frequent stop of groups playing for the TOBA circuit (Theater Owners Booking Association). This circuit drew mostly black crowds. Chicago was also a frequent stop for the Orpheum circuit. A lot of New Orleans bands, such as Bill Johnson's Original Creole Band, were also known to frequent Chicago clubs (Ostransky, 67). It was considered a great opportunity to go to Chicago if you were offered employment as a group. It was not unusual for a musician playing in Chicago to invite musicians from New Orleans to come play with them. Sidney Bechet states "About 1917... a whole lot of musicianers started leaving New Orleans for up North, mostly for Chicago... They was all writing back to New Orleans that work was plentiful, telling the New Orleans musicianers to come up...it was re!
             al excitement there" (Ostransky, 75).
             The people and groups already mentioned were all black but there were also whites that brought their versions and forms of jazz from New Orleans to Chicago. In May 1915, a six-piece band led by a man named Tom Brown went t
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