For over two decades Southside Aces have performed traditional New Orleans jazz for weddings, festivals, clubs, and more — music furnished for all occasions. The Aces utilize the traditional canon for its sweetness and spice, joy and sorrow, whatever the mood should call for.

 

The band first began as the brainchild of clarinetist Tony Balluff and sousaphone player Erik Jacobson. Their whispers and rumors materialized in Tony’s foyer in South Minneapolis, in August 2003, to prepare for their first gig on a flatbed truck in Apple Valley, Minnesota. In New Orleans, the jazz tradition thrives off a wide array of styles. The Aces possess a diverse repertoire, with a roll call that includes the names of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbecke, Preservation Hall, on and on. They've released eight albums, including their most recent —Minneapolis Bump— fifteen original songs inspired by the Jazz Age. That means any time spent in front of the Aces is a chance to hear over a Century of Jazz!

 

The short list of Twin Cities Clubs that have featured Southside Aces: Dakota Jazz Club, Crooners Supper Club, The Turf Club, and Vieux Carre. Festivals: Twin Cities Jazz Fest, the 50th annual Bix Beiderbecke Jazz Festival in 2021, and Minnesota Orchestra Sommerfest, to name a few. In 2022 they began hosting their very own annual festival, Jazz Age Rumpus. They’ve driven dancers to a frenzy at national dance competitions, playing for events in Denver, Omaha (including 2024's Cowtown Jamborama), Chicago, Des Moines, and all across the great state Minnesota (including 2024's Minnehop Lindy Exchange) — which, if you’re keeping score, makes them a “territory band.” 

 

Look for the Southside Aces at your local jazz venue, or contact the group to add a little swing to your next special event. They’re all swell fellas, too!