JUNE 2023

Thur 1 – Newcastle, The Globe – Jake Leg Jug Band

Tue 6 – Stoke on Trent, Studio Session

Fri 2 – Edinburgh, Jazz ‘n’ Jive Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 9 – Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival – Jazzaholics – 9:15pm to 11:00pm

Sat 10 – Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival – Jazzaholics – 1:30pm to 3:15pm

Sat 10 – Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival – Jake Leg Jug Band – 6:30pm to 8:15pm

Sun 11 – Kirkcudbright Jazz Festival – Jake Leg Jug Band – 3:15pm to 5:00pm

Fri 16 – Shipston On Stour, Townsend Hall – Jazzaholics

Sat 17 – Merthyr Tydfil, New Crown – Jake Leg Jug Band

Wed 21 – Sutton Coldfield, Jazz Club – Lonnie Donegan Story

Thur 22 – Cardiff, Bootlegger – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 24 – Upton Upon Severn, Jazz Festival – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sun 25 – Evesham, Fleece Inn – Jake Leg Jug Band

Thur 29 – Burton upon Trent, Jazz Club

JULY 2023

Sat 1 – Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Brampton Museum – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 1 – Exeter, Bootlegger – Jake Leg Jug Band

More to come….

My tour dates for January are now published online – don’t forget that you can down my albums on http://www.WarrenJamesGuitar.com or you can purchase physical copies too via the links on my site.

A review of last night’s Baby Jools And The Jazzaholics show has just appeared online and I’m quite pleased to see that we hit all of the right spots. As a reference to my own followers who often ask me, the songs that I performed were as follows:

1. ‘Brother Moses Smot the Water’ – a gospel song that I originally heard by The Golden Gate Quartet, an Afro-American vocal harmony group from the 1930s.
2. ‘Rock Island Line’ – performed by the audiences request, is accredited to the blues singer Lead Belly, but much older.
3. ‘Frankie & Johnny’ – is not only an upbeat blues, but also a true story that tells of the murder of 17 year old Albert Allen by his then girl friend Frankie Baker, who shot him in the stomach after he won a slow dance competition with a girl called Nelly Bly in St. Louis in 1899.
4. ‘Goin Home’ – a jazz and blues song made famous by Ken Colyer and recorded upon his return from New Orleans in 1954.

28.7.22
Well good jazzers what superlatives can you say on last night’s jazz performance at the Sutton Coldfield jazz club. I will not mention the comment by Kevin on my apparel, as I know he is in awe of the purple/burgundy/white striped shirt, but all of the 60 members were held enthralled by both the individual solos and the togetherness of the band throughout the evening of great jazz and good fun. Jools and the Jazzaholics are now celebrating their 15th year together and they are getting better all the time. From stomping trad jazz to melodious slower blues and gospel tunes that hit all the right notes in the right order all of the time.

The line-up was Jools Aldridge (drums), Kevin Grenfell (trombone, vocals and ad-lib), Magic Mike Henry (trumpet), Karl Hird (saxophone and clarinet), Jim Swinnerton (double bass), and Warren Lonnie James (banjo, guitar and vocals). We had another treat on the night in the second set as Brian Mellor played banjo and sang, and received a wonderful reception from the audience. It was great to see him back.

We enjoyed plenty of vocals from Kevin, starting with “Sentimental Journey” with lovely trumpet solo from Magic Mike. Originally Les Brown and His Band of Renown performed this song, but were unable to record it, due to the 1942-1944 musicians strike, and they finally recorded the song in November 1944 with Doris Day as the vocalist, which then became the first number 1 hit for her in 1945, becoming a jazz standard along the way. Kevin was on song again with “ You always hurt the one you love” a tune that was first recorded and a number 1 hit for the Mills Brothers in 1944, and a later UK top 20 hit in 1959 by the great Connie Francis. The band were in collected fettle with “Hello Dolly” which the audience joined in with Kevin on vocal. The song was a number 1 hit for Louis Armstrong in 1964, keeping the Beatles off the top spot.
We then had some wonderful musical treats from Warren Lonnie James with the “Lonnie Donegan Experience” which included “Rock Island Line” and some wonderful vocals, guitar playing and riffs and superb support on double bass from Jim. They received rapturous and well deserved applause.

A further treat was when Brian Mellor joined the band on banjo for “Basin Street Blues” and Brian then did a vocal on that gospel blues from 1923 ( Wiseman Quartet) with “The Light from the Lighthouse” which had the audience clapping in time with the rhythm. We enjoyed two individual solos from Karl and Magic Mike on the wonderful song, “A kiss to build a dream on” the tune being adapted by Oscar Hammerstein 11 and recorded in 1951 by Louis Armstrong.
Near to the end of a wonderful trad jazz evening we had Warren and Jim performing with that Ken Colyer signature tune, “Going Home” and then all the band joining in, and finally ending with “That’s a Plenty.” We can certainly do with plenty more of that jazz music and entertainment to lift the spirits and bring a smile to our faces.

And now good folks on to next Wednesday 3.8.22 (in August already) when we have another favourite with Richard Leach’s Street Band, so we look forward to seeing you all there. Have a great week and take care.
Best Regards

Gary
Sutton Coldfield Trad Jazz Club.

