"Cake Walkin' Jass Band"

Toledo, Ohio

After playing three short night club jobs and one wedding, the band opened at Tony Packo’s Café Wednesday, July 3, 1968. Eleven and one-half years later, the CJB was still packing them in every Friday and Saturday night at the Hungarian style restaurant.

Starting out as a four piece group with banjo, drums, piano, and clarinet, the band expanded after beginning at Packo’s to include cornet, trombone, tuba or sting bass, and vocalist. The size of the band has been four, five, six, seven, six, back to seven, then eight persons. Presently, the instrumentation is banjo, string bass, piano, cornet, clarinet, drums, trombone, and vocalist with eight members. Over the years, there have been 28 full time musicians and about 27 often used substitutes in the CJB.

The band has become very popular and plays many jobs outside of Rick’s. For many years, the group averaged almost one night a week besides its regular weekend stint. These jobs consist mainly of dances, dinners, weddings, and parties. Other gigs include playing for jazz clubs, festivals, and funerals. The CJB won the Lake Erie West Peoples Choice Award for jazz twice out of its four years existence.

Jazz clubs that the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band has played for are the Detroit Hot Jazz Society, the Indianapolis Jazz Club (IJC), the Classic Jazz Society of Southwestern Ohio, the Charleston (West Virginia) Jazz Club, the Potomac River Jazz Club (PRJC), the Pennsylvania Jazz Club, the Detroit Windsor Jazz Club, the Vintage Jazz Club of Muskegon, Michigan, the Illiana Jazz Club, the Tack Room in Illiopolis, Illinois, Earlyjas in Kent, Ohio, and the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society. Many have used the band on numerous occasions. Clarinetist and leader, Ray Heitger, has been made an honorary life member of the IJC.

New Orleans style repertoire now at over 470 tunes, the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band has a bright active future. The band’s love of the music and of bringing its inherent happiness to an audience is infectious - as the thousands upon thousands of people who have seen and heard the band will attest to.

THE LEADER

“It’s one of the Toledo area’s best known attractions for curious tourists and knowledgeable jazz gourmets.”

MISSISSIPPI RAG

“Whether the appeal is to fellow musicians wanting to join in the fun or to ecstatic listeners, the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band has a magnetism that both derives from and also transcends the appeal of traditional jazz.”

“The Cakewalkin’ Jass Band is the happiest happening for music lovers in this area for many years.”

RAY COLEMAN; EDITOR:

MELODY MAKER (ENGLAND)

“Two other bands impressed (me) especially with a directness of attack ... from Toledo, Ohio, the Cakewalkin’ Jass Band.”

JOHN RICHMAN; FREELANCE JAZZ WRITE
WEST COAST RAG

“..., the Cakewalkers have ensemble strength ... The effect is impressive.” "American's Helping American's"