Jazz Sabbath
English jazz trio performing Black Sabbath songs as jazz with a fictional origin story.
Jazz Sabbath is an English jazz trio created by Adam Wakeman, who performed as a touring keyboard and guitar player for Black Sabbath (2004–2017, 2025) and as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band (2004–2025). The band operates under a fictional backstory that they originated in the late 1960s, and their music consists of jazz renditions of Black Sabbath songs. In their fictional narrative, they claim to be the original writers of those songs and accuse Black Sabbath of plagiarism. The band first appeared in a mockumentary on YouTube in February 2020, in which band leader Milton Keanes (played by Wakeman) was interviewed by actor Robert Powell about the alleged theft of their songs.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Genre
- Jazz, jazz fusion
- Years Active
- 2020–present
- Label
- Blacklake
- Current Members
- Adam Wakeman / Jack Tustin / Arthur Newell
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The idea for Jazz Sabbath began in 2013 on a night off in Berlin during a Black Sabbath tour. Adam Wakeman and the band's security guard were at the hotel bar early in the morning when the guard asked if Wakeman could play the Sabbath set on the bar's piano. Wakeman thought it would be fun to play the songs as jazz improvised versions and played until the bar staff wanted to go home. This concept later evolved into a mockumentary released on YouTube in February 2020, featuring actor Robert Powell interviewing band leader Milton Keanes (Wakeman) about the band's fictional history and the alleged theft of their songs by Black Sabbath.
Reader's Guide
Jazz Sabbath's significance lies in its playful, fictional reimagining of Black Sabbath's heavy metal catalog as jazz standards, combined with a mockumentary narrative that claims the band were the original composers. The project debuted with a self-titled album on 10 April 2020, which reached #4 on the UK iTunes jazz chart, #3 in the US, and #1 in Canada, and peaked at #14 on the Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30 and #25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums Chart. Subsequent albums—Jazz Sabbath Vol. 2 (2022) and The 1968 Tapes (2024)—continued the concept, with Vol. 2 entering the iTunes jazz chart at #1 in the UK, US, and Canada. A live album, Jazz Sabbath Live, was released on 20 February 2026, recorded at the Paradox Jazz Club in Tilburg, The Netherlands, during the band's 2025 European tour. The project's legacy includes special Record Store Day mono editions on colored vinyl with bonus tracks and DVDs, and its fictional backstory has been maintained in album liner notes, where band members and session players are credited only by fictional names.
Did You Know?
- Jazz Sabbath's debut album debuted at #1 on the iTunes jazz chart in Canada.
- The band's first public appearance was in a mockumentary on YouTube in February 2020.
- The idea for Jazz Sabbath started in 2013 in a Berlin hotel bar during a Black Sabbath tour.
- A mono edition of the debut album was released on blue transparent vinyl for Record Store Day Black Friday on 27 November 2020.
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