The Bay City Jazz Band came into existence in March 1955 when trombonist Sanford Newbauer and cornetist Everett Farey, drawing inspiration from the Yerba Buena Jazz Band and Turk Murphy, assembled the group. These skilled players, whose average age stood at 25, began appearing regularly before audiences the next month. A fortunate encounter with the retired Lu Watters yielded several of his arrangements for the ensemble. By July the band had settled into weekend performances at the Sail'N in downtown San Francisco. Joining the co-leaders in the original roster were trumpeter Al Cavallin, clarinetist Roy Giomi, pianist Don Keeler, banjoist Tito Patri, tuba player Walt Yost, and drummer Lloyd Byassee. Their selections centered on 1920s standards associated with Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and Jelly Roll Morton, supplemented by fresh originals. Two sessions for the Good Time Jazz label took place in 1956 and 1957, both later reissued on CD. At the time of the second session, Yost had moved to second cornet in place of Cavallin, Lee Valencia had taken over on banjo, and Jack Beecher had become the new tuba player. Although every member maintained a day job, the part-time octet concentrated its appearances in the Bay Area, with one notable success at a concert in Los Angeles’s Shrine Auditorium. The group disbanded soon after completing its second recording.
