New Orleans Band Puts Jazz Twist on Star Wars Music

Unless you’ve been living under a rock or in a galaxy far, far away, you’re probably aware that the next installment in the immensely popular Star Wars franchise will be filling up movie theaters in a matter of days. Slated for release on Friday, December 18, The Force Awakens marks the seventh film in the epic space opera series.

One of the most recognizable attributes of the Star Wars franchise is its classic score, which was composed by movie music legend John Williams for the original 1977 film. Now, New Orleans’ own Swamp Donkeys, a group that first garnered national attention with their cover of the Game of Thrones theme music, have put a jazzy twist on Williams’ iconic composition in preparation for The Force Awakens. The band–Haruka Kikuchi  (trombone), Miles Lyons (sousaphone), Josh Marotta (percussion), Connor Stewart (saxophone) and James Williams (trumpet)–currently hold down a Friday evening residency at Bamboula’s and a Saturday night residency at The Saint Hotel’ Burgundy Bar.

Give their rendition a listen below.