- Richard Pite (drums)
- Ian Bateman (trombone)
- Enrico Tomasso (trumpet, vocals)
- Trevor Whiting (clarinet, saxophone)
- Martin Litton (piano)
- Tom Langham (banjo, guitar)
- Harry Evans (bass, tuba)
We thought that it would be fun to have a gig that compared and contrasted some of the greats of vintage New Orleans Jazz with the fine UK Trad Jazz Bands of the 50s/60s, and Richard Pite’s Jazz Repertory Company was the obvious choice for this. He responded enthusiastically with a plan based around work that he and Ian Bateman have done, and with a hand-picked seven-piece band. Keith Nichols’s Jazz Classics Revisited will be a great source for the vintage jazz, and Ian’s It’s Trad Dad for the trad revival. Richard thought that these two sources would make it possible to bring out the contrasts between them. Vintage jazz in the first half and Trad in the second. A wonderful trip down memory lanes …!
Richard Pite is a drummer who has made a speciality of vintage drumming techniques from the early days of the 20s and 30s through to the great names of the swing era of the 30s and 40s such as Gene Krupa and Jo Jones. For the last sixteen years he has been musical director of the Boisdale Jazz and Cigar Clubs in Belgravia, Bishopsgate and Canary Wharf and in 1997 he founded the Jazz Repertory Company to promote concerts and projects featuring recreations of jazz from the first half of the 20th century.
Enrico Tomasso was exposed to the best of jazz from the time he started playing the trumpet at the age of five. His father, jazz clarinettist Ernie Tomasso, nurtured and encouraged Rico’s talent and gave him every opportunity to hear and meet the jazz greats. His biggest inspiration was Louis Armstrong who he met and played for during Armstrong’s visit to England in 1968. This meeting led to friendship and regular correspondence that lasted until Satchmo’s death in 1971. Today Enrico is considered one of the top jazz trumpeters on the jazz scene and has recently won the best trumpet category at the BBC British Jazz Awards.
Trevor Whiting was born in London in 1959. After initially learning tenor horn in the school brass band at the age of eleven, he heard recordings of New Orleans clarinettist Sidney Bechet and immediately decided to switch instrument. This was the beginning of a lifelong passion for jazz in its various forms. Trevor taught himself the rudiments of clarinet and saxophone, and by the late teens was beginning to do gigs with various traditional and mainstream bands around the London Jazz Circuit. By the mid-eighties he had formed his own group, the “Swingtet”, which was regularly featured in the B.B.C’s Jazz Club broadcasts. During the early eighties he worked on several occasions with the late Ken Colyer. Since the eighties, Trevor has often enjoyed working and recording with visiting Americans including Al Casey, Art Hodes, Scott Hamilton, Marty Gross and many others, in between a busy freelance schedule. In July 2004 he came off the road to resume his career as a freelance soloist and side man.
Martin Litton (born 1957) is a British jazz pianist born in Grays, Essex, UK, noteworthy for his early work with Kenny Ball from 1983 to 1984 on his tour of the Middle East and tour of Russia, and for a recording session with Humphrey Lyttelton. Litton’s fluency of style(s) and the historical context he brings to his jazz piano has taken him around the world, playing with and respected by many of the great names in jazz, past and present. An early review summary by Ken Rattenbury of Litton’s jazz piano playing has been echoed by many critics bringing similar epithets throughout his career: ‘a delicious fun thing bubbles from start to finish, with Martin Litton piano, arranger, a lyrical strider, well versed in the elusive art of accompaniment, lovely soloist, and with a rare way with ragtime’.
Tom “Spats” Langham was born in 1971 and spent his childhood in Buxton. He started ukulele as soon as his fingers were big enough, inspired by his Grandfather, and turned to banjo at the age of 10. At 14 he was appearing with the Hot Spa Stompers, and soon after with Ged Hones Dixie Boys. It was Ged who encouraged Spats to start guitar. He moved to the Cotswolds in 1992 to join the Charleston Chasers (where he first met and worked with Malcolm Sked). Since then he has worked as a professional musician, travelled the four corners of the globe, and has been lucky to play with many great artists and bands. As well as working with the Hot Combination and Hot Fingers, Spats currently works regularly with Martin Litton, Keith Nichols (in many varied combinations), The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (on guitar, banjo and vocals), and Martin Wheatley (with the Wheatley’s Arcadians).