Award to Newbury musician Pete Allen celebrates his 45 years as a jazz band leader
On Sunday, October 1, exactly 45 years to the day, at a full house at the Bacon Arms, the mayor of Newbury presented top jazz entertainer Pete Allen an award to celebrate his 45 years of being a jazz band leader.
It was a day packed with the best of Britain’s jazz musicians, Enrico Tomasso, Gary Wood, Andy Dickens, Digby Fairweather and Sean Moyses, playing from 2.30pm to 10.30pm.
As local jazz-lovers know, Pete Allen, an Honorary Citizen of New Orleans, has been bringing top-quality jazz on a regular basis to Newbury for many years and continues to do so. His band has made many TV and radio appearances over the years and released more than 100 albums.
Mayor Nigel Foot said: “What an incredible achievement of 45 years. Not many musicians have had such international recognition as Pete has. He has given so much pleasure to countless generations over the years.”
Pete was born in Newbury and attended Winchcombe Primary and Junior Schools and the Downs School, Compton.
He formed his professional jazz band in 1978 and has continued to entertain audiences at festivals, theatres and clubs around the world. Pete’s band plays an entertaining musical selection of ‘happy traditional jazz’. It’s a sound that everyone can enjoy and his performances are a combination of well-played music and professional presentation.
The musical content blends instrumentals and well-known songs for listening or dancing, and the band is frequently featured at events for Rotary, Lions International and other charitable concerns such as Macmillan Cancer Relief and Cancer UK.
Performances feature a team of talented and much respected musicians including James Clemas (piano), Roger Marks (trombone), Chris Hodgkins (trumpet), Jim Newton (drums) and Dave Hanratty (bass) along with Pete on clarinet, saxophones, banjo and vocals.