From Punk to Preservation, John Joyce’s Journey to New Orleans Street Jazz | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

From Punk to Preservation, John Joyce’s Journey to New Orleans Street Jazz

November 24, 2025
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John Joyce headshot

Once a punk rocker in Minneapolis, John “JJ” Joyce, who attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in the 1980s, has become a cornerstone of New Orleans’ modern street jazz scene.

Starting out in the Twin Cities’ late-1970s punk explosion with bands like Beat Merchant and The Magnolias, Joyce chased energy over polish—a spirit that still fuels his work today. After years touring the U.S. and a detour through the Los Angeles circus underground (helping build what became Burning Man), he landed in New Orleans in the mid-1990s. There, his neighbor and mentor Tuba Fats introduced him to the city’s street-playing tradition and ignited a new musical chapter.

Joyce later spent years busking across Europe and Asia with a traveling bike circus before returning to New Orleans to form the Smoking Time Jazz Club, whose high-energy street sets and viral Percolatin’ Blues video made them local legends.

During the pandemic, Joyce co-founded The Secret Six, bringing live jazz back to New Orleans parks and porches. He now leads several projects, including his latest group, JJ & the A-Ok’s, whose debut album will be released November 6 at BJ’s Lounge in the Bywater.

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