The Randolph Five at Sladers Yard Saturday 17th November 8pm. £10/£25 with supper
A band made up of some of Britain’s leading swing and mainstream jazz musicians arrives at Sladers yard on Saturday 17th November.· The Randolph Five play gems from Louis Armstrong and other giants of jazz, and the night promises dancing and lifted spirits as they capture the heyday of hot nights in Harlem and cool nights in Kansas City.
The band takes its name from the Randolph Hotel in Oxford, where the group first came together in the 1980s, to play its individual brand of jazz. Trumpeter Ian Smith, pianist Colin Good (keyboards and plays with Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music) and bassist Alyn Shipton (Radio 3’s Jazz Record Requests) were then all members of the big band Vile Bodies (immortalised in the opening credits of Ian McKellen’s film of “Richard III”).
This little group was their chance to escape the formal arrangements of the big band, and to play the hard-swinging jazz they loved in the style of a late night Harlem jam session. In the current version of the band they are joined by saxophonist Dave Gelly, a pioneer of modern jazz in Britain with the New Jazz Orchestra (and BBC R2 voice of jazz for many years), and drummer Ewan Stewart, a leading player on the London jazz scene. The music includes well known songs from Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Harry “Sweets” Edison, and Teddy Wilson.
Ian Smith has played trumpet with many British bands, and worked with talents as varied as Gwyneth Herbert, Hank Wangford and Michael Horowitz.
Alyn Shipton toured in the London Ragtime Orchestra for fifteen years, and also played with Ken Colyer’s Jazzmen. Colin Good is a sought after musical director and pianist.· Dave Gelly has played saxophone with numerous stars of British Jazz. Ewan Stewart loves the music of drummers Philly Joe Jones and Louis Hayes, and brings a fiery dash to every band he plays with.
Sladers Yard have a newly expanded café and were winners of a Taste of the West Gold Award in 2010 and 2011.· The café specializes in fresh, organic and locally grown ingredients, and serves homemade food at reasonable prices.
Saturday 17th November 8pm.· Tickets: £10/£25 with cabaret-style supper during performance
Call 01308 459511 to reserve tickets.
