Most Sundays at BJ's Lounge in the Bywater belong to James McClaskey & The Rhythm Band, a New Orleans group that describes its sound as rhythm & blues with a jazz-inflected edge — early R&B, blues, and swing, played for dancers. The James McClaskey Big Band is the large-ensemble version of that weekly stand: McClaskey's name on the marquee with a bigger band behind it. LocalGroove classifies the October 4, 2026 stand as Jazz / Big Band.
McClaskey leads from the front as a vocalist and tenor guitarist, with a documented Rhythm Band lineup behind him: Robin Rapuzzi on drums, Adrian Seward on saxophone, Greg Sherman on guitar, Andy Reid on bass, and Carl “Sonny” Leland on piano. The group's 2024 album Later On Blues was recorded in January 2023 at BigTone Records in the Lower Ninth Ward. McClaskey has also been heard on banjo around town, including a Jazz Fest appearance with the Secret Six.
The band's own site, jmrhythmband.com, describes a New Orleans-based group blending original material with classic songs, and its press kit previews an upcoming release built around a new track called “Level Ground.”
