Band Profile
Band Info
The Sussex Jazz Kings. Early in 2000, Dave and Lesley Stradwick moved from their London home to Sussex for a “quieter life!” Dave had been the leader of Vintage Jazz for many years and also played with other busy bands. A decision was made to leave Vintage and so cut down on the workload to give time to renovating the Sussex house. It soon became obvious, that people missed his humour fronting a band, and he decided to form a new band, The ‘Sussex Jazz Kings’. It started with a ‘low key approach’, but natured the ‘fun element’ for which Vintage had been renown. Inevitably this, combined with the fine musical ability of the chosen musicians, resulted in the band becoming more and more popular around the M25 area and beyond. The band has been resident band in a club at Box Hill near Dorking, Surrey’ they regularly play to a crowded club and take the opportunity to introduce new numbers, judging their reaction before inflicting them on unsuspecting audiences elsewhere. In many peoples opinion, the band is now a fine exponent of happy traditional jazz, in the broad New Orleans style. The ‘jazzers’ come back every week, so the band must be doing something right. The band now plays at all major jazz festivals and tours the country to perform at most great jazz clubs, in the last few years they have had many bookings across Europe and beyond.
Band Members
Bernard Stutt (Clarinet)
Bernard Strutt – Clarinet- a very experienced player with the bight of Johnny Dodds and sweetne...
Pete Lay (Drums)
Pete Lay – Drums – Played with Ken Colyer on many occasions in the 70s and 80s, also played f...
Peter Clancy (Double Bass)
Peter Clancy - A brilliant string bass and sousaphone player who ‘gives it his all’ on every ...
Iain Mcaulay (Trombone)
Iain Mcaulay – Trombone. Played, for many years, in bands from the Glasgow area. Moved to Wh...
Peter Leonard (Cornet)
A trumpet player who appears on occasions in the George Tidiman's New Orleans All Stars. No musi...