Alas after a meeting  with the entertainment committee spokeswoman and agreeing to play monthly, only 24 hours later I was  informed that most of the Club’s committee and Club members (who don’t like jazz) took the irreversible  decision to cancel all future jazz nights.    

 The band was formed approx 25 years ago between Carl Thompson and myself consisting of  Carl Thompson -  Brian Legan – Arthur Williams – Mark Challinor – Rae Owens and yours truly. Playing in gigs from Scotland to the Netherlands and many places in-between and had the pleasure of welcoming some of the best professional and pro-am  jazz players sitting in for the full night or later on joining the band.  Furthermore, the very funny cartoonist Bill Stott presented the band with a very lively coloured sketch/picture of the band in full flow. He later presented the band with a book of all the cartoons he had drawn of each member of the band (copies can still be found in the best charity shops)!

With sadness I have made the personal decision that I no longer want the hassle/stress running the band and I believe this similarly applies to the rest of the band (this I completely understand).

Therefore, my sincere thanks to the loyal supporters of jazz who followed the band each and every week and the many musicians who played with us.

And so the Tuxedo Jazz Band will now become a wonderful memory of all the good times we had. 

But it’s not over yet, you will find all the above musicians will continue to play in various other bands;  likewise you will find me playing in Dave Dixsons ‘ Peninsula Jazz men,  Stuart Renn’s Blackbear Jazz Band in Congleton, and Derek Galloway’s  Canal Street Stompers in Sale, Manchester.

My kind regards