In my pursuit of our new generation of UK jazz bands, I agreed with Norman Gibson that I should feature Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra. And who needs to embellish a name like that! We had both enjoyed their dynamism at Trevor Stent’s July, 2014, Fest Jazz at Châteauneuf-du-Faou – for me a festival setting a pattern for the future of jazz.
So why not introduce Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra with my YouTube of “Drinking Coffee Rag”, which tells the sorry tale of one man’s descent into coffee addiction, from their Album “Talk About The Weather”.
(YouTube © Peter M Butler, Jazz&Jazz)
The Tea Pads are based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, have a fast growing fan base in the UK, Europe and beyond and play their own brand of Blues, Gypsy Jazz, Country and Western Swing – or “North Eastern Swing” as they’ve coined it.
The Band? A hot six-piece, featuring Rob Heron (guitar & vocals), Ben Fitzgerald (guitar), Tom Cronin (mandolin), Colin Nicholson (accordion), Rob Blazey (double bass) and Paul Archibald (drums).
But let’s allow their superb web site speak for them: http://www.teapadorchestra.co.uk. And for those of you on Facebook : http://goo.gl/bBxcjM. Take time to read their reviews. Like all our young bands today, Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra favour the Social Media for reaching out to their fans and promoting their gigs.
Their publicity is excellent and their YouTube “High Speed Train” is as entertaining as it is superbly produced…
Peter M Butler
Editor & Proprietor, Jazz&Jazz
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