Click the Play Button to hear the band play, "Highways Are Happy Ways", from their CD - "Carry Me Back".

The Silver Bell Jazz Band was formed in the mid 1960's. With a break of about a year, the band has enjoyed a local residency throughout. In the recent past they have enjoyed a 14 year residency at The Lamb Hotel, in Church Street, Preston. More recently the band has enjoyed long runs at the Rickshaw Restaurant at Charnock Richard, Paul Heathcote's Brasserie, and The Unicorn at Preston where they played for some seven years on the first and third Thursday of the month. The band is resident at The Bitter Suite, Fylde Road, Preston on the second and fourth Thursdays in the month.

At the time in the late 1970's and early 1980's when there was a stream of regular visiting musicians from the U.S.A. the band played host to many New Orleans instrumentalists such as Wingy Manone, Alton Purnell, Kid Thomas Valentine and Thomas Jefferson.

The number of musicians in the band is usually six, string bass/sousaphone, banjo, drums, clarinet/alto saxophone, trombone, and trumpet. The band is happy to play in almost any situation and has played in many of the Preston and District venues for events such as shop openings, and most social occasions including anniversaries, birthdays, christenings, weddings and funerals. On occasion they have traveled as far away as North Wales and deepest Yorkshire and Humberside. As there is little dependence on amplification and most members play several instruments, the band is mobile and able to function outdoors just as easily as playing in a reception room. The music played is a mixture of jazz standards and older pop-songs with a few spirituals and marches for good measure. Whilst clearly enjoying a common heritage with the English "Trad" bands, members of the Silver Bell Band have sought to avoid the excesses of such bands, preferring to use the dance bands and small swing bands of New Orleans as their inspiration. The aim of the band has always been to provide an atmosphere in which both young and old can relax.

Current Band line-up is Band Manager Roy Freeman (trumpet), Derek Brown (bass), John Rothwell (drums),  Jack Moore (trombone), Brian Legan (reeds) and Lawrence Marshall (banjo).

This video was filmed by Jake Cashmore and Annabel Stenhouse

Please mention that you saw this on Fred's Web Site

Please note that the quality of this recording has been reduced for the Internet

The latest CD - "Live At The Bitter Sweet" £6 including postage in the UK is now available

A sample of tunes from the CD "Carry Me Back" - Click here to download

Please send me a copy

Band Contact
Roy Freeman (01772 726459)
freeman.roy@gmail.com

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