Good afternoon everyone and HAPPY SUMMER – it’s shining again and I really hope this email finds you well and in a good place as we head into a very busy summer!
From here on I am going to send a separate newsletter for my own concerts, as occasionally I am not on a Jake Leg Jug Band show and it causes a little confusion for people so I will send Jakes band dates separately in their own dedicated email.
In a nutshell, my own band: Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers are selling out at a growing number of jazz clubs in the UK and since last year more clubs have asked us to come and perform for them… Simply because I think that we have built a trust with the venues and promoters, and the audience knows that they will get a REAL SHOW, with an eclectic mix of jazz, blues and old times songs with heart warming tales of the magnificent artists who wrote them.
Yesterday we sold-out near YORK and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer, more enthusiastic and uplifting crowd to push us along!
We performed OLD TIME jazz tunes, New Orleans roots music, vintage blues songs by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt as well as Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – then to the audiences obvious delight we threw in some songs by Al Jolson, Perry Como, The Mills Brothers, Acker Bilk, George Melly, Mamie Smith and Sophie Tucker to name but a few!
I know that some jazz clubs are sitting on the fence as far as The Lonesome Travellers are concerned, whilst others are re-booking us for the third time and I’m not really sure how to overcome that, except to say that your audience would love it, we would love to entertain them and one booking could be the start of something good for us all.
Also, I’m delighted with the amount of alternative roots music and blues venues who have been forward thinking enough and agreed to stage us in 2026 and 2027 – the diary is packing up and even have dates coming in for 2028.
THANK YOU ALL AROUND – WE ARE TRULY THANKFUL TO YOU ALL!
My Lonesome Travellers line up is a trio (3-piece as standard) featuring myself and our well known and much loved bassist Jim Swinnerton – but – when the budgets allows I have had the great pleasure and privilege of having my pal, Rich Bennett, joining us on trumpet – cooking us up some extra delta heat!
Other players I have enjoyed having join in with us are: Phil Shotton, Danny Blyth, Richard Leach, Alex Clarke, Richard Exall, Malcolm Thorne and Jon Taylor… All exceptional players in their own right and to whom I am grateful for their talents!
As I always say “If you leave here happier than when you came in, then we’ve done our jobs well” – MY NON JAKE LEG DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS and a couple of extra videos to lighten your day! SEE YOU A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE LIINE
June 2026
Thur 18 – DRINGHOUSES, Jazz Club – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 1pm
Tues 23 – DATCHET nr WINDSOR, Village Hall – Warren James & His Lonesome Travellers @ 2pm
Tues 30 – LEEDS, Jazz Club at Main Line Social Club, Pudsey – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 8pm
July 2026
Thurs 2 – RAMSGATE, The Honeysuckle Inn – Warren James sings The Lonnie Donegan Story (duo concert with Warren & Jim Swinnerton) @ 7:30pm
Sun 5 – COVENTRY, Jazzamatazz – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 12:30pm
Sun 5 – COLCHESTER, Jazz Club – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 7:30pm
Sat 11 – MICKELTON, The Kings Arms – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 7pm
Wed 15 – SHEFFIELD, Cafe 9 – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 7pm – Buy Tickets Here
Thur 16 – CARLISLE, Jazz Club – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 8pm
Fri 24 – BIRMINGHAM, Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival Launch Party, Private Event – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 12:30pm
Fri 24 – BIRMINGHAM, Plough & Harrow Hotel, Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 8pm onwards
Sat 25 – SHATTERFORD, Village Hall – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 7:30pm
Mon 27 – WEDNESBURY, Library, Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 7:30pm
Tues 28 – BIRMINGHAM, Sami Thai, Birmingham Jazz & Blues Festival – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 6pm
Wed 29 – AYR, Bengarth Pines – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 7:30pm – contact for tickets contact Katy on 07810007021
Thur 30 – AYR, Private Concert – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 2pm – contact for tickets contact Katy on 07810007021
August 2026
Thur 6 – NOTTINGHAM, Rhythm Club – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 8pm
Fri 14 – BLOXHAM, Village Hall – Warren James sings The Lonnie Donegan Story @ 7:30pm – Tickets from Mervyn: 07368319678
Sat 22 – SHATTERFORD, Private Party – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 2pm to 4pm
Sat 22 – WORCESTER, The Chestnut Tree – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 8pm
Wed 26 – SUTTON COLDFIELD, Jazz Club – Warren James guesting with Rich Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 8pm
Sun 30 – COVENTRY, Jazzamatazz – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 12:30pm
Sun 30 – BUDE, Jazz Club, The Falcon Hotel – JAZZ CLUB ANNIVERSARY CONCERT – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers – featuring a special all star jazz line up: Paula Jackman, Mike ‘Magic’ Henry, Hugh Crozier and Marc Easener @ 8pm
September 2026
Tues 1 – BUDE, The Carriers, Bude Jazz Festival – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 11:45 until 2pm
Thur 3 – BUDE, The Falcon, Bude Jazz Festival – Warren will be playing banjo with The Bateman Brothers show, It’s Trad Dad @ 12:00pm until 2:15pm
Thur 3 – BUDE, VENUE TBC, Bude Jazz Festival – Playing guitar with Alex Clark & Geth Liddington @ 3:15pm to 5:30pm
Fri 4 – BUDE, Methodist Church, Bude Jazz Festival – Warren James and his Skiffle Heroes @ 11:30am
Wed 9 – CROYDON, Sylvie’s Place – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 8pm
Thur 10 – TWICKENHAM, Winning Post – Warren guesting with Richard Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 12 noon
Sat 12 – SWINDON, Shrivenham Jazz, Venue TBC – Warren guesting with Ian & Alan Bateman Jazz Band @ Time TBC
Sun 13 – SOUTHAMPTON, Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Totton – Warren James presents The Johnny Cash Songbook – Buy Tickets Here
Sat 19 – BRISTOL, Old Duke – Warren James and his Hit Parade Heroes @ 9pm
Sun 20 – NORTHAMPTON, BLISWORTH, Tad Jazz held at The Walnut Tree – Warren guesting with Rich Bennett’s New Orleans All Stars @ 12:30pm – Contact Tad Newton for tickets on email TadJazzFriends@gmail.com
Thur 24 – CHADDERSLEY CORBETT, Jazz at the The Swan Inn – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 12:30pm
Tues 29 – EMSWORTH, Blues Club, Upstairs at Rapscallions – Warren James and his Lonesome Travellers @ 7pm
