ABOUT US:

     The Big Butter Jazz Band is dedicated to playing New Orleans traditional jazz. Back from the times when jazz was still dance music. Whether you call it traditional (trad) jazz, 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.

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    The band was founded in late 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.
 

The core players:

     Conrad Cayman - Bandleader, Guitar, Banjo, Bass, Vocals

     Bob Aul - Tuba, bass

     Corey Gemme - Cornet, Reeds, Trombone

     Elizabeth Goodfellow - Drums

     Barbara Laronga - Trumpet

     Mario Maggio - Reeds

     Jessy Carolina - Washboard, Vocals

     CJ Sams - Sousaphone / Cornet

     Mark San Filippo - Drums

     Steve Tyler - Trombone​

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Our backup roster also contains some of the top hot jazz players in LA, as well as friends who visit from New Orleans, Sacramento, and New York City.

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VENUES:

RESIDENCIES:

Barkley Restaurant & Bar, South Pasadena, (monthly 2014-2019)

The Little Easy Restaurant & Bar, DTLA, (2017-2018)

Clifton's Cafeteria, DTLA (2016-2019)

Areal Restaurant , Santa Monica (2015-16)

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SPECIAL CLIENTS:

Southern Comfort Whiskey (2018)

Actress Hilary Swank (2018 wedding)

Geffen Playhouse Gala

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JAZZ FESTIVALS:

San Diego Dixieland Jazz Fest (2016-2019)

Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee (2019)

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SPECIAL EVENT PERFORMANCES:

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)

Folly / Disney Dapper Day (2016)

Geffen Playhouse Gala (2016)

Mardi Gras performance - 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)

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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

Rusty’s Rhythm Club, Playa Del Rey

Alex’s Swingin’ Speakeasy, Laguna Beach

Moonrise Club at El Cid, Hollywood

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OTHER VENUES

Anaheim Packing House, Anaheim

Basement Tavern, Santa Monica

El Cid, Hollywood

Karman Bar, Laguna Niguel

Middlebar, Inglewood

Sassafras Saloon, Hollywood

Seven Grand, DTLA

Tavern, Brentwood

Teatro Martini, Anaheim

Villains Tavern, DTLA