Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles Jazz Band from Denver, CO

The beat goes only because it transcends generations. It's instinctual. We're just built to swing, that's all. This is not lost on Denver, Colorado's Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles. The Pickles know their musical history and they know how to dance. They possess both natural and acquired musical tastes that compel them to push forward by reaching back to an old sound. Prewar blues, Big Band, Swing and Traditional New Orleans Jazz, it's all preserved in the tasty brine that Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles bring when they set their musical table. Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles are led by trumpet player, Joe Smith, who started the band in January of 2013 to give dancers something to swing to. They're much more than a dance band, The Pickles are preservationists who are helping keep the spirit of a uniquely American form of music alive. The 6-piece band plays a mix of New Orleans Jazz, Gutbucket Blues and early Swing. Smith has been playing trumpet since he was ten years old. He spent his teenage summers marching in a drum and bugle corps, and while at the University of Iowa, Smith helped run Hawkeye Swing Festival where his interest in vintage Jazz music and dance grew into a passion. The band draws influence from legends of American Jazz like Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong, as well as the vocal stylings of Slim and Slam. In their very young career as a band, The Pickles have played at swing dance events around the country including Hawkeye Swing Festival, Cowtown Jamborama, Southern Fried Swing, Lindypalooza, and more. They recently completed a tour in Washington. You can catch Joe Smith and The Spicy Pickles regularly in Denver, Colorado. They are a house band at both the Mercury Cafe and Overstreet Dance Gallery.