THE RAY CHESTER BIG BAND
Which is the oldest established big band in this country? Having played in public for the first time on 21st September 1966, and continuously since then, The Ray Chester Big Band could possibly claim this title - obviously excepting the Joe Loss Orchestra which, in any case, has been performing for years with a reduced size band . During the subsequent 40 years (up to 2006) many musicians have worked in the band - something over 250 at the last count - so it is perhaps surprising that two who played on that first night Don Fairley, Trombone, & Bill Smith, Sax, are still regular members. There is a nice mix of ages from 20+ to 70+ and all are there because they are the best players available from around the North East.
Ray Chester started his musical life as a pianist and had his first paid engagements (aged about 14) when he received 2/6d (12 1/2p) for playing during the band's interval at church hall dances. At age 18 he took up the trombone and a few years later joined his first ' palais ' band in which he played trombone and trumpet (Sunderland 's answer to James Morrison?) and occasionally piano, and wrote arrangements. His next job was with a band led by trumpeter Bill Sowerby (ex Ken Mackintosh) which took him into the era of The Beatles and the writing of two or three 'pop' arrangements per week in the effort to keep up with the current charts, trying to fit five brass and five saxes into three note chords. This lasted for about four years at which point the band went on the road so Ray left, not wanting to be away from his wife and four children.
During the '60s and '70s there were many night clubs around the North East and Ray worked at one time or another in all of them, usually deputising for the resident pianist (because he still had a day job and could not take a full time musical job) and accompanying many of the big stars of the day such as Matt Monro, Vince Hill, Milly (of 'My Boy Lollipop' fame), Bert Weedon, Elaine Delmar, Eddie Calvert etc. The Fiesta Club in Stockton was the biggest in the area and booked top artists including many Americans who used larger bands so there were many week-long engagements playing trombone or trumpet. Here Ray worked with, among others, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Neil Sedaka, Lovelace Watkins, The Bachelors, Cliff Richard, Marvin, Welsh & Farrer and most of the top comedians - Tommy Cooper, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine, Les Dawson, Max Bygraves etc. This, of course, was the period in which the Big Band was formed and it also worked in many of the clubs. Also in this period was the small band gig in the community centre in a Co. Durham mining village when the bass guitar player who had been booked sent a deputy, one Gordon Sumner, and was told,by Ray, to never send him again because he was useless. Later, of course, Gordon changed his name to Sting and became quite famous.
It was later during a visit to Newcastle in 2006, Sting was set to receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University and took the opportunity to contact musicians with whom he had previously played with in the old Newcastle Big Band including Ray, Don Fairley, and John Hedley,the bass guitarist who had sent him as a deputy all those years ago. They all performed in a private concert which proved very successful.
In 1969 there came an offer to be musical director for the pantomime at Sunderland Empire at which point the day job was given up and the connection with the Empire pantomimes lasted for about thirteen years, always as 'fixer' of the orchestra, sometimes as Musical Director sometimes as a playing musician.
One night at the Empire which sticks in the mind and which was probably his longest stage performance was acting as musical director for Ken Dodd who, as usual, was not too keen to allow the audience to leave.
In 1971 there was another change when Ray became a student at Sunderland College of Education and came out four years later as Ray Chester B.Ed. There followed three years at a comprehensive school, another three as a peripatetic brass teacher then a move to be a lecturer at Newcastle College for the next ten years and thereafter took early retirement,as his wife contracted cancer.
Since then musical life has been pretty varied - running the Big Band (which has recently recorded a live CD) and the Big 8 and writing many arrangements for both, small band gigs and bookings as pianist in restaurants etc. Recently there have been arranging commissions from small groups formed from members of the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra and, most recently, the composition of a fanfare which was the first music played in public at the opening of The Sage, Gateshead, the new world-class concert hall designed by Norman Foster.
Memorable gigs include working with lyricist Sammy Cahn and with Vicki Carr (with Bob Florence as musical director), several appearances at the Newcastle Jazz Festival (including the opening concert of the first Festival in 1974) and the Sunderland AFC. Centenary banquet (1979). Recent guests include Mark Nightingale, Bruce Adams, Lee Gibson and Don Lusher. In 2002 the band was placed second in the BBC Big Band Competition and Ray was awarded the Musician's Union Trophy for the most outstanding musician. In 2005, in the same competition, Ray received the award Radio 2 arrangers prize for the best musical arrangement......'Skylark'
Ray has always lived in Sunderland and the band works mainly in the north east of England but on occasion as far south as Harrogate, Huddersfield and Leeds and as far north as Berwick and Edinburgh. Venues have included theatres, hotels, arts centres, night clubs, workmen's clubs, jazz clubs, churches, in the open air (flower shows etc.), in fact just about anywhere that can accommodate an eighteen piece band plus singers (sometimes only just!). From the outset the line-up has been 5 Trumpets, 4 Trombones (5 when Ray plays), 5 Saxophones and rhythm section. There has always been at least one singer including, for a time, Kenny Bardell who many will remember with the Ken Mackintosh band. Since March 1998 the regular singer has been Mia Webb.
Over the years the music library has grown to well over five hundred numbers, most of them arranged by Ray who has become well known as an arranger and composer. His arrangements have been played by, among others, the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, the Ted Heath band, the Don Lusher Big Band, the George Bradley Big Band and the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra. The National Youth Jazz Orchestra regularly plays a number of Ray's compositions and 'Corner House' is in the libraries of rehearsal bands all over the country, having been supplied free to them through the Musicians' Union.