So friends, we’re now on full speed into the summer and I’ve done more performances than ever before.

In more recent years a tour would be just myself, perhaps my bassist, sat in a travel lodge, nattering over a late night hot chocolate… But… Last October I joined Baby Jools and the Jazzaholics as banjo player – they are undoubtedly among the top trad jazz bands around.

Then more recently I was invited to join the fantastic Jake Leg Jug Band on their national tours – and what can I say? Such an awesome band, everyone brings their skills forward to make each other sound great. The band is fun, young, vibrant and busy… Dare I say it, but, this band is going places.

It’s nothing less than an joy to work with them and an honour to have been asked to join them.

See below our tour dates for this coming month – visit www.WarrenJamesGuitar.com for further information you can also find me on Facebook as Warren Lonnie James

Wednesday 27 July – 8:00pm
Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics
Sutton Coldfield Jazz Club

Thursday 28 July – 8:00pm
Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics
The Swan Inn, Chaddersley Corbett, Jazz

Tuesday 16 August – 8:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Leeds Jazz Club

Thursday 18 August – 8:30pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Burton Jazz Club, Burton on Trent

Saturday 20 August – 7:30pm
The Warren James Band
The GF Club & Waterside Bar, Banbury

Sunday 21 August – 3:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Gresley Arms, Stoke on Trent

Tuesday 23 August – 8:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Wilmslow Jazz Club, Cheshire

Friday 26 August – 7:00pm
Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics
BD Jazz Club, Bridgewater

Saturday 27 August – 4:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Colne Blues Festival

Sunday 28 August – 3:30pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Twinwood Festival – The Moonshine Glade

Sunday 28 August – 9:50pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Twinwood Festival – Le Cafe

Thursday 1 September – 11:30pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Bude Jazz Fest – Methodist Church

Friday 2 September – 12:00pm
Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics
Bude Jazz Fest – Venue TBA

Friday 2 September – 3:45pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Bude Jazz Fest – The Falcon Hotel

Friday 2 September – 7:00pm
Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics
Bude Jazz Fest – Venue TBA

Saturday 3 September – 3:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
Tuckers Jazz Club, Dalwood Village Hall

Sunday 4 September – 8:00pm
The Jake Leg Jug Band
The Cube Jazz Club, Malvern

Hi everyone, just to let you all know that my website http://www.WarrenJamesGuitar.com is now up to date with a great many new dates for 2022 as well as bookings for 2023.

By the end of this year I am hoping to have achieved more than 100 performances

At the top of the Tour Dates page of my site you will see links to the shows that I’m working with – including Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics and The Jake Leg Jug Band (www.thejakelegjugband.com) who are incredibly popular… It is a great pleasure to be playing Banjo and Guitar with these guys and gals.

See you along the road

Warren

Greetings,

I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas in advance of the day.

Please stay positive, don’t forget how to be loving to people and refrain from bing divided. Together we are strong even if we don’t all believe the same or see things the same.

Thank you to anyone of you that bought my new albums or EPs on downloads or on CDs this year – for those of you that bought CDs recently for Christmas stocking fillers – I hope they are enjoyed.

If anyone still wishes to purchase one then you can do so at: www.warrenjamesguitar.com/music-shop and I will get them sent out asap for you! Music is the key to upliftment.

But, in the meantime, we can all make 2020 a reasonable Christmas with some bright thoughts and intentions – if we choose too! I will be!

Love, Warren James & all the great musicians I work with – from our house to yours.

My Oklahoma Home

Hi there all, Warren James here.

Especially for you – a few new tracks for 2020 – to celebrate the end of the dreaded Lock Down – unless you’re a broken individual like me, trapped in tier 3 eating Pedigree Chum like the true Hill Billy that I am (at heart).

I hope you enjoy this 5 track EP and I hope that I can encourage you to purchase these 5 tracks – your support is appreciated during these financially crippling times……. In fact…… I don’t even know if “crippling” is spelt like that as I’ve never been in a financially crippling situation, that’s how crippling this all is 🙂

Visit my website shop or go to http://www.warrenjames.bandcamp.com to purchase and download to your inbox for immmediate playing.

Still – I hope that you are all well and I hope that we can all meet up on a live show some day soon and begin making new memories again, in the meantime – perhaps this offering will see you through in the meantime.

Much love, and special solidarity to all of my favourite WET LED pubs out there.

Warren James x

Good evening folks,

I am pleased to announce that all 2016 tour dates are now updated and all should be accurate and correct as of now – new dates will indeed be added as we progress through the coming few months.

My rock and roll CD of more than 20 tracks has sold fantastic amounts since we re-released it in Autumn 2015… It is still for sale in the shop at www.warrenjamesmusic.wordpress.com – we only have it available as a CD so you will be pleased to feel as though you have ownership for a change, a little cold shoulder to the digital age (for a change)….

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Anyway, I hope that your new year has started well and I look forward to seeing you somewhere along the road.

Warmest wishes

Warren James
PS… It will soon be Christmas, one month almost gone!