The Yarrow River Jazz Band

THE YARROW RIVER JAZZBAND

The Yarrow River Jazzband resulted from a meeting in the Wheatsheaf pub in Croston in Dec '86 in response to an advertisement in a local newspaper placed by Richard Knock. Within a few months the band had started taking engagements and has remained a popular band in the northwest ever since.

The line-up has varied, especially during the earlier years, at one time in the mid-nineties it was functioning as an eight piece unit. The current band consists of five: (trumpet, clarinet, trombone, banjo and string bass), and most of the band's recording output has been done in this format.

Richard Knock (tpt) and Mike Kemp (clt) were founder members, John Holt (tmb) joined very shortly after the band was started, 'ilf Jenkinson (bjo) was with the band from 1994 and Doug Wall (bass) from 1996. Mike Kemp sadly passed away early in 2004 after nearly 18 years with the band, and Phil Yates joined on clarinet in December 2003.

Wilf Jenkinson decided to retire from the band in Autumn 2009, after 16 years as our banjo player. He contributed a great deal to the band's performances over a very long period, a rock steady banjo player with a beautiful tone. Our new (well, since October 2009!) member on banjo and guitar is Dave Brown, who we consider ourselves fortunate to welcome into the band

Doug Wall retired from the band in Aug 2010 having been our bass player since Oct 1996, missed both for his very fine playing and his singing, John Dorgan has now taken over the position on the Eb brass tuba, giving a slightly different but very effective flavour to the band's sound.

The band's policy on repertoire and style has always been quite open, although predominantly traditional in character it includes such numbers as Ellington's 'Black & Tan Fantasy', Monk's 'Blue Monk', songs from Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett's era, and even selected Beatles numbers and the French National Anthem! More usual New Orleans and Traditional pieces, however, form the bulk of the band's material.

Quite a lot of the band's engagements are for private parties/weddings etc., where the percussionless line-up goes down well in 'dinner jazz' mode; but regular northwest jazz venues are also represented, as have been festivals at Keswick, Llangollen, and Marsden in Yorkshire. The band are making their fourth visit to Keswick in 2006, after a three year gap, they have been regulars at Marsden since 1994.

In 1996, the band represented Chorley at the Millecentenarium Festival in Hungary at Szekesfehervar, Chorley's twin town, celebrating the event with a recording 'Szekesfehervar and all that jazz'.

For five years from 1998 the band acted as host to star drummer and entertainer from New Orleans, Barry Martyn, on the final gig of his annual European tours.

Richard Knock                     

Hungary - Millecentenarium Festival, Szekesfehervar 1996.

Marsden (Yorkshire) Jazz Festival - 1994,1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 200, 2008, 2011

Keswick Jazz Festival - 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006 ---

Llangollen Jazz Festival 1999, 2000 ---

Other appearances at: Whitewater Hotel Cumbria, Bury Metro Arts Centre, Unicorn Preston, Outgate Hawkshead, 

Leeds Jazz Club, Duke of Cambridge Nottingham, Thornton Little Theatre and many others.

Buxton Pavilion Theatre

Personnel:

The Yarrow River Jazz Band Tape

"Szekesfehervar and all that Jazz"

Majorca : Running Wild : All Of Me : Doctor Jazz Stomp : Perdido : Someday Sweetheart : Down In Honkytonk Town : Nineteen Nineteen Rag : Buddy Bolden's Blues : Buddy's Habits : Basin Street Blues : Get Out Of Here : Tin Roof Blues : Sugar Blues : Bye Bye Blues

CD: Jazz In The Park TACD48 @ £9

Hiawath Rag : Kitchen Man : In The Sweet Bye & Bye : Royal Garden Blues : Beale STreet Blues : Shine : Harbour Lights : Over In The Gloryland : Tichomingo Blues : Muskrat Ramble : Blue Monk : Willow Weep For Me : Lily Of The Valley : I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan : Baby Won't You Please Come Home : Indiana : Yellow Dog Blues : When The Swallows Return To Capistrano : Panama Rag

Peter Kings (P.E.K Sound)
has produced some CDs from Keswick 2000 Jazz Festival'   On a compilation CD, PKCD 158,  including: -- The Algiers Stompers; Spirits of Rhythm; The Second Line Jazzband; Keith Nicols Blue Four; Bill Salmond's Louisiana Ragtime Band; Crazy Rhythm with John Hallam; Louisiana Washboard Five; and Annie Hawkins New Orleans Legacy, -- the Yarrow River Jazzband  have two tracks, 'I guess I'll have to change my plan'; and 'Tischomingo Blues'.  

Also from a live session at Keswick Conservative Club,
P.E.K. Sound have produced: PKCD159. 'The Yarrow River Flows North', with the following 19 tracks: That's a Plenty; Wabash Blues; Tuck me to sleep in my old Kentucky Home; Hindustan; Chimes Blues; Black Cat on the Fence; Running Wild; Beale St Blues; Don't get around much anymore; Buddy's Habits; Oh how I miss you tonight; Blue turning grey over you; Snake Rag; Just a Gigolo; Melancholy Blues; Struttin with some Barbecue; Basin St Blues; Muskat Ramble; and Aunt Hagar's Blues.

The Latest CD - ON THE MAP

1:AVALON, 2:SINGIN’ THE BLUES, 3:THE MARTINIQUE, 4:EXACTLY LIKE YOU, 5:BLAME IT ON THE BLUES, 6: PRECIOUS LORD, 7:BURGUNDY ST. BLUES, 8:DANS LE RUE D’ANTIBES, 9:GOODY GOODY, 10: CARELESS LOVE, 11:HARLEM RAG, 12: MAKIN’ WHOOPEE, 13: MEMPHIS BLUES, 14:CANAL ST. BLUES, 15: SOMEDAY SWEETHEART, 16: HIGH SOCIETY, 17:HIGHER GROUND, 18: ORIGINAL CHARLESTON STRUT, 19:GLORY OF LOVE,  20: SWEET LORRAINE,  21: RUNNING WILD, 22: ALGIERS STRUT

If you can't see the player controls above then
Click here to hear the band play Snake Rag
from the CD, "The Yarrow River Flows North"

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