THE EMBER BIG BAND: THE STORY
the Ember Big Band first embarked on their musical voyage of discovery together as a cohesive Big Band in 2010. Under the guidance of the legendary trombonist and arranger, Bill Geldard, they have developed their sound and command of an extensive repertoire. With a full line up of community minded musicians and vocalists, they have performed across the borough of Elmbridge, and wider afield, raising money for some amazing charity projects. For more information or want to get involved, please get in touch.
NEWS & UPDATES
Get all the latest the Ember Big Band news including past events, music announcements, and other happenings in the life of a busy and community focussed Big Band.
100% LIVE N KICKIN'
Thoroughly enjoyed Saturday night and our trip through 60 years of popular music – from Count Basie to the Beatles, Fred Astaire to Aretha Franklin to the stadium rock bands of the 90s. Thank you to such a smashing audience and great to be raising funds for the team at Shooting Star Hospices.
What a treat to work with Radio 2's "Pop Master" Ken Bruce and we learnt so much in the lead up working with Allan Rogers, Musical Director of the “Strictly Come Dancing Live Tours”. Thank you Ken and Allan.
HITTING IT FOR SIX @ STOKE D'ABERNON
Great evening in the company of the colt's section at Stoke D'Abernon - thanks for having us and being part of your evening ... beer and burgers kept the Band happy ....
"Thank you so much for tonight. Your band was amazing and absolutely made the evening. Everyone was talking about it and it made for a great atmosphere. The test match special theme tune was very apt!"
GREAT EVENING AT THE BLACK SWAN
Thanks to the Black Swan in Ockham for hosting us in their garden. Hope the diners enjoyed it as much as we did.
EMBER BIG BAND WELCOMES NEW SINGER
Our new male singer, Daniel, made his debut with us at The Riverhouse Barn. Rock on, Daniel!
BACK WITH A BANG !
Our first gig after 18 months of playing only online was `alfresco` at The Riverhouse Barn, Walton (August 14th). We played to a packed house on a `mini Glasbonbury` stage - and the sun decided to shine. A good omen, we think!
LIVE (AND KICKING) AFTER LOCKDOWN !
With restrictions now off we're starting to get back into the groove with in person rehearsals and performances. Friday 20th August sees us down at the Black Swan in Ockham. Later in the year, we've confirmed our charity fund raiser on 20th November, with some really exciting special guests.
So, if you are organising an event this summer (and outside) and would like a big band sound we're really up for it .. so please do get in touch.
It's great to be back!
LOOKING FOR TRUMPET PLAYERS !
With the natural rhythm of life, a number of our trumpet players have grown up or moved home and so we are looking to add new members to our Trumpet section.
If you are a developing or accomplished trumpet player, with a love for big band music, young or old we'd love to hear from you, particularly as we start to look forward to band life after lockdown.
GIGS WE LOVE
We're not an events band ... so what sort of gigs do we love playing ... to be honest any, but here are a few that stand out for us...
Our charity concerts at the Hammond Theatre in aid of both the Shooting Star and the Princess Alice Hospice charities
The evenings at the Walton Beer Festival
Al-fresco at Marney's Village Inn
Our monthly Monday slot at the Albion
Our annual Christmas concert at Claygate Village Hall
the intimate Barn theatre in Molesey
....
LOCKDOWN 3.0
So, through this and the last lockdown, we've kept in touch and rehearsed together over ZOOM. We've also been joined by some amazing special guests including Louise Marshall, Simon May, Laurie Holloway, Alan Barnes and Bruce Adams. It's been really inspiring to get their thoughts and ideas, recollections and stories and also to stay connected as a band through this last year.
We've also, with some our more technical members, got the whole band live on the Internet playing in real time using the power of Jamulus software and the AWS cloud. It has added a whole new dimension to play together whilst being apart. Please do get in touch and we can share how we got it working for our band.
Upcoming Events
Sat, 11 DecClaygate Village Hall
OUR REPERTOIRE
just some of the tunes we love
timeless
CLASSIC SWING
Little Brown Jug
Sing Sing Sing
Tuxedo Junction
In The Mood
Pennsylvania 65000
Beyond The Sea
Come Fly With Me
Flight of the Foo Bird
Shiny Stockings
Cute
funky
UPBEAT GROOVES
Sax To The Max
Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Mambo
Carwash
Birdland
Route 66
Green Onions
soulful
SLOW BALLADS
Alfie
Lil' Darlin
Moon River
My Funny Valentine
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Summertime
Feeling Good
Cry Me A River
dreamy
LUSH VOCALS
The Lady Is A Tramp
Mack The Knife
The Summer Wind
The Look of Love
Why Don't You Do Right
Fever
At Last
What Is This Thing Called Love
foot tapping
CROWD PLEASERS
In The Midnight Hour
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
New York New York
Everything
Haven't Met You Yet
Blue Suede Shoes
driving
LATIN
Sway
Save The Last Dance For Me
Chili Pepper 101
Livin La Vida Loca
Mas Que Nada
Girl From Ipanema
Peanut Vendor
If your favourite isn't here, we might still have it in our 200+ list of tunes we play
CONTACT / BOOK US
Want to learn more about the Ember Big Band, book us, or want to join us? Don’t hesitate to get in touch. We (NORMALLY) rehearse every Monday 8-10pm down in Cobham, at the United Reform Church. We've recently moved back to in person rehearsals with C-19 measures in place, and also continuing to utilise our real time jamming platform on Jamulus, keeping it real over these difficult times.
