The Baden-Württemberg Youth Jazz Orchestra (JJO BW), founded in the early 1980s by Jiggs Whigham and Bernd Konrad, is a premier ensemble for musicians aged 16 to 24. Supported by the Baden-Württemberg State Music Council, it aims to connect talented young jazz musicians and foster their musical and personal development. Membership lasts two years and is renewed through auditions, with rehearsals and concerts forming the core of its activities. The orchestra performs high-level Big Band jazz with a strong emphasis on improvisation and has produced notable alumni such as Claus Stötter, Hubert Nuss, Klaus Graf, Mini Schulz, and Sebastian Studnitzky. Bernd Konrad led the ensemble for three decades, followed by Rainer Tempel (2013–2021), and Klaus Graf is the current musical director.