Woody Allen and the New Orleans Band

 

The first time Eddy Davis met Woody was in Chicago in the early 1960s and
they are still playing old New Orleans jazz to this day. Eddy has never met anyone more
serious about there jazz than Woody.

 
When this band tours it is called Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band. But when
they play Monday nights at the Cafe Carlyle (as we have been for over 20 years) the
band is billed as “The Eddy Davis New Orleans Jazz Band with Woody Allen”.
The band was originally formed as a rehearsal band for a CD called “The Bunk
Project.”

 
In 1996 the band decided to try touring. The first tour was of Europe. We
performed 19 concerts in 21 days and produced a documentary film of the tour
called “Wild Man Blues”. There was also a CD from the film named the same.
These were the musicians on the tour: Cynthia Sayer (piano), Simon Wettenhall
(trumpet), John Gill (drums), Woody Allen (clarinet), Greg Cohen (string bass),
Dan Barrett (trombone) and Eddy Davis (banjo and musical director).

 
When the band started Mondays at the Cafe Carlyle the trombonist became Jerry
Zigmont, the drummer was Rob Garcia and the rest of the band remained the same.
During these last 20 plus years John Gill returned on drums, Debbie Kennedy took
over the string bass chair and the piano chair was filled by the “one and only”
Conal Fowkes. This band has made many, many tours since.