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Conceived as a side project of Marla and John Dixon, their original, conservative goal was to loosely pay tribute to the husband and wife duo of Billie and DeDe Pierce. But, owing to their passion for an era of raw New Orleans Jazz that is largely overlooked, and their enthusiastic delivery of an eclectic repertoire of many seldom-heard compositions, their endeavor quickly gained interest, momentum, members, and club dates. Before long the group had a name, and in October 2011 they recorded their first collection of songs; Algiers Strut. Engineered by Tim Stambaugh, the session features Marla Dixon on trumpet and vocals, John Dixon on banjo, Christopher Johnson (Smoking Time Jazz Club) on tenor sax, Jon Gross (Panorama Jazz Band, Treme Brass Band) on sousaphone, and Ben Polcer (Meschiya Lake & The Lil Big Horns, Loose Marbles, Orleans 6) on piano and vocals. A follow-up full-length live album featuring these and many other notable New Orleans musicians is currently in the works.

These days SJB is equally at home playing for tips and smiles on Royal Street as they are playing for dancers and fans at local clubs, parties, and weddings. SJB currently enjoys a weekly residency at Fritzel’s European Jazz Club, gigs regularly at The Spotted Cat, DBA, Three Muses, Bacchanal, Mimi’s, and Melange Speakeasy, has been a featured guest of WWOZ’s Traditional Jazz radio show as well as the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, and has participated in several festivals including The Creole Tomato Festival, New Orleans Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, and the Omaha Jitterbug’s Cowtown Jamborama.