The Cocktail Hour’s drummer and bandleader setting up for an evening’s performance, alongside his octogenarian Uncle, Alexander Skeaping. Alexander owns and runs a London-based keyboard-hire company, Thornhill Pianos, and here he is tuning the beautiful baby grand piano he supplied for our gig at Thirdway Group Ltd, in Old Street London, November 2024. This is …
On a freak day of blistering sunshine in the first week of October, The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band was invited to play for a wedding reception in the grounds of the Manor Court Hotel in Castle Cary, Wiltshire. Video excerpts of the performance can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/m5q98PtGtc0 https://youtu.be/4eNYRgelrCc
The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band, in its Trad Jazz format, featuring the indomitable Richie Howard on clarinet, played for a delightful summer party for the staff of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge on a delightful September afternoon, 2024. For a video excerpt, click here: https://youtube.com/shorts/jhA5f0t4Z0w?si=JHFbVdzebBQyh3MM
A repeat client of The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band is Urban Food Fest, a company specializing in outdoors public food festivals and catering services for corporate events. Here is the Traditional Jazz version of the band playing for one such festival in E16, London, featuring our regular clarinetist, Richie Howard, on a hot summers day …
The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band is frequently asked to provide a singer for an event, and we hire-in some of London’s most experienced vocal talent. Pictured below are couple of such singers: Jenny, known for her work with the BBC, the Ronnie Scott’s Big Band and The Glenn Miller Orchestra, as well as being vocal …
Never one to be phased by unusual requests, The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band was hired to provide Balkan-flavoured entertainment for an Oktoberfest-themed corporate party, in Denham, Buckinghamshire, by one of our favourite clients, Urban Food Fest Ltd. Pictured above are Graham (souzaphone) and Igor (accordion and vocals) who can be seen and heard in action …
On what must have been the hottest day in living memory, the guitar trio played an informal outdoors party to celebrate the opening of the new premises of Distinct Physiotherapy – a physio practice in Hertfordshire. Despite sweltering in the heat, guests enjoyed the afternoon entertainment and our host, Leanne was very pleased with the …
The first summer ball since lockdown began was an absolute delight. Set in the grounds of Twyford Abbey in North West London, The Cocktail Hour Jazz Band played a more traditional jazz set, and featured the talents of Kourosh Kanani on guitar and Duncan Hemstock on clarinet, with Simon Read on bass. Click on the …
This truly impressive room in the heart of Piccadilly, London was once again the setting for a couple of public gigs in December, with Natalia Amy Douglas on vocals.
The inspiration to run a corporate and wedding cocktail jazz band came from having done it all before whilst living in the world’s jazz Mecca: New York, USA. Arriving from the UK in my early 40’s with no musical connections in arguably the most competitive and advanced of all jazz environments, I decided the best …
