Sun 1 – Eastleigh, Concorde Club, Portsmouth – Jake Leg Jug Band – 12pm

Sun 1 – Glastonbury, Wessex Hotel – Jazzaholics – 8pm

Wed 4 – Bristol, Old Duke – Jake Leg Jug Band

Thur 5 – Bristol, The Fringe – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 6 – Derby, Mickelover Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 7 – Chobham, Jazz Festival – Jazzaholics

Sun 8 – Stafford, Jazz Society – Jazzaholics 12pm

Sun 8 – Worcester, Chestnut Tree, Worcester – WJ Rock n Roll Duo – 6pm

Sun 8 – Malvern, The Cube – Jake Leg Jug Band – 8:30pm

Wed 11 – Amersham, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Thur 12 – Watford, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 13 – Worcester, Chestnut Tree – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 14 – London, Brookes Blues Bar, Parson’s Green – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sun 15 – Surrey, Old Barn Jazz Club, Bookham – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 20 – Watchet, Pebbles Tavern – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 21 – Tipton, Horseley Tavern – Hit Parade Heroes

Sun 22 – Bath, Bell Inn – Jake Leg Jug Band – 11pm

Thur 26 – York, Dringhouses Jazz Club, York – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 27 – Darlington, The Vaults – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 28 – Hartlepool, Hallelujah Blues Fest – Jake Leg Jug Band – afternoon

Sat 28 – Lancaster, Glasson Sailing Club – Jake Leg Jug Band – 9pm

Sun 29 – Bournemouth, Grand Hotel – Jazzaholics

Click here to see a full listing

This week, I think I’ll be doing a little something musical for everyone. I shall be back in my banjo chair with Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics, performing for trombone legend, Mike Owen and also performing our Hit Parade Heroes concert as well as a rock ‘n’ roll duo concert with my ol’ pal Stevie Barr in Moseley, “Burm’ing’um our kid”.

Sat 8 – Tipton, Horseley Tavern – Hit Parade Heroes

Sun 9 – Uttoxeter, The Vaults – RnR Trio

Wed 12 – Sutton Coldfield, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Thur 13 – Chaddesley Corbett, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Sat 15 – Louth, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Sun 16 – Coventry, Jazzamatazz – Hit Parade Heroes – 12pm

Sun 16 – Moseley, Fighting Cocks – RnR Duo

Thur 29 – Burton upon Trent, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

JULY 2023

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

Sat 1 – Exeter, Bootlegger – Jake Leg Jug Band

Wed 5 – Amersham, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 8 – Tipton, Horseley Tavern – Hit Parade Heroes

Sun 9 – Uttoxeter, The Vaults – RnR Trio

Wed 12 – Sutton Coldfield, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Thur 13 – Chaddesley Corbett, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Sat 15 – Louth, Jazz Club – Jazzaholics

Sun 16 – Coventry, Jazzamatazz – Hit Parade Heroes – 12pm

Sun 16 – Moseley, Fighting Cocks – RnR Duo

Wed 19 – Birmingham Jazz Fest, Alpha Tower – Jake Leg Jug Band

Thur 20 – Didsbury, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 21 – Bristol, Old Duke – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sat 22 – Birmingham Jazz Fest – Markets Customer Centre – Jake Leg Jug Band – 11am

Sat 22 – Bath, Chapel Arts Centre – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sun 23 – Solihull, Jazzamatazz – Jazzaholics

Sun 23 – Worcester, Chestnut Tree – RnR Duo

Thur 27 – Carlisle, Jazz Club – Jake Leg Jug Band

Fri 28 – Brighton, Bootlegger – Jake Leg Jug Band

Sun 30 – Surrey, Old Barn Jazz Club, Great Bookham – Jake Leg Jug Band

A new album will be launched in August as a part of my involvement with the talented members of The Jake Leg Jug Band.

This will be my first official release of new studio material since 2020, and I feel you will all be incredibly impressed!

That’s all for now.

Warren James

www.WarrenJamesGuitar.com / www.VarietyShow.org

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