The return of big easy jazz, but with a modern twist: New Orleans Swamp Donkeys, a ‘Traditional Jass Band’, are an extremely versatile group of young musicians who play traditional jazz, blues, vaudeville, modern jazz adaptations, and other jazz and New Orleans-derived styles. If you close your eyes and listen to the voice of singer-trumpeter James Williams you’ll hear Louis Armstrong in his heyday. Since their formation in 2012, things have really taken off for the New Orleans quintet. They have crisscrossed the US in a van, literally clocking up the miles and flooring audiences along the way. They released two albums: Swamp Donkey with pre-1930s covers and Donkey Business with all original material. The group then gained international internet fame when their version of the Game Of Thrones theme, performed at NYC’s B.B. King’s Blues Club, went viral, garnering close to a million views. With singer Alia Shawkat the band recorded the EP A Fine Romance.
