The Blue Wisp Big Band

During the 1980s, Cincinnati's jazz scene featured the Blue Wisp Big Band as one of its premier orchestras. Focused on hard bop, the ensemble cut four albums for the Mopro label, with the full body of work later appearing on two SeaBreeze CDs in the mid-'90s; one of those collections documented a concert taped in Los Angeles while the group toured the West Coast. Trumpeter Tim Hagans, bassist Lynn Seaton, and leader/drummer John Von Ohlen stood out among its key personnel. Since its formation in 1980, the band has sustained weekly Wednesday-night performances at Cincinnati's Blue Wisp Jazz Club.