MILLENIUM
EAGLE JAZZ BAND
M
MILLENIUM
EAGLE
JAZZ
BAND
This
information appeared in the March 2006 edition of Just
Jazz Magazine (Issue
95)
and is reproduced courtesy of Matt Palmer & Just
Jazz Magazine
The Millennium Eagle Jazz Band
is a recently formed, Midlands-based unit that emerged as a direct result of the demise of the very popular Eagle Jazz Band following the sad death of trombonist Tony Hobson in January, 2005. Tony was the only remaining founder-member. Matt Palmer had recently folded his Millennium Jazz Band, after having five successful years on the road, in order to join the Eagles, so it was therefore thought appropriate to include Millennium in the name of this latest venture. The original Eagle Jazz Band was formed by Ken Ingram and Bob Smith in 1951 and continued to delight West Midlands audiences, and more recently audiences further afield, for an amazing fifty-four years. The new band sports a healthy combination of youth and experience, Pete Brown (trumpet and valve trombone) and Brian Lawrence
(bass) were both long-serving members of the Eagle Jazz Band after initially forging their musical partnership in the Potteries-based Mardi Gras Society Band during the 1970s. Matt Palmer joined in 2004, having worked extensively with Pete at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire. Young drummer Julyan Aldridge has added youthful vigour to the engine room to allow the band to fire on all cylinders when required, along with fellow newcomers Chris Etherington (banjo) and Andy Holdorf (trombone).
The collective experience amassed by the current line-up includes top UK theme parks, cruise liners, major UK and European jazz festivals, and radio and television broadcasts.
The wide repertoire is drawn from popular songs from the 1920s, 30s and 40s; Classic jazz compositions by King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Sidney Bechet, plus New Orleans marches, rags, stomps, Blues and Swing numbers. As some band members are multi-instrumentalists, the group delivers a variety of different sounds and styles. All selections are played in a happy, entertaining manner and many feature vocals.
Whatever the band play, their major priorities are to entertain the audience but to always maintain a high standard of musicianship and presentation.
The Millennium Eagle Jazz Band has already made its mark in several UK jazz clubs and at society functions, where they are equally at home. The band is able to perform acoustically and therefore is suitable for outdoor events and for strolling.
Matt Palmer - clarinet, saxophones & vocals
At the age of thirty-six, Matt Palmer is still considered one of the younger musicians playing Traditional jazz in Britain today.
In addition to the Millennium Eagle Jazz Band, Matt is also a member of the Nottingham
Swingtet and renowned Jump Jive band, Hot Banana. He started learning clarinet at the age fifteen having become a keen jazz fan through listening to
his father’s records, which included sessions from the 50s and 60s by Chris Barber, Alex Welsh and the Dutch Swing College Band. After a couple of years, Matt began playing with local concert bands and for amateur dramatic productions. His first experience of playing jazz with other musicians (as opposed to playing along to records) came in 1988 when he started to sit-in with a few bands that played in pubs around the Nottingham area.
In 1990 (at the age of twenty) Matt (now also playing tenor sax) decided to form a band of his own, so set to work on creating the Knights of Jazz who enjoyed a great deal of success in the early 1990s. During this period Matt added alto and soprano saxes to his collection of instruments.
Matt’s career in full-time music began in 1995 when he became a member of the resident jazz band at Alton Towers theme park, Staffordshire, and became bandleader in his final season (1997). During his time there he worked with many of the country’s leading Traditional jazz musicians, including Pete Brown, Terry Brunt, Mike Dexter and Arthur Brown. When the theme park contract came to an end, Matt formed the Millennium Jazz Band who became firm favourites in several leading jazz venues.
Other activities have included several visits to Puerto de Mogan, Gran Canaria, where Matt has hosted star-studded jam sessions featuring musicians appearing at the jazz festival held on the island. These sessions have provided Matt with the opportunity to play along side such notables as the late Kenny Baker and clarinet star Pete Allen. In addition to these sessions, Matt has guested with some of the bands on the bill which have included the Pete Allen Jazz Band, The Beachcombers, The Heart of England Jazz Band, The West Jesmond Rhythm Kings and John Burnett’s Jazz Bandits.
Matt has many influences and favourite musicians of all styles and periods of jazz, but particularly special to him is the work of Sidney Bechet and Jimmy
Noone.
