A group of young musicians performing on stage, including a young man playing the saxophone, with a woman playing the upright bass and others playing wind instruments, in a dimly lit venue with purple and red lighting.

Young Bucks

The Young Bucks Jazz Orchestra is a New Orleans-based big band built around the sound, energy, and spirit of classic swing.

Founded by Aiden Keller, Young Bucks brings together a group of talented musicians who share a love for the music and the people who keep it alive. The band performs classic repertoire alongside original arrangements, bringing the sound of the big band into New Orleans clubs, concert halls, festivals, and unique creative projects.

Young Bucks is also a platform for new work. The orchestra has taken on projects ranging from performances with featured vocalists to live scoring for classic animation, creating new experiences around music that has stood the test of time.

At its core, Young Bucks is about keeping big band music moving forward while staying connected to where it came from.

Swing

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Funk

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Bebop

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Fusion

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Swing ✳︎ Funk ✳︎ Bebop ✳︎ Fusion ✳︎

Event poster advertising a jazz concert featuring Thais Clark with the Young Bucks Big Band Orchestra on Thursday, April 30 at 8 PM at Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St, New Orleans.

Working with Thais Clark brought together a great group of musicians and two distinct musical voices. Her style gave the Young Bucks sound a new direction, while the full orchestra gave her music a chance to grow into something bigger. It was a collaboration built around great players, great music, and the fun of creating something together.

Event poster for a jazz concert at New Orleans Jazz Museum on March 5th at 2:00 PM, presented by Jazz Foundation of America, featuring Young Bucks Jazz Orchestra with Alicia Ynez and Andy Dufrene, includes a photo of a woman singing into a microphone with audience in the background, and a white speech bubble with 'FREE'

Young Bucks brought the music of Duke Ellington to the New Orleans Jazz Museum for a special performance and recording project. The band performed Ellington classics with a full big band, including It Don’t Mean a Thing featuring vocalist Alicia Ynez.

The project was a chance to bring one of the most important big band catalogs in jazz into a live setting with a new group of musicians, while celebrating the arrangements and sound that continue to shape big band music today.

Follow @youngbucksjazz on Instagram!

So excited to share that we will be accompanying the legendary Thais Clark at @snugjazz_nola this Thursday, April 30th, playing her original music, and more! Shortly after @ashlinparker ‘s @trumpetmafia takes the stage with @cyrilleaimee !
GASA U! Thank you so much for having us! We had such a great time, and can’t wait for the next show! @gasagasa_u 📸: @_cbergman
We had a great time swingin in the sun with ya’ll at the @loyola_smtp Esplanade in the Shade Stage! 💃🕺🏼 @fqfest was an absolute blast! Big thanks to everyone who came out and be sure to check out our next show May 7th at @gasa_gasa 🎺🎷 📸
Swing into Saturday with the Young Bucks! We’re bringing that big band energy to @fqfest with a set of swingin’ classics that’ll have you tappin’ your toes and dancin’ in the shade. Catch us at 1:15 PM on the Esplanade
🎷 LIVE at Gasa Gasa – May 7 🎷 Opening set by trombonist @robbie.w.trombone (Trumpet Mafia) Young Bucks Jazz Orchestra Robbie kicks off the night with a bold, genre-blending performance rooted in jazz tradition and powered by raw creativity
Today, the Young Bucks Jazz Orchestra honors Trans Day of Visibility by celebrating the resilience, creativity, and contributions of transgender musicians in jazz — both past and present — and reflecting on those whose stories remain unhe

Let's Work Together

Interested in booking a performance, commissioning an arrangement, collaborating on a project, or working together on something creative?

Fill out the form below with some details about what you have in mind, and I’ll get back to you with more information.