Which is the oldest established big band in this country? Having played in public for the first time on 21st September 1966, and continuously since then, The Ray Chester Big Band could possibly claim this title - obviously excepting the Joe Loss Orchestra which, in any case, has been performing for years with a reduced size band . During the subsequent 40 years (up to 2006) many musicians have worked in the band - something over 250 at the last count - so it is perhaps surprising that two who played on that first night Don Fairley, Trombone, & Bill Smith, Sax, are still regular members. There is a nice mix of ages from 20+ to 70+ and all are there because they are the best players available from around the North East.
Ray Chester started his musical life as a pianist and had his first paid engagements (aged about 14) when he received 2/6d (12 1/2p) for playing during the band's interval at church hall dances. At age 18 he took up the trombone and a few years later joined his first ' palais ' band in which he played trombone and trumpet (Sunderland 's answer to James Morrison?) and occasionally piano, and wrote arrangements. His next job was with a band led by trumpeter Bill Sowerby (ex Ken Mackintosh) which took him into the era of The Beatles and the writing of two or three 'pop' arrangements per week in the effort to keep up with the current charts, trying to fit five brass and five saxes into three note chords. This lasted for about four years at which point the band went on the road so Ray left, not wanting to be away from his wife and four children.
During the '60s and '70s there were many night clubs around the North East and Ray worked at one time or another in all of them, usually deputising for the resident pianist (because he still had a day job and could not take a full time musical job) and accompanying many of the big stars of the day such as Matt Monro, Vince Hill, Milly (of 'My Boy Lollipop' fame), Bert Weedon, Elaine Delmar, Eddie Calvert etc. The Fiesta Club in Stockton was the biggest in the area and booked top artists including many Americans who used larger bands so there were many week-long engagements playing trombone or trumpet. Here Ray worked with, among others, Roy Orbison, Gene Pitney, Neil Sedaka, Lovelace Watkins, The Bachelors, Cliff Richard, Marvin, Welsh & Farrer and most of the top comedians - Tommy Cooper, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine, Les Dawson, Max Bygraves etc. This, of course, was the period in which the Big Band was formed and it also worked in many of the clubs. Also in this period was the small band gig in the community centre in a Co. Durham mining village when the bass guitar player who had been booked sent a deputy, one Gordon Sumner, and was told,by Ray, to never send him again because he was useless. Later, of course, Gordon changed his name to Sting and became quite famous.
It was later during a visit to Newcastle in 2006, Sting was set to receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University and took the opportunity to contact musicians with whom he had previously played with in the old Newcastle Big Band including Ray, Don Fairley, and John Hedley,the bass guitarist who had sent him as a deputy all those years ago. They all performed in a private concert which proved very successful.
In 1969 there came an offer to be musical director for the pantomime at Sunderland Empire at which point the day job was given up and the connection with the Empire pantomimes lasted for about thirteen years, always as 'fixer' of the orchestra, sometimes as Musical Director sometimes as a playing musician.
One night at the Empire which sticks in the mind and which was probably his longest stage performance was acting as musical director for Ken Dodd who, as usual, was not too keen to allow the audience to leave.
In 1971 there was another change when Ray became a student at Sunderland College of Education and came out four years later as Ray Chester B.Ed. There followed three years at a comprehensive school, another three as a peripatetic brass teacher then a move to be a lecturer at Newcastle College for the next ten years and thereafter took early retirement,as his wife contracted cancer.
Since then musical life has been pretty varied - running the Big Band (which has recently recorded a live CD) and the Big 8 and writing many arrangements for both, small band gigs and bookings as pianist in restaurants etc. Recently there have been arranging commissions from small groups formed from members of the Northern Sinfonia Orchestra and, most recently, the composition of a fanfare which was the first music played in public at the opening of The Sage, Gateshead, the new world-class concert hall designed by Norman Foster.
Memorable gigs include working with lyricist Sammy Cahn and with Vicki Carr (with Bob Florence as musical director), several appearances at the Newcastle Jazz Festival (including the opening concert of the first Festival in 1974) and the Sunderland AFC. Centenary banquet (1979). Recent guests include Mark Nightingale, Bruce Adams, Lee Gibson and Don Lusher. In 2002 the band was placed second in the BBC Big Band Competition and Ray was awarded the Musician's Union Trophy for the most outstanding musician. In 2005, in the same competition, Ray received the award Radio 2 arrangers prize for the best musical arrangement......'Skylark'
Ray has always lived in Sunderland and the band works mainly in the north east of England but on occasion as far south as Harrogate, Huddersfield and Leeds and as far north as Berwick and Edinburgh. Venues have included theatres, hotels, arts centres, night clubs, workmen's clubs, jazz clubs, churches, in the open air (flower shows etc.), in fact just about anywhere that can accommodate an eighteen piece band plus singers (sometimes only just!). From the outset the line-up has been 5 Trumpets, 4 Trombones (5 when Ray plays), 5 Saxophones and rhythm section. There has always been at least one singer including, for a time, Kenny Bardell who many will remember with the Ken Mackintosh band. Since March 1998 the regular singer has been Mia Webb.
Over the years the music library has grown to well over five hundred numbers, most of them arranged by Ray who has become well known as an arranger and composer. His arrangements have been played by, among others, the BBC Northern Dance Orchestra, the Ted Heath band, the Don Lusher Big Band, the George Bradley Big Band and the Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra. The National Youth Jazz Orchestra regularly plays a number of Ray's compositions and 'Corner House' is in the libraries of rehearsal bands all over the country, having been supplied free to them through the Musicians' Union.
The band as it appeared on its very first public performance
September 21st 1966
September 21st 1966
The
About the Band