Dave Lee was approx.15yrs.old when he acquired a clarinet. Lessons were not affordable at the time and as a result Dave is virtually self-taught. He fell in love with the instrument and played traditional jazz whilst at art college in Blackpool and whilst doing his P.G.C.E. in Liverpool, playing with the Fylde Coast Stompers who later became the Fylde Coast Jazzmen. He remained with them for 18yrs. During that time they took part in Opportunity Knocks winning three years on the run, with Freddie Starr, a virtual unknown then, beating them on their fourth attempt at the title! He very nearly turned professional, but decided to become an art teacher and continue to play jazz, supporting such musicians as Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, Alex Welsh and George Melly.

For a time he played with Dizzy Burton’s Jazz Aces based at The Black Lion in Manchester and has been with the present Jazz Aces for approx.15yrs.

He prefers melodic playing and doesn’t like to get too far away from chord structures.

The main influences in his career have been Monty Sunshine, Tony Coe, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Jim Gaffney and of course, Sidney Bechet.

He embraces a broad spectrum of jazz and is reluctant to become too partisan-enjoying Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and Miles Davis and besides playing with the Jazz Aces he has his own quartet (guitar, bass, drums and reeds) playing more modern swing/Benny Goodman style jazz.

At home he has a small recording studio, where he is currently experimenting with the preparation of a C.D. influenced by Stan Getz, and where he writes music.

Apart from jazz he enjoys sailing and pottering in the garden.

Dave is a Mancunian by birth and brings a wealth of experience in playing the clarinet, soprano and alto-saxophone to the band. His solo pieces with the rhythm section are a popular feature in the bands programme.

A scouser by birth, Mike’s family moved to Blackpool just after the war.

He has had an interest in music for as long as he can remember and used to make plasticine models of orchestras as a child and together a relative who played with the Halle Orchestra he dreamed of playing music himself when older.

During the mid 50’s he went to hear Chris Barber in concert and became entranced with what he heard. He renovated a ukulele banjo of his father’s and taught himself to play from tutor books.

John Smith and he have been friends since school days and began playing skiffle together with friends at the age of 11years.

Whilst at Blackpool Technical College in 1962 he joined the college jazz band on a Rag Day parade and has remained with jazz from then on. The college band became The Louisville Stompers and he stayed with them until 1966, joining Bob Crosby and the Crown Jazzmen until 1972,then the Savannah Jazz Band from Blackpool who often linked up with The Tavernors folk group, until 1981. He’s been with The Jazz Aces who formed in 1981, ever since.

Musicians such as Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Django Reinhardt and Eddie Smith who played with Chris Barber, and whom he rates as a fine Dixieland banjoist, have had the most influence on him.

Musically he has catholic taste, but melody and harmony are requirements for him to enjoy it. Listening to music along with bird watching are his hobbies, and he is a member of the R.S.P.B.

Mike is an engineer with BAE systems and is due to retire in 18 months time.

John is local born and bred. Brought up listening to his relatives’ 78’s of dance band music, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington, he wasn’t aware that it was jazz, but he liked it. Whilst at Palatine School with Mike Taylor he became skiffle crazy and they spent many happy hours making music with friends and their homemade instruments.

He was self-taught and like Mike, the first jazz band he joined was formed at Blackpool Technical College in 1962. For a short while he played with a rock group in Blackpool known initially as the Tornadoes, then becoming the Zeros.

At the Cartford Arms in Little Eccleston from 1964 to 1966 he played with the Louisville Stompers, joining the Crown Jazz Men in Preston from1967 to 1973, Blackpool’s Savannah from 1973 to 1979, then Cyril Wroes Festival Jazz Band up to joining the Jazz Aces three months after Mike in 1981. Playing with both Cyril and the Aces side-by-side for a while.

Eric Delaney was probably the main influence on his musical career, along with Chuck Flores, ‘Big’ Sid Catlett and Dave Tough.

There isn’t a particular style of jazz that he prefers over another but he does like music with structure and chord sequences.

Golf and listening to music are his hobbies

He is a senior design engineer with BAE systems.

Ron Hancock has now retired from playing due to health reasons

Ron hails from Chesterfield in Derbyshire and is the elder statesman of the band. He began playing the euphonium when aged 9 years and was brought up with brass bands.

As a teenager he was reading the dots and playing in dance bands. He formed a trio of piano, drums and trumpet, playing at church halls every Saturday night in Chesterfield and Sheffield.

At Nottingham University during the war he was able to play jazz every day and it was here where he learnt to play the violin.

