List of bands with details given below:
Andy Woon and His New All Stars
Chris Newman’s Georgians
Excelsior Vintage Jazz
Forest Hill Owls
Jazz Café
John Maddocks Jazzmen
Kevin Grenfell’s Jazz Giants
Paula Jackman’s Jazz Masters
Sarah Spencer
Tim Eyles
The Andrew Clancy Jazz Quartet
The Jake Leg Jug Band
The Otis B Driftwood Showband
Tony Scriven Sunshine Jazz Band
Warren James’ Lonesome Travellers
Andy Woon and his New All Stars:
A professional musician to his fingertips. Andy‘s mastery of trumpet and cornet owes much to a stint in the Royal Artillery Band, backing artists as diverse as Semprini and Larry Adler. However jazz is his passion and he is now in increasing demand of the festival circuit with a wide range of bands including Harry Strutters‘ Hot Rhythm Orchestra and Martin Litton‘s Red Hot Peppers. He also plays in John Sutton‘s London Hot Rhythm Boys.
He is accompanied by a fine set of excellent musicians e.g. Trevor Whiting who has worked with notable musicians such as Matin Litton, Clare Teal, Americans AlCasey, Scott Hamilton and Art Hodes. He toured Germany and Holland with Chris Barber. Jarrod Elks who plays amazing finger style guitar a la Django Reinhard, Chet Atkins etc. Accomplished pianist Pete Godfrey and bassist Paul Witten complete the line-up
Chris Neman’s Georgians:
The Georgians are a band new to the club in 2026, but all the personnel have played here before with various ace bands and are all consummate artists in their own right.
Especially for the annual Nat Gonella celebration night, the group will perform a programme of songs recorded by the great man himself and one of Nat’s trumpets will be played during the evening.
The celebrated performers are: Chris Newman (piano), Megs Etherington (cornet), Zoe Lambeth (reeds), Chris Lowe (trombone), Trevor Brittton (double bass) and Nick Ward (drums).
Excelsior Vintage Jazz:
Formed in the late 1980s, The Excelsior Vintage Trad Jazz Band brings you the best of New Orleans Dixieland Jazz. Ably led by Ron Rombol on reeds, this seven-piece band comprises trombone, trumpet, banjo, saxophone, double-bass and drums. And the band features Cuff Billett, probably the most famous British traditional jazz trumpeter still performing.
The six great musicians with a varied making your feet tap to many of the favourite traditional jazz tunes, and some lovely, but rarer numbers. Great entertainment.
Forest Hill Owls:
Formed in 2020, a stellar new group bringing together some of London’s finest early jazz musicians, playing authentic transcriptions and arrangements of original hot jazz and popular music of the 1920s and early 30s.
Resplendent in either period suits or evening dress, the Owls not only sound, but also look the part.
The Owls:
Trumpet – Tom Dennis or Harry Evans; Alto-Saxophone & Clarinet – Michael McQuaid; Trombone – Chris Lowe; Banjo & Guitar – Martin Wheatley; Bass Saxophone – David Horniblow; Drums – Nicholas D Ball.
Jazz Café
The roots of Jazz Café begin with the formation of the DNA Trio, formed after the death of Big Jim Sullivan, with whom Doug Pruden had been touring for a number of years as The BJS Duo. On occasion, when a larger band was required, Nils Solberg and Al Stewart joined the Duo, billed as the BJS Quartet. Doug, Nils and Al then played as The DNA Trio using their initials as the name. Their inventiveness for band names was obvious.
A larger band was required when the band was engaged to play regularly at other events such as The Festival of Speed at Goodwood and Cowdray Park. The addition of violinist Mike Piggott and Double bassist Trevor Britton completed the line-up.
Doug Pruden has played guitar since childhood.
He was a member of the renowned Gypsy Jazz ensemble Jazz Gitanes who, apart from their own successes, supported many international jazz artistes at the prestigious Concorde Club in Hampshire for many years.
Guitarist and vocalist Nils Solberg has 40 years’ experience in the music business to his credit. Besides being a busy musician in his own right, he has recorded and performed with such artists as Ralph McTell, Nigel Kennedy, Clare Teal, Fapy Lafertin, Gary Potter and Bryan Ferry. He has appeared in venues as diverse as The Kremlin and The Royal Albert Hall, and from The Bellville Velodrome down in Cape Town to Jazz Under The Northern Lights up in Lapland.
Al Stewart has played saxes and clarinets live alongside many famous singers and bands including Imagination, Tom Robinson, Cliff Richard, George Michael, Mike Berry, The Nolan Sisters, Jess Conrad, Don Lang and Bert Weedon, and has done recording sessions for Go West, Joe Strummer, Robin Millar, and Stock, Aitken and Waterman.
