Germany's Mardi Gras BB are a vibrant jazz, funk, soul, rock, and hip-hop ensemble with a distinctly swampy New Orleans feel, led by the charismatic Doc Wenz (aka Jochen Wenz) and former Grug Grug bass player Reverend Uli Jug, who plays sousaphone in the band. Formed in the late '90s, Mardi Gras BB (the BB stands for "big band") have worked out of different configurations for each of their albums, but the basic lineup includes Wenz on lead vocals and guitar, Uli Jug on sousaphone, Erwin Ditzner and Javier de la Poza on drums and percussion, Robert Solomon and Uli Roser on trombone, Chris Bishop on trumpet, Andi Pompinsky on tenor sax and clarinet, Lomsch Le Mans on baritone sax, and DJ Mahmut on turntables. The group's debut album, Alligatorsoup, appeared in 1999 on Hazelwood Records, followed by Supersmell in 2000 from Universal Music. Zen Rodeo dropped in 2002, with Heat following in 2003, 29 Moonglow in 2004, Introducing the Mighty Three (which saw the group working as a stripped-down trio) in 2005, and The Exile Itch in 2007. ~ Steve Leggett