History
NJJB is international (drawing its line-up from several countries) but it began as an all-British jazz band, following in the traditional of British vintage jazz bands. Is it Dixieland jazz? Yes, but that name means many things. When we say "vintage jazz band" we indicate that a band is inspired by the original jazz musicians from New Orleans and Chicago who played mainly in the early part of the 20th Century. We are lucky that music recording sprung up around that time too, though some recordings were so primitive that they were made without electricity. Ragtime structures, polyphony, polyrhythms, melodic drag, inflection of the beat and special syncopation are all important aspects of this vintage jazz music, and so is the instrumentation.
The emblematic formation and instrumentation for early jazz is a six or seven-piece band with the "Dixieland front line" of trumpet, clarinet and trombone. NJJB has it all, and proudly claims to be one of the few authentic New Orleans style bands to be found in Spain. Due to logistics and occasional personnel shortages, the band sometimes performs as a quintet. On these occasions the band may play a wider repertoire, incorporating some swing music.
The band was formed in the late 1990s and used the name Marina Alta Jazzband briefly before becoming The Jubilee Jazz Band. Since most members of the band were retired, "Jubilee" seemed very fitting. Several years ago the last of the founder members left the band, and it was decided to modify the name (by inserting "New") to mark this change in the line-up. That's how we arrive at the name New Jubilee Jazz Band.
The main line-up for New Jubilee Jazz Band is:-
Mike Summers - musical direction, manager, trumpet & vocals
Jose Garcia - guitar
Hans van Drunen - clarinet
Michael Kasche - trombone
Alejandro Villar - double bass
Christian Gibaud - drums
Other musicians who are now considered members of the band too:-
David Gorodi - trumpet & vocals - instead of Mike Summers on some events
Dick Crooks - alto sax & vocals - instead of Hans van Drunen on some events
Patrick Clancy - trombone & vocals - instead of trombonist Michael Kasche on some events
KEEPING THE LINE-UP TOGETHER
As in most bands, the faces have changed over the years. Fortunately, the band has been able to replace the musicians who have left, and the instrumentation remains roughly the same. The main exception is that a semi-acoustic guitar is currently employed instead of piano or banjo. The most curious aspect is how international the band has become. For many years, all the musicians were British, but now the band also has Spanish, German, Dutch and Swiss musicians too, plus guest musicians from France and Belgium.
Jose Garcia - guitar
Hans van Drunen - clarinet
Michael Kasche - trombone
Alejandro Villar - double bass
Christian Gibaud - drums
Other musicians who are now considered members of the band too:-
David Gorodi - trumpet & vocals - instead of Mike Summers on some events
Dick Crooks - alto sax & vocals - instead of Hans van Drunen on some events
Patrick Clancy - trombone & vocals - instead of trombonist Michael Kasche on some events
KEEPING THE LINE-UP TOGETHER
As in most bands, the faces have changed over the years. Fortunately, the band has been able to replace the musicians who have left, and the instrumentation remains roughly the same. The main exception is that a semi-acoustic guitar is currently employed instead of piano or banjo. The most curious aspect is how international the band has become. For many years, all the musicians were British, but now the band also has Spanish, German, Dutch and Swiss musicians too, plus guest musicians from France and Belgium.