Tuba Skinny

Friday, March 5, 2027, 7:30 pm
Hering Auditorium

The rich spirit of New Orleans roots music lives on in Tuba Skinny. One of the foremost practitioners of American roots music, Tuba Skinny is dedicated to bringing the best in traditional early jazz, blues and swing to audiences around the world.

For over a decade Tuba Skinny has attracted a wide variety of fans, young and old, neophytes and niche enthusiasts, with the strength of their musicianship and the scope of their jazz and American roots music catalog. The band is composed of Shaye Cohn (cornet), Barnabus Jones (trombone), Todd Burdick (tuba), Craig Flory (clarinet), Gregory Sherman (guitar and vocals), Max Bien-Kahn (banjo), Robin Rapuzzi (washboard) and Erika Lewis (vocals and bass drum).

While they’ve become known as world-class interpreters of traditional jazz, Tuba Skinny has branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full genealogy of popular American music from an early 20th century perspective.

Even as their popularity surges, Tuba Skinny always returns to the streets. “We continue to play in the street because it’s a public space,” says Shaye. “We get to play for everyone: old, young, rich, poor, people from all walks of life. It keeps things interesting because it’s organic and unpredictable.”

“The spirit of the music is not just imitated — it is created anew.” — ArtsFuse.org

“If jazz is the bread, then the blues is the butter for Tuba Skinny.” — Offbeat Magazine

“Tuba Skinny mines a rich seam of traditional jazz and blues from the ’20s and ’30s. And, while it’s evident the band treasures the sense of history evoked by these vintage tunes, the players’ natural exuberance makes the music feel irresistibly alive.” — Sydney Morning Herald