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This highly popular and talented band is comprised of leading musicians in their field each of whom have a long standing history of playing traditional and popular jazz.  With a high standard of musicianship and a touch of humour the band will provide first class entertainment.  Their music is drawn mainly from popular composers and date from a period of between 1900 and 1950 in a Traditional style along with numbers from the swing era including Sinatra type compositions.  The band is West Midlands / Shropshire based and covers adjacent counties that include Worcestershire, Staffordshire Herefordshire and Warwickshire with occasional excursions further afield.

This highly popular and talented band is comprised of leading musicians in their field each of whom have a long standing history of playing traditional and popular jazz.  With a high standard of musicianship and a touch of humour the band will provide first class entertainment.  Their music is drawn mainly from popular composers and date from a period of between 1900 and 1950 in a Traditional style along with numbers from the swing era including Sinatra type compositions.  The band is West Midlands / Shropshire based and covers adjacent counties that include Worcestershire, Staffordshire Herefordshire and Warwickshire with occasional excursions further afield.

UK born and bred Wendy Kirkland is a world class jazz pianist and vocalist.  Her debut album ‘Piano Divas’ made such an impact when it was released in March 2017 that it was immediately snapped up for distribution by Discovery Records.  It also made the Album of the Week slot twice in one year on The Jazz UK radio, shortly followed by overwhelming critical acclaim from the national mainstream and jazz press. More airplay of the album followed on Clare Teal’s Radio 2 show, Alyn Shipton’s Jazz Record Requests on Radio 3, Helen Mayhew’s shows on JazzFM and latterly BBC Radio Scotland by Clare Teal’s Scottish counterpart Seonaid Aitken.  All have noted her swinging style, equally as adept with the Great American Songbook as with Brazilian bossa nova and her own original songs.  Described as “the unsung heroine of British Jazz” by esteemed jazz critic Ian Mann and “mellow and stylish” by Clive Davis of the Sunday Times, Wendy will be performing songs from her album which contains fresh arrangements of songs made famous by jazzwomen who started out as pianists then learned to serenade the audience too, as Wendy has done. These include Diana Krall, Eliane Elias, Shirley Horn, Nina Simone and Blossom Dearie. Wendy tells the story of these women and how they inspired her to strive to become the UK’s leading exponent of jazz piano and voice, with equal merit in both.  Wendy is joined by a band who have performed with the UK’s top jazz players as well as US stars such as Darius Brubeck.  Pat Sprakes (guitar), Paul Jefferies (double bass) and Steve Wyndham (drums).

The Dragons started life as Johnny Everett’s Red Dragons. Sadly, Johnny left us to join the Great Jazz Band in the Sky over a year ago. Babs, his widow, has kept the band going with her enthusiasm for the band and jazz in general. She is to be seen all over the jazz circuit.

There are four original members: JOHN BODENHAM, clarinet and soprano sax, who started his jazz career 60 years ago with the Side Stream Jazzband; he took a long break and then was in at the start of Graham Smith’s Allsorts which developed into the Red Dragons.  On drums is RON SMITH, who has comprehensive drumming experience, he came to jazz late, after playing Country & Western and Rock’n’Roll; he’s played Jazz Salon Rouge and The Allsorts).  Permanently at his side in the band is MARK JOHNSON, on bass & sousaphone; he played with The Allsorts in the early 90’s, later joining the Red Dragon Jazzmen. He’s played with Jazz Salon Rouge, Eureka Jazz and Sheila Fawkes; he’s an all-rounder, playing also in folk, brass & dance bands & theatre pit orchestras).  Other regulars are our versatile trombonist, DAVE DEAKIN, who started his musical career in silver bands; he joined the Dragons in 2012. Also playing sousa and bass, he can be seen in many bands on the jazz circuit, including The Sopranos, The Eagle, Apex jazz & Swing). The two ‘new boys’ are the enthusiastic PETER ROBERTS, who’s played banjo and sung in folk and jazz groups since the ’60’s with many bands, including Jazz Salon Rouge & Dene River Jazzmen where he met trumpeter, JON STONE who 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; you’d think he’d be better by now!
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.

