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john shillito

I'm a lucky so-and-so!

I've just celebrated my 85th birthday and I'm still playing my trumpet with the same zest and conviction as I did when starting out some 70 years ago!

The older styles of jazz are my bag and I'm happy to play as part of a duo, trio, quartet or larger band.   I'm also happy to "dep" with traditional style jazz bands when your regular trumpeter is indisposed.

I also sing, and I love to convey the poetry of lyrics and their emotions, romance, melancholy, humour, etc.   There are so many lovely songs....

The band with which I most frequently perform these days is the RIVIERA RAMBLERS.

It's an exciting 5 piece band that plays mainly music from the great jazz and swing era of the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s - and playing with a lot of skill and enthusiasm.  

We hail from south west England, down in Devon, (the "English Riviera"), where I live, although, over the years, we have been well received at jazz clubs, festivals and dance weekends all over the UK.   Because of my age, I limit the distances I travel these days - but, the band still has a busy schedule playing at pubs, clubs and functions throughout Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

Trumpet, clarinet, alto & baritone sax, 2 guitars and a double bass are the instruments that make the sounds - and there are excellent vocals (female and male) too.   With the absence of percussion, the sound of our two guitars and the double bass helps to give our music a "gypsy" flavour.   We have quite a remarkably extensive repertoire of tunes, most of which have stood the test of many decades to become “classics” of their own kind.

For example, you’ll hear music that connects with some of the great names of jazz - like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Django Reinhardt and many others.   There are songs, too, with exquisite melodies and captivating lyrics.   Quite a few may be nearly a hundred years old - several even older - but they are all played with warmth, enthusiasm and musicianship that makes them sound as fresh as the day they were written.

If you book us, you can be sure of an excellent musical and social event, and you'll leave at the end with a smile on your face, a swing in your step, and lots of memorable tunes going round and round in your head!  

You'll find we're not just your ordinary jazzband!

Please click on the Gigs page to see where you can come and find us - soon!

email enquiries@johnshillito.co.uk   

phone 01803 459173 or 07977 577 321

JOHN SHILLITO trumpet and bands for any occasion

Serious jazz with a smile on its face!