About the Event

Together for more than 30 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continues its decades-long mission to celebrate and revitalize jazz and swing music—America’s original musical art form—and bring joy to audiences around the world. 

Since its formation in the early ’90s in Ventura, California, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy—famously named after an autograph by blues legend Albert Collins—has toured virtually nonstop, regularly performing more than 150 shows a year and has produced a sizable catalog of recorded music, with sales of more than 2 million albums to date.  

Early on, during their legendary residency at the Derby nightclub in Los Angeles, the members of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy reminded the world, in the midst of the grunge era no less, that it was still cool to swing. The band’s all-original core lineup includes Scotty Morris (lead vocals and guitar), Kurt Sodergren (drums), Dirk Shumaker (double bass and vocals), Andy Rowley (baritone saxophone and vocals), Glen “The Kid” Marhevka (trumpet), Karl Hunter (saxophones and clarinet), and Joshua Levy (piano and arranger). 

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s first phase of stardom featured an appearance in the 1996 indie film Swingers, a movie that not only launched the careers of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau but also introduced Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to an audience beyond its Los Angeles base. The band’s music has appeared in countless films and television shows, including The Wild, Despicable Me, Phineas and Ferb, Friends, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Ally McBeal, and So You Think You Can Dance. The band has appeared live on Dancing with the Stars, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, NBC’s Christmas in Rockefeller Center, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (a remarkable seven appearances), and the Super Bowl XXXIII halftime show. The band members have also appeared as special guests with many of the country’s most distinguished symphony orchestras and have performed for three U.S. presidents. 

After more than 30 years, 11 records, over 3,000 live shows, and countless appearances in film and television, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is showing no signs of slowing down and is looking forward to sharing its music with new and old fans alike. 

Thank you to our Jazz Series Sponsor