John Hallam has been playing the clarinet since the age of 14 followed soon after by the alto saxophone and flute.  He gained experience with a military bands, a dance band but also formed a jazz band whilst still at school.   Under his musical belt, among other experience is, a twenty-one year stint with the Smoky City Jazzband and included playing alongside Humphrey Lyttelton, George Melly, George Chisholm, Joe Harriot, Bud Freeman, Wild Bill Davison, Stephane Grappelli, Roy Williams, John Barnes, Peter Schilperoort, Dick Wellstood, Danny Moss and many more. During this time the band played at a number of festivals in Europe and did many broadcasts on radio and T.V.

Amy Roberts was voted winner of the Miscellaneous Category in the 2015 British Jazz Awards, and the Rising Star Category in the British Jazz Awards in both 2009 and 2011, Amy has earned an enviable reputation throughout not only the UK but also abroad.  She has worked in prestigious venues and festivals all over the UK and across Europe and has become known on the jazz circuit as a charismatic performer. Amy currently leads several bands which feature some of the most exciting musicians on the jazz scene. She also regularly makes guest appearances with other highly acclaimed ensembles and internationally celebrated orchestras.    Fuse these two talents together, and you have a musical performance with serious saxappeal!

Sarah relocated back to the UK in January of 2017 and has been continuing to lead her ‘Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band’ on both sides of the Atlantic, in Europe and in the USA.  She has also joined the long-established, Bob Dwyer’s Bix and Pieces band and is the other member of the front line of Mike Owen’s exciting and wonderful Scarlette’s Serenaders, which also performs internationally.  In addition to these, she is guesting with many other bands all across the UK and Europe.

Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Band performs powerful New Orleans jazz in the tradition of the great Revival.  Drawing influence from bands of that era, as well as taking influence from more modern New Orleans music, blues, rhythm and blues and the greats of all eras of Jazz and Blues; like Henry ‘Red’ Allen, Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, Jelly Roll Morton, Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie Johnson, Louis Jordan, Louis Prima and countless others.

Personnel of the Transatlantic Band are Sarah Spencer (sax, clarinet & vocal) Mike Owen (trombone), Brian Bates (trumpet), Hugh Crozier (piano), Howard Worthington (Bass) and Jools (drums).

The ideal band for jazz clubs, Bev Pegg’s Good Time Four comprises of Roger Heeley (piano), John O’Connor (double bass) and Ken Wright (drums).  All of these great musicians know Bev’s jazz repertoire inside out meaning that the overall sound is always precise and in Bev’s own style. The band, a four piece, retains that special 1920’s/1930’s classic jazz feel. Bev Pegg and his Good Time Jazz Gang gathered together for the first time as a unit on Saturday May 3rd 1997, when they recorded the album “Take Your Fingers Off It” on P.E.K. Sound, a specialist jazz label with high reputation in the UK jazz field.  Bev’s initial album was so well received by the jazz press and enthusiasts alike, that live gigs just had to follow. The band definitely gives the crowd a “good time” with its’ well-known musical repertoire, interspersed with lots of laughs.  The band fronted by Bev on vocal, guitar and banjo, has built up its reputation as being one of the swingin’est, hottest jazz outfits in the land.

 A hot dance band that falls outside the remit of most traditional jazz outfits both in style and repertoire.  Picture the 1920’s/1930’s dance hall or ballroom, the musicians on stage immaculate in their tuxedos, and the glamourous female vocalist seated stage, right, waiting for her turn to arise and perform the newest songs of the period.  Then comes the jazz solos.

Sheila Fawkes (vocals), George Huxley (reeds), Jon Penn (piano), Terry McGrath (trombone and saxophone), Mark Johnson (double bass), Tim McGrath (guitar and banjo).

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.

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.