blythe (CA) Jazz Festival, as special guests on the popular Bobby and Brad Morning Show on 94.9 Mix–FM in Tucson, and at festivals in Green Valley, Tubac and Oro Valley, Arizona. In the summer of 2006, the band was invited to perform as musical goodwill ambassadors on behalf o the U.S. Department of State at special festivities in Sonora, Mexico.
The group’s first CD, Introducing the Original Wildcat Jass Band, released in 2004, is in its second run. A new CD, humorously titled "I’ll be Glad When You’re Dead", was released in 2007, and features meticulously performed transcriptions of vintage recordings from the greats of early trad jazz – Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Sidney Bechet, Jelly Roll Morton and others.
Today, The Original Wildcat Jass Band enjoys growing renown, both in its home town of Tucson and regionally. In short, the band has established itself as one of the premier regional performers in the style of Dixieland and "trad jazz", and is solidly poised to launch itself onto the national stage in the months and years to come.
Greetings and welcome to our new web site!
Sacramento awaits: The Wildcats have been invited to perform at the prestigious Sacramento Jazz Jubilee on Memorial Day weekend (May 23 - 26) in Sacramento, CA. Here's our list of our scheduled performances.
Big hit in Chandler: OWJB performed a rousing three-set concert at the AZ Classic Jazz Society's monthly meeting on Sunday, March 16. Many thanks to the Society for inviting us back. We'll be performing at their Annual Festival this November.
Lots of new developments in the last few months...
After the move of longtime Wildcat Martin Patfield to San Francisco, trumpeter Jason Carder joined the band in the fall of '07. Jason's a seasoned pro, and brings a great energy and dynamic range to our stage performances. Welcome, Jason!
On the weekend of Feb. 15 - 17, OWJB travelled to Sonora, Mexico for several performances: A special Valentine's Day concert at the beautiful Hacienda de Los Santos resort in Alamos, a rousing performance for an audience of nearly 400 in the beach community of San Carlos, and a sold-out performance for our friends at the Tubac Community Performing Arts Center on the way home.
And, our third CD is in the early stages of development. Expect to see it available sometime this year! It'll feature more authentic performances of vintage recordings by some of the greats of early classic jazz. Meanwhile, you can hear excerpts from our other two CD's and order copies of your own.