WEST JESMOND RHYTHM KINGS

“Red Hot – That’s What!”

                 

The band was formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1984 by trumpeter Mike Durham. It specialises in classic hot jazz of the 1920’s (there are over 600 tunes in the band’s book), along with some of the “hot dance” tunes of the era, like The Charleston. Favourite sources include the music of King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Bix Beiderbecke, and so on. Alternatively, with guitar and string bass rather than banjo and tuba, the Rhythm Kings can play a programme of 1930’s Swing music, featuring the works of Fats Waller and his contemporaries.

The band is well-known both nationally and internationally on the jazz club and festival circuit (over 40 festival appearances in the past five years, many of them repeat bookings) and has played in the U.S.A., France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Holland as well as all over the U.K. Major venues played include London’s famous 100 Club, as well as Alnwick Castle for the Duke of Northumberland (where the band led an aristocratic conga-line around the State Dining Room to ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’) and Basildon Park for the National Trust before an audience of over 5,000 people.

The Rhythm Kings are available for jazz clubs and festivals, weddings, birthday, anniversary and retirement parties, garden fetes, store openings, product launches, dances, riverboat cruises – in fact, just about anywhere that happy live jazz music is required.

                      

Most recently, the WJRK have returned from a very successful four-city tour of the mid-western states of the U.S.A., playing in Davenport (birthplace of the legendary Bix Beiderbecke), Chicago, Milwaukee and Kenosha, Wisconsin. A highlight was when they played in the Bluebird Inn, Milan, Illinois – a tavern where Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and other jazz greats are known to have played in the twenties and thirties.

In addition to broadcasting on BBC and Independent radio, the band has had records issued on the American labels Stomp Off and G.H.B., and on the U.K. Lake label. Their latest CD releases are “Jubilee Stomp” (2003) on Lake Records and “Way Up North” (2005) on their own WJRK Records label.

With the various musicians doubling instruments and a repertoire ranging from ragtime to classic jazz to hot dance, you can be sure that time spent in the company of the West Jesmond Rhythm Kings guarantees excellent jazz, good entertainment and a few musical surprises, all immaculately presented and expertly compèred by the leader.

Normally a six-piece band, the Rhythm Kings can supply music to suit all occasions and budgets, for instance:

* solo cocktail piano for background music
* piano, sax and bass trio for smooth jazz stylings
* add drums to the above for intimate dance dates
* trumpet/clarinet/banjo/sousaphone quartet for promotional events
* up to 12 piece New Orleans style marching band

A sampler CD is available on request with examples of most of these styles

The band carry their own PA and keyboard where required, but can perform in acoustic/strolling mode when required. Uniforms range from T-shirts to dinner jackets……

Basic personnel:

Mike Durham, trumpet/trombone/vocal/leader
Derek Fleck, clarinet & saxophones
Brian Chester, trombone & piano
Keith Stephen, banjo & guitar
Phil Rutherford, sousaphone or Ian Heslop, string bass
Mac Rae, drums