Sodbury Chamber of Commerce are delighted to present a fantastic evening of Jazz in the heart of Chipping Sodbury.

Introduced by BBC Radio Bristol's Richard Lewis, the concert will feature the celebrated Dixieland clarinettist Pete Allen and the excellent young musicians that make up the South Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Headlining the evening and accompanied by Cass Caswell's Combo, Pete Allen is regarded as one of Europe's most talented and exciting masters of the jazz clarinet. He was just a boy when he discovered jazz, attracted to the music of clarinet and soprano sax legends Ed Hall and Sidney Bechet.

Over the years he has appeared on many radio and television shows, both with his own band and as a solo artist. He is acknowledged worldwide and has played alongside many American jazz greats such as 'Peanuts' Hucko, Bud Freeman, Bob Wilbur, Marty Grosz and many more.

"We are very keen to involve young people locally in the jazz festival this year", said Chamber of Commerce Chair Mark Lloyd. "so the first concert, which includes the South Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra, will appeal to all young musicians."

The band regularly perform concerts and gigs under their director Roger Sansom, and have performed across the region as well as touring Europe. One of the exciting projects run by the Council's Music Service, 'SOGJO' will be taking part this spring in the regional festival in Cheltenham, which is part of the National Festival of Music for Youth.

The concert takes place on 10th March at Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church. Tickets priced £10.50 or £8 for Under 16s are on sale now and can be purchased from Swagger in Chipping Sodbury High Street and at Rounceval House in Rounceval Street. Click below or call 01454 334410.

To raise awareness and support for the main festival in September, a further concert takes place on 7 May featuring Brian Carricks's International New Orleans Band.
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Following the success of this year's Jazz Festival at Chipping Sodbury, plans are well underway for a second Jazz Festival in 2012.

The inaugural festival held in 2011 was a big hit with jazz fans and featured Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen as the main headline act.

'It was so well received by residents and supported by local businesses that the 2012 Festival will be a little more ambitious,' commented Mark Lloyd, Chair of organisers Sodbury Chamber of Commerce.

The 2012 line up already includes jazz legend Acker Bilk who will play with his Paramount Jazz Band; Jacqui Dankworth, considered to be one of the classiest acts in British jazz singing and daughter of Dame Cleo Lane and the late Sir John Dankworth; and Terry Lightfoot, internationally acclaimed clarinettist, saxophonist and vocalist and prominent ever since the traditional jazz revival in Britain in the 1950s.

The Sodbury Jazz Festival will take place from 28th - 30th September, but jazz fans won't have to wait until then to enjoy their favourite music.

'We are holding two concerts earlier in the year to raise awareness and support for the main Festival' explained Mark Lloyd.

The second concert on May 7th is another treat for jazz fans in the shape of Brian Carricks’s International New Orleans Band. Featuring special guests Patrick Tevlin (trumpet) from Canada and Frank Oxley (drums) from New Orleans, it is a rare opportunity for local fans to hear and meet international players on tour in the UK.

Tickets priced £12.50 can be purchased from Swagger in Chipping Sodbury High Street and at Rounceval House in Rounceval Street. Email below.
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