Swingin’ Around the Christmas Tree With the Peggy’s House Band

“Infectious intense fun, a thrilling afternoon of quality jazz”

Jazz and the Golden Age of Hollywood are synonymous with rousing film scores and memorable hits from some of the greatest movies ever made. Alongside these terrific tunes are a wealth of Christmas songs written by Tin Pan Alley’s greatest songwriters. White Christmas and I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm by Irving Berlin, Let It Snow by Jule Styne, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town by John Frederick Coots & Haven Gillespie and The Christmas Song by Mel Tormé. These gems have been performed by the cream of jazz royalty including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Wynton Marsalis, Shirley Horn and Nat King Cole. In fact it’s easier to find a list of artists who haven’t cashed in on the festive season.

With their Great American Songbook forms and standard chord sequences they’re the ideal vehicle for jazz musicians to unleash their improvisational skills on and for the great tinsel town arrangers to arrange and rearrange to their heart’s delight. And the musicians don’t stop there, even Christmas carols are mercilessly ripped apart and put back together again in the name of Swing!

“Eliot is one of the most lyrical, tasteful horn players I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with. His passion for the music comes across through both his playing and his expert compering, including the audience in every number with anecdotes. The full package” – Andrew Wood

Line up
Eliot Richards – tenor saxophone
Matthew Ratcliffe – piano
Martyn Spencer – double bass
Andrew ‘Woody’ Wood – drums