
For 20 years Ulysses Jasz has entertained crowds at the James Joyce pub on Saturday nights with its New Orleans jazz. Led by Alex Marshall, a Scotsman, the band swings with happy music from the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s.
Ulysses Jasz didn’t start out as a band. It was a weekly jam session open to traditional jazz revivalist players. Tommy Byrne, the jazz-loving proprietor of the popular Irish pub in downtown Santa Barbara, made the corner of his hostelry available. A honky-tonk was obtained and a regular band evolved, named in honour of J. Joyce’s notorious novel, Ulysses. Jasz is a historical spelling of the name for America’s classical music.