The Jazz on Wheels band is back on stage at this year’s first big neighborhood bash. The Ellice Street Festival has been drawing big crowds for several years now. Kids and adults wander along the street, eating hot dogs and cotton candy, playing games, watching demonstrations—and of course dancing to the non-stop roster of bands on the big stage. It’s a great way to shake off the long winter!

Jazz on Wheels is Steve Kirby’s mobile jazz history band. It got its initiation at the Ellice Street Festival four years ago, and in the intervening years has offered its particular mix of entertainment and education in many of Winnipeg’s neighborhoods. The band has a clear mission—it showcases the art form’s creative energy and artistry by featuring high-level musicians, but it also underscores the present relevance and accessibility of this music by tracing paths between contemporary musical forms and jazz roots.

A Jazz on Wheels history lesson bears no resemblance to the droning classes most of us suffered in high school. These shows are engaging, polished, exuberant—and downright danceable. Jazz on Wheels kicks off its summer run on Ellice. It’s a party not to miss!