Bute Jazz

Download the Gig List

Administrator — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 13:51:07 +0000

We have a gig list in the form of a chart available as a downloadable PDF file

Click the Button below

Swing Guitars

Administrator — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:33:12 +0000

Scotlands pre-eminent guitar duo Swing Guitars came together through a mutual admiration of the music of gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, but the duo are not concerned about slavish imitation and infuse the music with their own highly spirited personal style. Now well established on the live circuit and festival scene, Swing Guitars have gained a deserved reputation as a formidable and highly entertaining live act. Since first coming to prominence on the Celtic Connections open stage, Swing Guitars have graced stages around the UK and Europe with such performers as John Jorgenson, Bob Brozman, Woody Mann, John Goldie, The Incredible String Band, Tony McManus and many others. The duo has also contributed music for the Scottish Television “This Scotland” documentary series. Their most recent CD “Thirty Two Notes In A Heartbeat” was reviewed enthusiastically and received extensive radio play, which, along with live performances on national television and radio, has enabled Swing Guitars to take their music further afield into the global marketplace

Reviews/ Quotes
“I very much enjoyed meeting and playing with Tom and Tam - they did a great job with no rehearsal at all! I will look forward to the next chance to meet up with them for some more jamming”. – John Jorgenson

“Their nippy fingers pay hot tribute to their hero” – The Herald

“Swing Guitars have moved on from being a Django “covers band”… to being a highly skilled, highly entertaining live act.” – The Living Tradition

“…a stunning show that had a packed Royal Concert Hall in raptures…” – Metro

Academy Swing

Administrator — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:27:49 +0000

“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 day popular music. The band is led by Tony Spencer, the Island’s Instrumental Music Teacher. Tony is a professional clarinettist who for fourteen years held the post of principal clarinet with the Band of the Grenadier Guards in London.

Bobby Wishart Group

Administrator — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:14:38 +0000

Bobby Wishart is one of the greatest jazz musicians in the UK.

His band is a byword for quality and one of the finest combos performing today. When you consider the people that Bobby has worked with you begin to realise why he has such a big reputation in the world of music.

Over the years Bobby regularly performs and broadcasts with his own groups which feature the very best of the young, as well as the more established Scottish players including…

Carol Kidd, Voted UK No 1 Jazz Vocalist
David Newton, Voted UK No 1 Jazz Pianist
Sandro Ciancio, percussionist - the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and a member of Hue&Cry.
Robert Henderson BAFTA nominated Composer Arranger Trumpeter
Gino Ciancio No 1 Maltese Jazz & Fusion Pianist, Arranger/ Composer
Grant Mitchell, Pianist Arranger Producer with Lisa Stanfield
Ewan Vernal – Deacon Blue & Capercaillie
Graeme Duffin Guitarist Wet Wet Wet.

Bobby has also performed with Ronnie Scott, Annie Ross, Salena Jones, Kiki Dee, Maggie Bell, Stevie Winwood, John Barry (Composer of Film Scores) Memphis Slim and Marion Montgomery to name just a few.

He plays on the Soundtracks for “Chewin The Fat”, “Offside”- Tam Cowan, and the Karen Dunbar series as well as an appearance on BBC TOTP’s with the Graham Lyle Band

Other credits include Lecturer in Jazz and All Music Course Jordanhill College, Founder/ Lecturer in Jazz Improvisation and Jazz Saxophone RSAM, Founder and Musical Director National Jazz Institute, Founder Member and Artistic Director, European Youth Jazz Festival and Member of Music Committee Scottish Arts Council.

Keith Stephen’s Hot Club Trio

Administrator — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:06:30 +0000

The band plays the music of Django Reinhardt and Hot Club style jazz. The band consists of Keith Stephen on lead guitar, 6-string banjo, tenor banjo and ukulele; Roly Veitch on rhythm guitar and vocals and Bruce Rollo on double bass. Young singer Caroline Irwin joins the band on certain gigs. The band is sometimes augmented with a reed player or violin. The band have played with Bill Smith (reeds), John Hallam (reeds) and Mike Piggott (violin) on many occasions and are also playing with Tim Kliphuis, Enrico Tomasso, Frank Brooker, and others in the coming year.

Penman’s Jazzmen

Administrator — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:00:04 +0000

Formed in 1959 ‘The George Penman Jazzmen’ established a large following for their music. The musical capabilities of the band were proven when in 1961 they won a Scottish Band Championship and in the following year lifted all the major awards at the North Scotland Jazz Festival.

With numerous appearances on Radio, Television and recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios with Thorn/EMI label the band have gone from strength to strength.

Sadly George Penman passed away in 2009, however the band still continues playing gigs all over the country, including a regular slot at ‘King Tuts’ in Glasgow every Saturday afternoon.

Brass Impact

Administrator — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:54:23 +0000

Live & Swingin’ is Scotland Premier tribute to the kings and queens of big band jazz and swing (past and present) and a nice helping of blues, rock, Motown and soul, if you need it. Based in Paisley, and playing in the style of the ever popular big bands, their main aim is to provide audiences with the opportunity to experience big band like they’ve never heard it before. The horn section, made up of trumpets, mellophones, a tenor saxophone, and valve trombones gives us a very unique and exciting sound.
This unique sound comes from the use of some ‘non-traditional’ big band instruments such as mellophones, which produce a very distinctive sound similar to that of the mellophoniums used by the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the early 1960’s, and the little used ‘valve’ trombones. Mixed cleverly with the more traditional trumpets and saxophones, the mellophones and valve trombones allow the band to add that extra ‘kick’ to the big swing numbers, as well as a rich, warm and luscious sound for the most delicate of ballads and vocal arrangements. The unique brass sound is fused together with the drive and excitement of the rhythm section, with the fabulous vocal talents of brother and sister duo, Iain Ewing and Pat Keating adding the finishing touches to our presentation.

The Big Chris Barber Band

Administrator — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:36:15 +0000

British jazz trombonist Chris Barber celebrates his 60th year as a bandleader in 2008-2009. Inspired by the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band, Chris formed his first Barber New Orleans Band in 1949 at the age of nineteen. In 1953, along with Monty Sunshine and Lonnie Donegan, he joined forces with Ken Colyer. Then, with the replacement of Colyer by Pat Halcox, Ken Colyer’s Jazzmen became Chris Barber’s Jazz Band in 1954 and has been one of Europe’s most successful traditional jazz bands ever since.

Over the years, Chris Barber’s Jazz Band evolved into the Chris Barber Jazz and Blues Band, a rich eight-piece group, blending brass, reeds, and electric guitar into a unique and unmistakable mix of blues and jazz. And despite being ‘on the slide’ since 1949, having performed over 10,000 concerts and made thousands of recordings, the Chris Barber Band keeps marching on, right into the 21st century. At the end of 2001 Chris extended his band with three more musicians into The BIG Chris Barber Band.

Contact Bute Jazz

Administrator — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:08:43 +0000

If you need to contact the Bute Jazz Festival Committee or have are or represent an act that would be interested in appearing at the Festival please fill out the form below:

Jazz Festival Questionnaire

Administrator — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:41:33 +0000

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.

Download the Questionnaire