The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, New Orleans' oldest continuously performing jazz group, represents a direct thread between the birth of jazz and the present day. 

The band was founded in 1910 by legendary cornetist/trumpeter Oscar “Papa” Celestin, who named it after Storyville’s famed Tuxedo Dance Hall in New Orleans’ red-light district. Celestin led the group—eventually renamed the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band—for 44 years. After his tenure, the torch passed to faculty drummer Gerald French’s grandfather, Albert “Papa” French, then to Albert’s son Bob French, and today Gerald proudly continues that enduring tradition. The band’s early alumni includes some of jazz’s most revered pioneers: Louis Armstrong, Joe Oliver, Manuel Perez, Johnny St. Cyr, Baby Dodds, Zutty Singleton, Alphonse Picou, and Lorenzo Tio, Jr. 

The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band played dance halls and fancy parties, and held a long-time gig on at the Paddock Lounge on Bourbon Street. Their profile grew: they played at the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and began touring Europe and points beyond, a practice they continue today. The band can also be heard at festivals and clubs around New Orleans, including their weekly gig at the Mahogany Jazz Hall.