The New Orleans Nightcrawlers are a dozen musicians from around the Crescent City who work in a number of other outfits, among them Dr. John and Dukes of Dixieland. Their other gigs, however, do not prevent members from coming together as a cohesive whole on recordings, although the situation does hamper live performances, which are few and far between. This state of affairs has not kept the group from amassing a number of awards. These honors include a Best of the Beat Award in 1996 for Best Traditional Jazz Album, another Best of the Beat Award in 1997 for Best Brass Band Album, a Big Easy Award in 1997 for Best Contemporary Brass Band, and yet another Best of the Beat Award in 2001 for Best Contemporary Brass Band Album. Appearances include New Orleans' Jazz & Heritage Festival, Finland's Imatra Big Band Festival in 2000, London's Gumbo Festival, the City Stages Festival held in Birmingham, AL, and Les Rendezvous de l'Erdre staged in Nantes, France. The Nightcrawlers' members are snare drummer Kerry "Fatman" Hunter, clarinetist and saxophonist Jason Mingledorff, saxophonists Ken "Snakebite" Jacobs and Brent Rose, sousaphone player Matt "Tubop" Perrine, flügelhorn and trumpet player Barney Floyd, bass drummer Tanio Hingle, vocalist and trombonist Craig "Sparky" Klein, trumpeter Kevin Clark, vocalist and percussionist Smiley Ricks, trombonist Rick Trolsen, and co-founder Tom McDermott. ~ Linda Seida