He played with Harry Princes Kings of Swing and the Rotherham Jazz Hounds in Loughborough and moved on to join the army, as a member of R.E.M.E. as an electronics engineer.

His career has been with Telefusion as an engineer designing cable TV systems to help bring TV to those living in valley areas who had difficulty in receiving programmes. His job brought him to Blackpool some 30 years ago and from which he retired 14 years ago.

In the meantime he played big band jazz with the likes of Ben Fenton and since moving to Blackpool played with the Wyre Levee Stompers for 15 years, Cyril Wroes Festival Men, the Lune Valley Vintage Band and now the Aces for 15 years, taking over from Ronnie Stevens. Every Friday he can be found with the Jazz Knights, in cabaret at the Norbreck Hotel. He loves playing and tells me he’ll play anywhere for money!

The greatest influence on him was Al Hirt and he played for me Al’s exquisite “I can’t get started” from his “Honey in the Horn” album. Mainstream is probably his preferred style of jazz. He blows a mean horn and his extensive musical knowledge enables the band to attempt tunes in various styles including Traditional, Mainstream, Popular and Bossa Nova.

His other interest is Life-long Learning, funded by the University of Central Lancashire, helping older people with a variety of activities aimed to stimulate them. Ron is secretary of the local branch where he teaches Cryptic Crosswords!

A mouth organ was the only instrument he had as a child and it was this he continued to play after joining the air force at the age of 18. He admired the musicianship if Max Geldray and Ronald Chesney becoming a member of a harmonica trio playing in stage shows at the Preston Palace. Here he was presented with the bass and drums-play this! He got stuck with the string bass and liked it, paying £30 for his own instrument and picking up an ear for the music by listening to big bands such as Count Basie and playing along to the music on Radio Luxembourg.

In 1958 he became a Methodist lay preacher and laid his bass to rest for 8 years whilst enjoying Bill Haley and the Beatles and becoming a school caretaker in 1964, a job he held for 30 years!

1996 saw him ordained as a Minister with a special ministry for sheltered accommodation. He is based at Wycliffe Memorial Anglican Church in Preston.

Fifteen years ago he met up with The Jazz Aces at a charity function in Kirkham, he played with them for a while then took a seven-year break and returned to them last June. His string bass he has exchanged for an Ibenes fretless bass guitar, which he has had adapted to have a leg screwed in so that he can sit down and play it like a cello. He tells me he is the only bass player in the Northwest who has to have his leg screwed in before he plays!

During the band’s sessions a popular feature is a quartet featuring Bob on that endangered species the Jazz Harmonica, along with Mike and Dave moving to bass and guitar respectively, and John on drums.

It has been suggested that for weddings the band could provide a package deal to include the clergyman!

Originally from Preston and now living in Blackpool, Cyril is the front man on the microphone.

He is also the author of the band’s annual pantomime performed to popular acclaim the week before Christmas.

His introduction to jazz was via The Jack Jackson Show where he heard Pee Wee Hunt playing 12^th St. Rag. Liking what he heard he went on to be inspired by the expressive trombone of Spike Jones playing with his City Slickers and acquired a G Bass trombone when his father came home with one he’d ‘picked up’ from the recently disbanded army band he’d played in.

Cyril joined the Preston Silver Youth Band for a while, playing the bass clef trombone, then entered the R.A.F. and playing with both the military and dance band. Practising in the bathhouse they regularly had wet towels thrown at them! He came out of the R.A.F. because he didn’t get the posting to Southern Rhodesia he wanted, got married, moved to Nottingham and didn’t play for ten years.

Playing again became a necessity for financial reasons! And forty years ago Cyril returned to Preston. Replying to an advert for a trombone player in a jazz band he took up with Sam Greenall at the Cartford Arms in Little Eccleston and the Lancaster Pub in Preston. There he was poached by Bob Crosby to join his Crown Jazzmen where he found John and Mike with whom he is now playing. He depped with The Fylde Coast Jazzmen for a while and joined Ronnie and Co. in The Jazz Aces some fourteen years ago.

In his time he has served as a builders merchant, cab driver and decorator. He enjoys quizzes, crosswords and walking in the Lake District.

If you want to hear this entertaining band, they appear at the delightfully spacious Station Tavern in Lytham every Thursday evening also at The Bowerham, Lancaster on the third Tuesday of every month and occasionally at The Outgate and Whitewater Hotels in the Lakes.

Patricia O’Beirne

Band Contact: Mike Taylor : 01772 685315