Peter
Brown - trumpet, valve trombone & vocals
Pete is a renowned Midlands musician having held the trumpet chair in the Eagle band since 1979. His musical career started in military service with the North Staffordshire Regiment. On his return to civilian life he joined Stoke-on Trent's premier band, The Ceramic City Stompers. He then spread his wings to join the famous Manchester band, the Zenith Six. Five years later he left to join the Old Fashioned Love Band. In 1969 he decided to form his own band, The Mardi Gras Society Jazz Band, which enjoyed great success throughout Europe backing many famous visiting American jazz greats including Bud Freeman, Gene Connors and Wild Bill Davison. During his career he has also been band manager at the Alton Towers and American Adventure theme parks.
Andy Holdorf - trombone & vocals
Leaving West Bromwich and Leeds Universities in 1957, intending to take up a career in Physics, he was side-tracked into that year’s Rhythm Club jazz band, Cassey’s Hot 7, a fabled inter-faculty band and jazz hopefuls. After failing his degree, with honours, he escaped to London, taking up a position as laboratory technician at a college in Kensington.
Andy joined the Back 0’ Town Syncopators in 1964. After several years touring England and aboard he settled in Stockport and joined the local brass band. Next came Shep’s Banjo Boys, who were co-opted onto the ‘Comedians’ Show’ for Granada TV. An off-shoot of this group then played at the Skyline Hotel, Heathrow, where they were head-hunted for a two year contract at Your Father’s Moustache Banjo Bar in South Africa. On expiry of his work permit, Andy was deported back to England as an alien! He then took to the hills of Rochdale, supporting himself by busking, and after several forays abroad with legendary Sidney Pye (aka Kate and Sidney Pye) was then incarcerated at Alton Towers with the Al Potts Jazz Band for ten years, during which time he met Pete Brown who had come up through the ranks in a more traditional way but with the same end result. Donning lederhosen und stein there followed nearly two decades of oompah’ing, only to be rescued by the Millennium Eagle Jazz Band at the beginning of 2005.
Chris Etherington - banjo & vocals
Chris Etherington banjo, vocals Chris has been in the Millennium Eagles for a year. Fifty years ago he followed the generational path from Lonnie Donegan to Chris Barber, then back to the Hot Fives, Morton, Bix, Oliver and Ellington. While running continuous successions of bands at Shrewsbury School he joined the Severnside Jazz Band in 1975 (and today runs it).
Twenty five of the 30 Severnside years were spent in the company of pianist Jon Penn, and the late cornetist, Dick Wharton. So the repertoire was extensive and scholarly! Guests with the band during that time included Roy Williams, Digby Fairweather, John Barnes, Pat Halcox, Alex Revell, and both Masons (Rod and Phil!). Plus all the best-known Midlands icons of the time.
Chris is grateful to all those banjoists who have promoted the instrument beyond its usual plink-plink’ role — notably Johnny McCallum, Paul Sealey and Gentleman Jim Mcintosh. Great role-models all!
Brian Lawrence - bass
Brian, who is well-known to jazz fans, started playing at the age of three on concertina. When he got to be bigger he bought a bass. His first jazz band, The Three Spires Jazzmen, was in 1960, then on to the strangely named Duff Campbell’s Goodnight Band, where he first met Mike Turner, the leader of his next band. After this he joined the Zenith Hot Stompers, leaving them in 1971 to join Pete Brown’s Mardi Gras Society Jazz Band. When this band ceased in
1980 he renewed his ties with Mike Turner to form the band which has become Swing Parade, leaving in 1991 to join the Cutty Sark Jazz Band, which he left in 1997. Since then he has toured with Phil Mason, Yorkshire Post, and The Ken Colyer Trust Band, and was a regular dep in Tommy Burton’s group and many bands too numerous to mention here.
Jack Cotterill - drums
The latest recruit to the band is from a family of talented jazz drummers, son of Robert Cotterill and grandson of Pete Cotterill. aged 15 he is one of the youngest jazz musicians on the scene, but already playing with some of the top names in British jazz; T J Johnson, Adrian Cox, Denny Ilett, Graham Hughes the list goes on. . . Jack has been playing drums ever since he can remember, due to being brought up into a family of drummers. Jack also runs his own band 'The Cheshire Cats' playing at clubs and festivals throughout Britain. After leaving school, He wishes to pursue a career in music and become a professional jazzer! Playing most styles of jazz, you are bound to come across him in sooner
Contact Details:
Matt Palmer - 0115 921 2464 or 07973 882235
E-mail millennium_jazz at talktalk.net
Brian Lawrence 07746 643880
E-mail brian at meagle.co.uk (Please replace ' at ' with @ )
Website www.meagle.co.uk