Introducing the Band Members

Matt Palmer

Clarinet, Saxophone, Vocals

Matt joined the Eagle Jazz Band in 2004 at 47 he is still considered one of the younger musicians playing traditional jazz in Britain today. He started learning clarinet at the age fifteen having become a keen jazz fan through...

Pete Brown

Trumpet, Cornet, Valve Trombone, Vocals

Pete is a renowned Midlands musician having held the trumpet chair in the Eagle band since 1979.His musical career started in military service with the North Staffordshire Regiment. On his return to civilian life he joined Stoke-on-Trent's premier band The...

Terry Williams

Trombone, Drums, Vocals

Born 1942 at Evercreech, Somerset, a village staging post for many WW11 troops including USA soldiers and their music on route to Europe. Terry grew up with local bands, playing drums and piano to that music. Jazz and Swing became...

Brian Lawrence

Double Bass, Sousaphone

Brian started to play bass in a Small dance and Big bands, then Rock & Roll onto skiffle then an old time sequence band which was the hardest working band he has ever played in. His first jazz band, The Three...

Brian Mellor

Banjo, Guitar, Vocals

We welcome Brian to the band, renewing partnerships with Jools and Brian L. he has been a stalwart of the Midlands Jazz scene for over Fifty years, he followed the generational path from Lonnie Donegan to Chris Barber, then back to...

Tim Jones

Drums

The latest recruit to join the eagle  a fine drummer as is  his father who was with John Burnets jazz Bandits Tim has done lots of different types of music fromcruise liners to rock and blues hopefully he will be...

About the Band

The Eagle Jazz Band  

The  Eagle Jazz Band founded in 1951 delighted audiences worldwide for an amazing fifty-four years, one of the oldest formed bands in the UK.

The  Band sports a healthy combination of youth and experience, Pete Brown (trumpet cornet and valve trombone) and Brian Lawrence (Bass and Sousaphone) were both long serving members of the original Eagle Jazz Band after initially forging their musical partnership in the Potteries based Mardi Gras Society Band during the 1970s. Matt Palmer (clarinet & saxes) joined in 2004, having worked extensively with Pete at Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire. Drummer Tim Jones has  added vigour to the engine room to allow the band to fire on all cylinders when required, along with Brian Mellor (banjo and guitar) and Terry Williams (trombone drums vibes).The collective experience amassed by the current line-up includes top UK theme parks, river cruises cruise liners, major UK and European Jazz Festivals and Radio and Television broadcasts. The wide repertoire is drawn from popular songs from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s; Classic Jazz compositions by King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton Sydney Bechet and Duke Ellington plus New Orleans Marches, Rags, Stomps, Blues, Swing and instrumental features. All band members are multi-instrumentalists, enabling us to play a variety of different sounds and styles each played in a happy, entertaining manner, many featuring vocals. Whatever we play, the major priority is to entertain the audience but to always maintain a high standard of musicianship and presentation. The Eagle Jazz Band have made their mark in several UK jazz clubs and at society functions where they are equally at home. The band are able to perform acoustically and therefore are suitable for outdoor events .