The Jelly Roll Jazz Band was originally formed in 2010 by Laurence Marshall, and first performed as a quartet of clarinet, tenor saxophone, banjo and tuba. According to Laurence,
“We initially set up the band for a church fayre. I borrowed a tuba and wrote out some march cards with tunes on that I’d picked out from listening to bands and from what sheet music I could get hold of. We did a lot of busking, and [trad. jazz] was perfect as the repertoire we played was happy and upbeat and lots of people know the tunes in the backs of their heads. It always made us some pocket money and it’s very fun music to play as you can do whatever you want really.”
Since those early days the band has developed considerably, and today it usually takes the form of a trio, with clarinet, banjo (or guitar) and double bass (or sousaphone). The band is drawn from around 5 core members depending on availability (with occasional special guests when required), and this fluidity creates a constant stream of fresh inspiration and ideas.
One of the band’s greatest strengths is its flexibility. Much of the music is improvised around a core melody and chord progression, and therefore it is very easy to change or add instruments depending on the occasion and which players are free.
The musicians all originate from Scarborough, and the band still performs occasionally in this area. However most of the members now live further afield, and regularly travel to bookings across the country. Recent performances have taken them to such distant locations as Shepton Mallet, Bamburgh and Inverness (over 3 consecutive days!).
Repertoire and Influences
The style of music they play is traditional (‘Dixieland’) jazz, and they have a repertoire of over 100 songs so are able to play for hours without repeating themselves. Furthermore, they are capable of playing for hours without repeating themselves. They cover a range of standards from the 1900s to the 1930s, including such favourites as ‘Down By the Riverside’, ‘When the Saints’ and ‘The Sheik of Araby’. Their repertoire also features more recent hits like ‘The Bare Necessities’ and ‘Moon River’, and they have even branched out into ‘90s pop with versions of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘…Baby One More Time’.
Their influences include jazz greats such as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton and Chris Barber. The eccentric humour of The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band plays a big part in their performance style as well, often lending a slightly surreal edge to proceedings.
Types of Performance
The band plays regularly at a wide range of events and occasions, for example:
- Air shows
- Agricultural shows
- Birthday parties
- Cheese and wine evenings
- Christmas markets
- Corporate events
- Exhibition openings
- Flower shows
- Food festivals
- Funerals
- Garden parties
- Great Gatsby and Peaky Blinders themed parties
- Hen parties
- Marina openings
- Open-top bus rides
- Restaurants
- Shop openings
- Swing dance evenings
- Village fayres
- Wedding anniversaries
- Wedding receptions
They are available for concert performances as well, where their lively style and natural rapport with an audience ensures a highly entertaining evening for all involved. In concert, they are able to include rather more props and bits of audience participation, such as ‘The Incredible Shrinking Clarinet’, ‘The Dice of Set List Determination’ and ‘The Onions of Self-Awareness’. To get an idea of how the band comes across in this setting, have a listen to their album ‘Indoors At Last’, which was recorded live in concert.
Practical Details
The band is very compact, and can easily squeeze into the corner of a room if space is limited. In the past this has allowed them to perform in tight spaces such as the area at the front of an open-top bus, and even someone’s living room! Furthermore, they are capable of playing for hours without repeating themselves.
They usually perform completely acoustically, and therefore do not need a power supply of any sort. This makes them ideal for outdoor occasions, and events that involve a lot of moving around. If amplification is required, however, they can include that at no additional cost.
Another feature of the band is their ability to walk around whilst playing, depending on the combination of instruments (it’s much easier to do with a sousaphone than a double bass!). This is especially useful for outdoor events such as fayres and rallies, and can lend a really dynamic feel whilst enabling the musicians to cover a much wider area.
Previous Clients
- The Aylsham Show
- Bakewell Country Festival
- Beer on the Wye (Hereford)
- Best Western Forest and Vale Hotel (Pickering)
- The British Medical Association
- Chatsworth Christmas Market
- Duxford Air Show
- East Lancashire Hospice
- Farndale Show
- Farrer’s Bar & Brasserie (Scarborough Spa)
- The Gentlemen Baristas
- Harrogate Flower Festival
- The Highlanders’ Museum (Inverness)
- Huddersfield BID
- Huddersfield Christmas Market
- Injured Jockeys Fund
- Nantwich Food Festival
- New Forest Fireworks Night
- Newby Hall (Ripon)
- Regain Hearing
- The Rotary Club of Scarborough Cavaliers
- The Royal Bath and West Show
- The Royal Lancashire Show
- Scarborough Food Festival
- Shakespeare Marina (Stratford upon Avon)
- Specsavers (Harrogate)
- The Tour de Yorkshire
- Weird Fish (Scarborough)
- West Show (Guernsey)
- Yorkshire Day (Whitby)