ABOUT US:
The Big Butter Jazz Band is dedicated to playing New Orleans Traditional (aka Trad) jazz and Swing jazz. Standards and songs from the 1900's-1930's and Tin Pan Alley, back from the times when jazz was still dance music. Whether you call it Trad, early jazz, hot jazz, Dixieland, New Orleans jazz, or vintage jazz, it's full of beautiful melodies, infectious energy, and a pulsing rhythm that you can't help but dance to.
The band was founded in 2013 and has been playing restaurants, bars, festivals, special events, jazz festivals and swing dances all around Southern California ever since.
Drawing inspiration from the musicians of the past as well as the young New Orleans bands on Frenchmen Street, they’ll get your feet shuffling, head bobbing, fingers snapping, and body moving with their hard-driving rhythm section and hot ensemble choruses. Big Butter is delighting LA’s swing dance crowd and many others with their hot speakeasy sounds.
We are available for public and private events: weddings, memorial services, parties, dances, corporate events, festivals, banquets, fundraisers, jazz brunches, you name it. We have our own PA system, and the band size can be customized to have 4-6 players depending on the size of your venue and budget.
After nearly two years off we're just getting back to playing, know that our entire roster is vaccinated, and are happy to comply with any safety protocols. That said, we are giving priority to outdoor events and venues at the moment.
The core players:
Conrad Cayman - Leader, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals
Bob Aul - Tuba, Bass
Riley Baker - Drums, Bass, Tuba, Trombone
Chloe Feoranzo - Reeds, Vocals
Corey Gemme - Cornet, Reeds, Trombone
Elizabeth Goodfellow - Drums
Barbara Laronga - Trumpet
Mario Maggio - Reeds
CJ Sams - Sousaphone / Cornet
Our backup roster also contains other top hot jazz players in LA, as well as friends who visit from New Orleans, Sacramento, San Francisco, and New York City.
PAST VENUES & CLIENTS
SPECIAL CLIENTS:
Southern Comfort Whiskey (2018)
Actress Hilary Swank (2018 wedding)
Geffen Playhouse
JAZZ FESTIVALS:
San Diego Dixieland Jazz Fest (2016-2019)
Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee (2019)
Fresno Sounds of Mardi Gras (2021)
SPECIAL EVENT PERFORMANCES:
Jazz on the Lawn at Ivy Station, Culver City (monthly 2021-22)
Long Beach Shoreline Village Mardi Gras (2019)
Beverly Hills Concerts on Canon Series (2014, 2017)
Glendale Brand Library Plaza Concerts (2017)
Santa Monica Jazz on the Lawn series (2017)
Ford Theaters JAM Sessions – Newhall Library (2016-2019)
Anaheim Fall Festival (2016)
Clifton’s Cafeteria New Year’s Eve Extravaganza (2016)
Disney Dapper Day Folly (2016)
Geffen Playhouse Gala (2016)
Mardi Gras - Golden West College (2016)
Los Angeles Art Deco Society's "Casino Moderne" (2016)
Camp Hollywood XVIII (international swing dance event) (2015)
Battleship USS Iowa President’s Day Festival (2015)
Roaring 20’s Street Jam (2015)
SWING DANCES:
1st Saturday Swing, San Diego
1st Saturday Swing, Irvine
4th Saturday Swing, Long Beach
Atomic Ballroom, Irvine
The Lindy Loft, DTLA
Firehouse Swing Dance, San Diego
Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association
Joe’s Great American Bar & Grill, Burbank
Swingtronic at Pour Vous, Hollywood
Swingtronic at The Airliner, Los Angeles
Rusty’s Rhythm Club, Playa Del Rey
Alex’s Swingin’ Speakeasy, Laguna Beach
Moonrise Club at El Cid, Hollywood
OTHER VENUES
Anaheim Packing House, Anaheim
Areal Restaurant, Santa Monica
Bamboula's, New Orleans
Barkley Restaurant & Bar, South Pasadena
Clifton's Republic, DTLA
El Cid, Hollywood
Karman Bar, Laguna Niguel
Little Easy Restaurant & Bar, DTLA
Middlebar, Inglewood
Sassafras Saloon, Hollywood
Seven Grand, DTLA
Tavern, Brentwood
Teatro Martini, Anaheim
Villains Tavern, DTLA
The Wolves, DTLA