Coming from a family of strong musicians, Carl first started playing the piano when he was six years old. He had classical lessons to the age of twelve (just listening and learning to copy the sounds) and went on to win ‘Young Musician of The Year’. A few years later, he switched to a teacher that gave more direction on improvisation, jazz and pop. By the age of eighteen, he’d mastered the art of playing boogie-woogie piano – relying on a strong left hand and a quick technique. Since 2007, he has become one of the resident pianist at Jools Holland’s live music venue ‘The Jam House’ in Birmingham. But he’s also very privileged to have performed at some of the country’s top music festivals and theatres and at countless weddings/private parties – and even done a few for some celebrities!
One of our club favourite acts, Carl Sinclair (piano) will make a return visit to us alongside Howard Smith on Drums.
Jazz Sans Frontières had its origins in a trio, playing mainly for high-budget weddings. Its popularity led to the expansion into the six-piece you hear today. Led by ex-Harlem Bob Caldwell on reeds, with trumpet ace Dave Leithead, we have Avo Avison on trombone. Banjo & guitar are played by John Irwin, bass by Chris Newnham ( both from the “core” trio) and drums by Keith Chaplin. The music is broad-spectrum traditional jazz with many excursions into the mainstream field.
As a finalist in the BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2020, winner of the Rising Star category in the 2019 British Jazz Awards, and nominee in the Parliamentary Jazz Awards 2021, Alex is known to be one of the most in-demand and versatile young reeds players emerging on the British jazz scene. Praised for her extensive repertoire list and intelligent ear for harmony, she brings a youthful, intuitive approach which sounds authentic in a variety of musical settings from New Orleans through to bebop. Alex’s sound is steeped in the tradition of jazz; her deep respect for the heritage of the music can be heard in a melodic approach reminiscent of Scott Hamilton and Lester Young. For this afternoon’s session, she will be joined by highly popular Midlands musicians Jez Cook (guitar), Paul Jefferies (bass) and Nick Millward (drums). Expect an afternoon of high-energy swing, featuring a broad programme of mainstream standards through to New Orleans spirituals & British Trad.
This Midlands based band was formed over 20 years ago with some members from the Hazel Slade Big Band. They always promise to please the audience with some fabulous numbers from a varied repertoire. Presented in a light hearted fashion with some banter between Jon & Robin. They really are a little big band! Tunes from W C Handy, The Ellington Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie, Django Reinhardt to name just a few. As the band name suggests, this band don’t ‘alf swing! One of the clubs’ favourites.
The band has established itself as one of the most respected and entertaining outfits on the British jazz scene, with their adventurous and eclectic repertoire gaining plaudits wherever they perform. Tad Newton’s Jazz Friends have recently headlined at Upton On Severn Jazz Festival, Pershore Jazz Festival, Teignmouth Jazz Festival, Birmingham Jazz Festival, Bromyard Music Festival, Jazz On a Summer’s Day in Blisworth, Wellingborough Jazz Festival, Wantage Jazz Club, Olney Jazz Club, Carlton Music Festival and at The Spice of Life Jazz Club, one of London’s top jazz venues. The band comprise of Tad Newton (trombone/vocal), Alan Haughton (piano), Ronnie Fenn (drums), Al Swainger (bass), Richard Exall (reeds) and one of London’s top young jazz players as a special guest Lester Brown (trumpet/flugelhorn). This poses to be a fantastic session, one that will be remembered for many weeks to come.
NB This session will be 12:00 – 13:00 & 13:30 – 14:30 (due to venue availability)
The Dragons started life as Johnny Everett’s Red Dragons. Since the very sad passing of John, Barbara, his late wife has kept his memory alive in the music he played and loved.
There are four original members of the Dragon Band; John Bodenham (clarinet & soprano sax) who started his jazz career 60 years ago with the Side Stream Jazzband. Ron Smith (drums) who has comprehensive drumming experience, he came to jazz late, after playing Country & Western and Rock’n’Roll. He has played alongside Jazz Salon Rouge and The Allsorts in the past. Permanently at his side in the band is Mark Johnson (double bass & sousaphone). Other regulars are Dave Deakin (trombone) who started his musical career in silver bands; he joined the Dragons in 2012. The two ‘new boys’ are the enthusiastic Peter Roberts (banjo), who has played banjo and sung in folk and jazz groups since the ’60’s with many bands, including Jazz Salon Rouge & Dene River Jazzmen. John Stone (trumpet) joined the Dragons after supporting Johnny through his illness. Ex- Denise Lawrence’s Storeyville Tickle, he’s been a muso on trumpet and bass for 67 years.
