The designation "Boilermaker" originated in the opening decades of the twentieth century as a label for either a striking and vigorous romantic adventurer or any robust distilled spirit. Over time the phrase became linked in common usage to a tavern preparation in which a whiskey-filled shot glass is plunged into a glass of beer, a formula that inspired the especially potent Irish Car Bomb variant combining Bailey's and Bushmill's before immersion in a pint of Guinness. Although coal-fired boilers and steam engines may have contributed to the term's resonance, the Boilermaker Jazz Band almost certainly adopted it in reference to the classic shot-and-beer pairing. Established in 1988 at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, the ensemble specializes in traditional jazz and swing modeled directly on the groups once directed by Bunk Johnson, Kid Rena, George Lewis, Jim Robinson, Natty Dominique, Wooden Joe Nicholas, Kid Thomas, Sweet Emma Barrett, Percy and Willie Humphrey, and Narvin Kimball, while also echoing the approaches of Art Hodes and Albert Nicholas & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The band's frontline consists of the Cosentino family: trumpeter Andrew Cosentino, trombonist Jay Cosentino, and founder-leader Paul Cosentino on Albert-system clarinet. Forward momentum is consistently supplied by banjoist Dan Davisson and string bassist Ernest McCarty, with piano duties shared by Nelson Harrison or Mark "Baron Tomcat" Kotision, tuba handled by Gerry Gagnon, and drumming alternately provided by Tomio Inomata or Rich Strong. When the musicians themselves are not singing, vocals are delivered by Jennie Luvv. From 1995 through 2007 the group issued nine albums and maintained an active schedule of appearances across Pennsylvania, New England, and the West Coast, in addition to performances in Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, and Switzerland.
