At Pizza Express in Dean Street on 27 November, the audience will experience “a very special one-off appearance by the Pete Allen Jazz Band… whole-hearted ensemble playing, and confident, out-going solo work, a driving rhythm section, some sparky vocals, and a sense of everything being right in the world… even if it isn’t!”
When the Pete Allen Jazz Band was called on to make their Swanage debut this year, they were given a prestige slot in this long-established Festival’s programme. Theirs was to be the climactic event of the Festival’s final night, Sunday, 14 July, to be precise, their efforts designed to leave the traditionally-minded festival goers in a state of mild euphoria and all-round contentment. But as luck would have it, their concert kicked off at just about the same time that England kicked off too, but in the 2024 Euros final in faraway Berlin. Result? Well, we all know what happened to England that night but more to the point, the Allen gang had to contend with an audience far fewer in number than expected. But did this put them off? Not a bit!
Much in the manner of Louis Armstrong and the All-Stars, they gave that meagre audience as good a show as if they had been in Wembley itself, playing to thousands. Pete himself fronted with his usual cheery aplomb, vocalised and played that hot-style clarinet for which he has been known for the past half-century. And the rest of the band? They gave it their all, each man determined to shine, collectively, of course, for their chosen pathway is what we usually call traditional jazz but often sounds more like mainstream to me, but as soloists too.
And that is just what awaits the lucky listeners and diners who have picked their Dean Street spot for a very special one-off appearance by the Pete Allen Jazz Band on Wednesday, 27 November, with showtime set for 8.00pm. They’ll experience whole-hearted ensemble playing, and confident, out-going solo work, a driving rhythm section, some sparky vocals, and a sense of everything being right in the world. Even if it isn’t!
It’s as well to remind ourselves of the Pete Allen story. Here’s a man who has led this band for over 45 years – their 45th Anniversary album is on Upbeat Records – and kept them on the road, taking in American tours, appearances on popular BBC Radio programmes and TV specials, plus a host of residencies, and shows no sign of letting up. These days the idea of a fully professional jazz band approaching their half century, largely unchanged and happily enduring, might seem anachronistic, but not so, for Pete has stayed true to his belief that traditional jazz is a vibrant force for good. This is, of course, what kept bandleaders like Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, and Chris Barber going for so long, their audiences loving to hear familiar numbers from the classic New Orleans repertoire but also getting a kick out of newer things as well. And that’s Pete’s mantra too.
Pete himself started out as a player in his home town of Newbury where he first worked in a band led by his father Bernie Allen who played banjo and guitar. Surprisingly perhaps, when you consider young Pete’s alternative career was as a local Police Constable. After three years on the force, Pete moved to the West Country and joined the then highly popular Rod Mason traditional jazz band as its clarinettist. Thus began a professional commitment to jazz performance that hasn’t wavered right up to the present day. After three years with the Mason band with which, Pete says, he served ‘his apprenticeship in the world of entertainment’, as forged on overseas tours, plus guest shots on TV and radio, as well as festival appearance and no less than three albums, Pete Allen took the momentous decision on 1 October 1978 – mark the date – to launch his own band in collaboration with his father Bernie Allen.
This set in train a heady period of success for them here and abroad, especially in the States where the band’s tours brought them considerable glory including an appearance at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee then the greatest Dixieland festival of its kind. As a tribute to his prowess, Pete was made an Honorary Citizen of New Orleans for his ‘services to British jazz and tourism’.
That was then and this is now. The Pete Allen Jazz Band still plays clubs, festivals and residencies, less far-ranging perhaps, but all part of Pete’s ongoing desire to present this marvellous music to audiences old and new. His playing remains one of the adornments of British traditional jazz, his clarinet sound always distinctive, slightly husky and undeniably hot. He’ll play baritone sax too when the moment is right and even, the banjo!
That said, this is no one-man band, for the regular personnel includes a whole raft of experienced, highly rated players, with fellow bandleader Roger Marks on trombone, the hard-swinging trumpeter Chris Hodgkins (who re-joined the band recently after a period of stellar service supporting British jazz as Director of Jazz Services) and reedman Trevor Whiting, a distinguished clarinettist in his own right and a fine booting, saxophonist too – look out for his head-to-head numbers with Pete – this splendid line-up of soloists now augmented by the guitarist Max Brittain, late of Eton College music staff and a considerable soloist. Add in the sterling rhythm section, all seasoned Allen-ites, headed by keyboard star James Clemas, with bassist Dave Hanratty and drummer Jim Newton in lusty support and you have a pretty alluring package. No wonder Pizza Express wanted them back. Expect fireworks, non-stop jazz jubilation, and a lively mix of old standbys and unexpected crowd-pleasers. As they say in all the best restaurant reviews – enjoy!