The style of the band is best described as Dixieland. There are items from the ‘Trad’ repertoire but their developing repertoire also features some more unusual items from the Golden Era of jazz.
Led by Jeremy Huggett on Piano & Vocals the Jazz & Boogie Band does exactly what it says on the tin by playing all your Jazz & Boogie favourites.
The current line-up features some of the UK’s top musicians:-
Jeremy Huggett – piano & vocals
Alex Clarke – saxophones
Kevin Grenfell – trombone, trumpet & vocals
Simon Smith – double bass
Alex Goodyear – drums
This lively and swinging band is great for both listening and dancing, and is guaranteed to give us a foot tapping session of Jazz & Boogie.
This band sports a healthy combination of youth and experience, Pete Brown (trumpet cornet and valve trombone) and Brian Lawrence (Bass and Sousaphone) were both long serving members of the original Eagle Jazz Band after initially forging their musical partnership in the Potteries based Mardi Gras Society Band during the 1970s. Matt Palmer (clarinet & saxes) joined in 2004, having worked extensively with Pete at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire. Drummer Tim Jones has added vigour to the engine room to allow the band to fire on all cylinders when required, along with Brian Mellor (banjo and guitar) and Terry Williams (trombone drums vibes). The collective experience amassed by the current line-up includes top UK theme parks, river cruises cruise liners, major UK and European Jazz Festivals and Radio and Television broadcasts. The wide repertoire is drawn from popular songs from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s; Classic Jazz compositions by King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton Sydney Bechet and Duke Ellington plus New Orleans Marches, Rags, Stomps, Blues, Swing and instrumental features. All band members are multi-instrumentalists, enabling us to play a variety of different sounds and styles each played in a happy, entertaining manner, many featuring vocals. Whatever we play, the major priority is to entertain the audience but to always maintain a high standard of musicianship and presentation.
Hot Fingers welcomes you to an eclectic mix of vintage acoustic music. As well as the red hot jazz of 1920’s New York, there will be sophisticated 1930’s Swing. The band re-create the ‘French Coffee House’ sound of the king of gypsy swing Django Reinhardt, the blues guitars of Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson, and the syncopated Latin rhythms of Argentinean Oscar Aleman, this is mixed with vocals from the song-writing greats, crooners such as Bing Crosby and Al Bowlly, and hokem from the likes of Cliff ‘Ukulele Ike’ Edwards. From Jump-Jive to swing, from the Charleston to Bossa-Nova, Hot Finger’s wide range of styles and rhythms makes them popular with both sit-down audiences and dancers alike. The band comprises Spats Langham (banjo, guitar, ukulele), Danny Blyth (bass clarinet, guitar) and Malcolm Sked (sousaphone, double bass). They will be joined by the superb vocalist Emily Campbell who adds a touch of class with her plaintive vocals, drawing inspiration from the likes of Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald.
The Jazzaholics continue a tradition that has been decades in the making. In the days before The Beatles became famous, Trad Jazz was in the charts and it fuelled a youth movement that danced, enjoyed and learned about the American music of the 1920’s-40s. They branded it Traditional Jazz. The bands of Acker Bilk (Stranger On The Shore), Kenny Ball (Midnight In Moscow) and The Temperance Seven (You’re Driving Me Crazy) sold millions and set the scene for the bands that followed. The Beatles started out as a young band that played the interval set for Acker Bilk at The Cavern Club (which was a jazz club back then) in Liverpool before they hit the big time in 1964. Heady days indeed.
The Jazzaholics have a lineage to that musical tradition. Formed by banjoist Jim McIntosh in 2007, he was a former member of the popular UK jazz band Phil Mason’s New Orleans All-Stars. The Jazzaholics gets the audience’s attention from the word go! With a lively repertoire of music from jazz giants King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, George Lewis, Gospel/Spiritual numbers and New Orleans brass band parade tunes also included in our repertoire. The Jazzaholics are full of vitality and musicality – they guarantee a fantastic traditional jazz experience for all.
The Jazzaholics maintain a traditional format of six musicians. Finley Milne (Trumpet), George Simmonds (Trombone *not pictured), Karl Hird (Sax/Clarinet), Baby Jools (Drums), Sean Moyses (Banjo) and Jim Swinnerton (Double Bass).