For TV, he has worked on many entertainment shows for LWT, BBC TV, BBC Radios 1, 2 & 3, Capital Radio and GLR. He has also recorded sessions for many and various TV commercials and documentaries.
Mike Piggott, jazz violinist, influenced by Stephane Grappelli, Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith in particular. He has toured, recorded and broadcast with a wide range of artists (as both violinist and guitarist), including pianist Keith Nichols’ and Guy Barker’s “Bix” concert series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room. Also a long-standing member of Nichols’ Ragtime Orchestra and Blue Four and appearances at jazz festivals with USA jazz stars Ken Peplowski, Bucky Pizzarelli and Marty Grosz among others.
“One of the best swing-jazz fiddlers active anywhere” – New York Jazz Times
“Master of the jazz violin” – Jazz UK
Bassist and Sousaphonist Trevor Britton’s first paid freelance work was playing with 8-12 piece dance bands in the early 1970’s. His playing throughout the intervening years has encompassed genres from Classical, Big Band, Musical Theatre, Concert Bands, including The Royal Marines Association Concert Band and Jazz ensembles of all styles.
He is active in several Dixieland/New Orleans style jazz bands, including Gosport Jazz Club Chris Newman’s Georgia Rambers, and has played with The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, The Big Chris Barber Band and Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra’s ‘Cotton Club Show.’
John Maddocks Jazzmen:
John has been leading bands since 1963, initially in London where he helped to form the Blackbottom Stompers, and eventually his Jazzmen when he moved to Dorset in 1972, reaching their 40th birthday in 2011. The band has featured many musicians over the years but has John’s very distinctive clarinet style, resulting in the overall sound remaining constant. They continue to feature good arrangements, infrequently heard tunes, and plays in the energetic style for which the band has become renowned. The band is well known for its drive and cohesiveness and the inclusion of some seldom heard tunes in the repertoire, and it continues to be popular for all kinds of functions throughout the UK, including most of the major jazz venues and festivals. They have also toured extensively in Holland, Germany and Belgium and there have been broadcasts and many CD issues, including a recent one from PEK sound Behind Closed Doors which is now available.
John Maddock‘s Jazzmen have had decades of success and have their own sound brought about by the unique style of John‘s clarinet playing. John was originally inspired by the fine clarinettist Johnny Dodds, but John is his own man and encompasses influences from all over the traditional jazz spectrum.
Forest Hill Owls
Formed in 2020, a stellar new group bringing together some of London’s finest early jazz musicians, playing authentic transcriptions and arrangements of original hot jazz and popular music of the 1920s and early 30s.
Resplendent in either period suits or evening dress the Owls not only sound the part but also look the part.
Kevin Grenfell’s Jazz Giants:
One of our regular bands sporting a wealth of talent hand-picked from the British Jazz Scene. Trombonist, trumpeter, vocalist and raconteur Kevin Grenfell has appeared at the Club on several previous occasions with his Jazz Giants, which are now regarded as one of the leading forces on the British jazz club and festival circuit.
Kevin started his musical career as a boy with the Cornwall Youth Orchestra and brass bands in Cornwall.
With this firm grounding Kevin enlisted at the age of 18 as a musician in the Queen‘s Own Hussars, Royal Armoured Corps, and studied for 2 years at The Royal Military School of Music. On completion he returned to the QOH as principal trombone and featured soloist, which involved extensive touring and concert engagements all over Europe.
After leaving the army Kevin spent several years free-lancing in London before returning to the South-West for further study at the Dartington College of Arts where he obtained a B.A. in Music and the Performing Arts.
Since that time Kevin has become well-established and respected in the UK, as both a trombonist, trumpeter and vocalist, and tours extensively across Europe with a wide variety of ensembles.
Sarah Spencer’s Transatlantic Jazz Band:
An international star, Sarah’s creed has always been to “play it Hot and Dirty”. She has been described as “one of the exciting, new, young breed of traditional jazz players and the hottest tenor saxophonist on the Jazz scene today”. Sarah has played with bands all over the world. Although her main love is the revival style of New Orleans jazz, she is equally competent and comfortable playing any style of traditional jazz (e.g. Dixieland, West Coast, New Orleans and small band swing).
The Andrew Clancy Jazz Quartet:
The Andrew Clancy Jazz Quartet started as a way to keep playing jazz during Covid lockdowns. Most members of the band were playing in other bands for many years before the pandemic and thankfully still are today.
What began as Andrew Clancy playing solo piano to backing tracks that he put together himself, then morphed into a piano, bass and drums trio when some of the Covid restrictions were lifted. Also, during lockdowns Andrew’s son, Peter decided to learn how to play the ukulele. He did not have jazz in mind at all but with a little bit of persuasion he decided to join the trio. As well as performing in public the Andrew Clancy Jazz Quartet regularly record at home and upload videos of their performance to YouTube. These recordings can be found by searching for ‘Andrew Clancy Jazz’.
