The Blue Wisp Big Band has been playing swing for 44 years, and is set to do so again. The band was founded by trumpeter Don Johnson and drummer John Von Ohlen in 1980, who took the name from the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, which operated from 1977 until 2014. Von Ohlen played at the Blue Wisp along with Michael Sharfe and Steve Schmidt as one of the Steve Schmidt Trio. They became the new group’s rhythm section.
Don Johnson was a veteran of the music scene in Cincinnati, and he suggested to Von Ohlen which players should be in the band. Von Ohlen says:
“Don was the horn connection.”
Von Ohlen started the band mostly because the great musicians he heard were not playing jazz, which was their favorite genre. It was this lack of opportunities that led to Von Ohlen’s decision to form the group, creating what he called:
“. . . a world-class big band . . . [to play] in a tavern, a beer joint.”
He approached the owners of the Blue Wisp, who agreed to let the band play at the venue on Wednesdays. The groups soon became Cincinnati’s top jazz orchestra.
They will perform at the Caffè Vivace on Wednesday, April 5, at 7:30 pm. When local events like this are planned, organizers can use flyer printing to create advertising handouts.