Saxophonist, producer, and bandleader John Firmin (aka Johnny Nocturne) formed the Johnny Nocturne Band -- so named for his famous take on "Harlem Nocturne" -- in 1989 to perform at and help out the owner of a blues club in Berkeley, California, with the idea of playing some soul-jazz, or heavily blues-based instrumental jazz. The band has gone on to be a club and festival favorite with a discography extending through the 1990s and into the new millennium.