The quartet can be augmented into a 6-piece under the name of the Andrew Clancy Jazz Quartet & Friends. For these performances, a 2-piece front line is added to the 4-piece rhythm section.
The band is formed mainly of musicians that used to be members of the Clancy Jazz Band back in the early to mid-1990s.
The band plays mostly New Orleans or Dixieland numbers but can also incorporate swing numbers. As you can see it is mostly a family band (three generations) and yes, there are two band members called Peter Clancy, just to cause maximum confusion!
Band personnel:
Andrew Clancy: Piano/Vocals, Peter Clancy: Tenor Ukulele/Concert Banjolele
Peter Clancy: String Bass/Brass Bass, David Clancy: Drums/Washboard
Antony Cox: Trumpet/Vocals, Stephen Clancy: Clarinet.
The Jake Leg Jug Band
The name comes from the ‘Jake-Leg’ you got from drinking too much ‘Jug’ hooch back in prohibition days.
The Band bring you the authentic sounds of 1920s and 30s America – Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Ragtime – and put their own twist on it. Songs of murder, betrayal, gambling, liquor and redemption!
Led by Duncan Wilcox on double bass, the band includes Warren James on banjo & guitar, Gabriel Garrick on trumpet & trombone and Christian Smith on keyboard.
2026 will mark the 15th anniversary of the band.
The Otis B Driftwood Showband:
Will bring us their unique mix of jazz, including trad, swing, latin and blues, all presented with a dose of comedy and theatre!
All very talented chaps, plus a very special guest VOLODYMYR VASYLENKO, the world class from jazz accordionist from Ukraine. His playing is beyond belief!
Don‘t miss this one!
Tim Eyles:
Tim Eyles is a well respected Vocalist and Trumpet player, who has played in many bands including Bas Loddon, The Real Ale & Thunder Band, The Jubilee Jazz Band, Pedigree jazz band and The Gentlemen of Jazz, as well as leading his own bands. Tim has been on the scene since 1975. In addition, he is also one of the best loved vocalists on the current Jazz Scene, and a great bugler.
It‘s no coincidence Tim Eyles,
Rhymes with laughter & smiles.
With his fun and odd wiles,
It‘s true humour cures all,
Including your farmer Giles.
Mad, but great fun and great entertainment. Five great musicians playing lots of jazz standards, plus some more unusual stuff.
Tim Eyles Jazz is a quartet playing music which spans from New Orleans to jump-jive and spirituals.
https://www.gosportjazz.org.uk/?page_id=7572/#Grenfell
Tony Scriven Sunshine Jazz Band:
They bring the authentic, high-energy sound of New Orleans Jazz to London and the Home Counties. Paying heartfelt tribute to the legendary Monty Sunshine – a pioneer of British New Orleans jazz and the clarinettist behind the 1959 hit ‘Petite Fleur’ – the band delivers a dynamic mix of stomps, blues, marches, spirituals, and popular tunes from the golden age of jazz and beyond.
Led by veteran drummer Tony Scriven, who himself played with Monty’s renowned band until Monty’s retirement and who had previously fronted ‘Vintage Jazz’ (famously ‘The Hottest Band in London’ during their acclaimed Lord Napier residency), this accomplished six-piece ensemble guarantees an unforgettable performance. They excel in entertaining both listeners and dancers, filling every event with passion, excitement, and pure New Orleans nostalgia.
Warren James’ Lonesome Travellers:
Warren has performed at the Gosport Jazz Club several times before with various groups and has always been a hit. He is a talented banjo player, guitarist and singer of vintage skiffle, jazz, country, rock ‘n’ roll and blues music of the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘50s and ‘60s, His band, “The Lonesome Travellers”, is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the music which many of our audience will have grown up with.
Warren is renowned for performing over 250 roots and blues concerts per year and has shared billing with Brian May of the rock band Queen, as well as veteran music stars of the 1950s and 1960s such as Joe Brown and Dave Sampson. He has worked alongside some of the top names in Jazz and Blues music, and he is in demand, having recently toured Denmark and is due to work in Germany and other European venues in 2026 – that’s in addition to his 250 British concerts.
Warren James has been working regularly for the original manager of Black Sabbath, Jim Simpson, whose management agency, Big Bear Music, has engaged some of the world’s most renowned rock, blues, and jazz stars since its launch in 1968. It was Jim who undoubtedly launched Ozzy Osbourne’s career into the stratosphere.
Paula Jackman‘s Jazz Masters:
Paula Jackman‘s Jazz Masters, named as a tribute to Paula‘s late husband, and fabulous banjoist, Brian Masters, plays jazz from New Orleans‘ classic jazz up to music that was initially popular in the British Trad boom. The band plays a mixture of music that is well-known together with tunes that are rarely heard today. The Jazz Masters comprises top quality musicians who enjoy playing music together.