To welcome the 2020s we return to the Jazz Age of a century before and the magnificent jazz and blues that accompanied the Prohibition Era.

The 1920s was the Jazz Age and it began with a pandemic but once the Spanish Flu died down the decade began to roar with a vengeance. As well as the dreaded flu the world had just emerged from the war to end all wars and America was now determined to dampen the spirits even further with Prohibition.  Then Jazz came to the rescue...

We kick out Covid with a celebration of the music that enthralled the gangsters, flappers and Bright Young Things a hundred years ago – a cocktail of hot syncopation and crazy rhythm to chase the blues away.

The Jazz Repertory Company has assembled a dozen of the country’s finest exponents of vintage jazz to recreate the exciting sounds of a period of wild and carefree exhilaration sandwiched between a ghastly bug and the Great Depression. We could all use some of that exhilaration right now.

Join our master of ceremonies Kerry Shale, the glorious singer Vimala Rowe, spectacular trumpet master Enrico Tomasso, piano pounder Martin Litton, novelty nutty percussion professor Nick Ball and many more in an evening featuring the music of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton and Bix Beiderbecke. Let’s get the 2020s started!

Performers

Kerry Shale presenter
Vimala Rowe vocals
Thomas “Spats” Langham banjo/guitar/vocals
Enrico Tomasso trumpet
Peter Rudeforth trumpet
Alistair Allan trombone
Michael McQuaid saxophones/clarinet
Mark Crooks saxophones/clarinet
David Horniblow saxophones/clarinet
Martin Litton piano
Nick Ball drums
Richard Pite drums/sousaphone/double bass

And special guests:
Guy Barker  cornet
Janice Day vocals

Originally planned for 2020 this concert was to be directed by Keith Nichols - one of the world’s leading authorities on vintage jazz. 

Sadly, Keith left us at the beginning of the year so the show will also be a celebration of his wonderful career and we’ll be featuring some special guests who had a long association with Keith. 

We are very grateful to be using music from his huge archive for this concert.

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Watch the video of The Jazz Repertory Company at Cadogan Hall in Louis and Duke in London 1933 starring many of the performers featured in The Roaring ’20s.