The Jazz Parade
Every year on the Saturday of the Jazz weekend the one and only Jenny Brown leads a parade through the town. It's a jazz free for all as musicians from many different bands jam together whilst they march casually to the esplanade fountain and gardens. The march is also an opportunity to see the wonderfully colourful decorated brollies and a winner is picked at the culmination of procession. Don't miss it! Saturday morning - meet at Guildford Sq. Exact time to be confirmed.
Chicago Teddy Bears Society Jazz Band
In the words of the song, “It’s not what you do, it’s the way that you do it” and there is something about the way the Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz band “does it” that attracts large audiences everywhere they go. Based in the North West of England since the early 1970’s the band has undergone several changes of personnel as it modified and developed it’s style to become one of the most entertaining bands in the UK, the current line-up have been together for several years resulting in the tight polished performances which are the hallmark of the band. The ...
Nova Scotia Jazz Band
Formed by early in 2009 the Nova Scotia Jazz Band is firmly in the tradition of the groups led by Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier, Bix Beiderbecke and Alex Welsh. Featuring the world class cornet of Mike Daly, the banjo wizardry of Duncan Findlay, the swinging bass of Ken MacDonald and the clarinet and saxophones of John Burgess this sweet and hot quartet are a fresh take on the classic jazz style and a welcome addition to the long list of excellent groups from Edinburgh, Scotland which includes bands of the quality of Sandy Browns Jazz Men, Alex Welsh and his ...
Jamie Brownfield Quintet
Jamie Brownfield, 19, hails from the village of Llanrhaeadr Y.M. in Mid Wales. He started on the cornet aged 9, began playing jazz in public when he was 12 and was leading his own jazz quintet by the time he was 13. Since then he has been a regular member of various bands and guested with many more including The Merseysippi Jazz Band, The Chicago Teddybears Society Jazz Band and Richard Leach's 7 Stars of Jazz. Jamie has recorded two CD's, the first 'No Animals Were Harmed . . . ' by The JB Quintet when he was only 14 and ...
Fat Sam’s Band
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, but working world-wide, Fat Sams Swing Band occupies a niche in todays jazz-world that is virtually unique. Formed by Hamish McGregor towards the end of 1984, the band went 'live' on St.Valentines Day - 14th of February 1985, and is the only professional standard 9-piece outfit working on a regular basis with a repertoire embracing - on the one hand the highly commercial 'jump-jive' music of Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway and Louis Prima, and the swinging sounds of Glen Miller, to the small and big band music of the middle-period Ellington, Basie, etc.. This breadth of repertoire, ...
Stretch Dawrson and the Mending Hearts
Country historians in some quarters claim Western Swing is part of country music’s heritage pioneered by Bob Wills who blended country instrumentation with Dixieland jazz, big band sounds, Cajun and Mexican music, European polka bands and vocalisation using standards from the 20’s onwards. Here in Scotland we now have our own exponent in Stretch Dawson and the Mending Hearts. The band comprises Stretch dawrson guitar, vocals Tom Macniven trumpet, lapsteel, guitar, bk vocals Seonaid Aitken fiddle, piano, , vocals Roy Percy bass, bk vocals Cammy Sinclair drums, bk voclas Chris Grieve trombone Marin Foster clarinet, sax, Iain Anderson 2nd fiddle To listen to some audio tracks from Stretch and ...
George Rodger Sextet featuring Hermie Longalong
The band has been playing in Central Scotland for the past five years and after a spell of retirement from the music business, George (guitar) brought together some of his past colleagues to concentrate on Gypsy style Jazz mainly in the vein of the legendary Django Reinhardt and more recently Bireli Lagrene. Three of the ensemble are brothers! Big Frank Henery (guitar) has a unique style very much of his own and was greatly influenced by the late great Barney Kessell. He has accompaniment from the younger members of the family in the form of Danny (accordion) and also John (double bass). To complete the ...
We have Saved the Jazz Festival
We are pleased to announce that following an excellent response to our funding appeal which has been generously supported by our local community and business, the 24th Isle of Bute Jazz Festival will take place from Friday 29th April to Sunday 1st May 2011 We still need funds to make this the best Jazz Festival ever so if you are able to donate you can do it using the PayPal donate button over on the right hand side of this page
Rose Room
Formed in summer 2010, Rose Room comprises virtuoso violinist and vocalist Seonaid Aitken, Jimmy Moon on double-bass with guitarists Tom Watson and Tam Gallagher completing the line-up on solo and rhythm guitars respectively. The music embraces many of the songs of the swing jazz era with a dash of western swing thrown in for good measure. Tom Watson and Tam Gallagher are probably best known for their work as Swing Guitars, first came to prominence after winning the Danny Kyle open stage at 2001 Celtic Connections, they have since performed at festivals in the UK and Europe and have established themselves ...
Academy Swing
"Academy Swing", the swing band of Rothesay Joint Campus have been performing at the Bute Jazz Festival since 2004 and this year will be opening the festival. The band has made quite a reputation for itself in the past few years and performs regularly in the local community and further a field at venues such as the Loch Fyne food fair. It has also toured regularly throughout Argyll giving community concerts and schools demonstration performances on Islay, Mull, Oban and Mid Kintyre. Academy Swing plays in a varied selection of styles, from trad jazz through to big band, through to present ...
News
Preparation for next May’s festival is very advanced. You can buy your tickets on-line now and the line up of artists has been booked. Such was the popularity of the 2011 that we have managed to re-book some of the acts. We’ll have full details of the gigs in due course. 
Please help the Festival to develop and improve by filling in the questionnaire. We want to assess both quality and popularity of festival, the effects of our marketing efforts as well as the economic impact the Festival has on the Island’s economy.
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Support the Jazz Festival
In our efforts to keep the festival alive we are raising money through donation and sponsorship. If you’d like to contribute...
We have Saved the Jazz FestivalWe are pleased to announce that following an excellent response to our funding appeal which has been generously supported by our...


