Description | Price |
7-piece band: Lead Vocal/Alto Sax - Piano - Guitar/Vocal - Bass - Drums - Tenor Sax/Vocal - Trumpet | £900 |
4-piece band: Lead Vocal/Saxes - Piano - Bass - Drums (option to replace Piano with Guitar/Vocal). | £675 |
5-piece band: as 4-piece PLUS Guitar/Vocal OR Trumpet OR Tenor Sax. | £750 |
6-piece band: as 4-piece PLUS ANY TWO OF Guitar/Vocal - Trumpet - Tenor Sax. | £825 |
8-piece band: as 7-piece PLUS Female Vocalist. | £975 |
What makes One Jump Ahead stand out from the other Swing and Jive bands around? Firstly, they've been playing together for a good many years more than most similar bands and that experience really shows! Audiences invariably want to DANCE when they hear this outfit swing. Their huge repertoire (300+ numbers) includes the best of the "Great American Songbook", 1940s & 50s jump/jive rhythm & blues, classic rock’n’roll songs, 1960s soul hits and Rat Pack material. A few carefully selected vintage pop classics, comic novelties and their own critically acclaimed compositions might get thrown into the gumbo too. They have wowed audiences from Islington to Israel, Clerkenwell to County Cork and from Docklands to Deutschland!
One Jump Ahead are led by KIT PACKHAM on VOCALS & SAXOPHONE, accompanied by PIANO, GUITAR, BASS, DRUMS, TRUMPET and another SAXOPHONE. Several of the band also contribute backing vocals - and an excellent female singer can be added to the line-up on request. If you don't have the space or the budget for a 7 or 8-piece band they can still play a highly entertaining set with a smaller line-up - right down to Kit alone with pre-recorded backing tracks! (See separate listing). However, we would suggest that you hire the largest line-up that the premises and your budget allow, since this gives the most dynamic and flexible results. The minimum price of £900 given above is for the normal 7-piece format in the Greater London area from Monday - Thursday. To calculate the minimum price for smaller units subtract £75 for each musician not required. See "PRICING" below for guidance on factors that are likely to affect the cost.
We have a huge repertoire covering Swing, Jive, the Great American Songbook, Rock’n’Roll, Rat Pack, Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Vintage 30s, 40s, 50s & 60s Pop & Rock, Jazz, Latin and Comic Novelties. The list below shows just some of the most popular songs we play. We can e-mail a complete list of around 300 on request.
Jump/Jive, Rock’n’Roll, Rhythm & Blues, etc.
You Never Can Tell – Reet Petite – Choo Choo Ch’Boogie – Flip Flop & Fly – Route 66 – Jailhouse Rock – See You Later Alligator – Shake, Rattle & Roll – My Babe – Blue Monday – Saturday Night Fish Fry – Caldonia – Rock Around the Clock – Hi Heel Sneakers – Hit That Jive, Jack – No Particular Place to Go
Rat Pack, Smooth Jazz, Crooners, etc.
Let There Be Love – Mack the Knife – Fly Me to the Moon – That’s Amore – New York New York – Let’s Face the Music & Dance – Sway – L-O-V-E – I’ve Got You Under My Skin – It Had to Be You – Feelin’ Good – Moon River – What a Wonderful World – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – One For My Baby
Soul, Motown, Funk, R&B, etc.
Soul Limbo – Knock on Wood – Stand By Me – Midnight Hour – My Girl – Dancing in the Street – Mustang Sally – Barefootin’ – Try a Little Tenderness – Jackie Wilson Said – Under the Boardwalk – How Sweet It Is – Let’s Stay Together – Everybody Needs Somebody to Love – I Got You (I Feel Good)
Vintage Rock & Pop, etc.
Honky Tonk Women – Need Your Love So Bad – Brown Eyed Girl – Dance the Night Away – I Saw Her Standing There – Moondance – Twistin’ the Night Away – Brown Sugar – It’s Not Unusual – Rehab – Black Magic Woman – Hi Ho Silver Lining – The Bright Side of the Road – Wonderful Tonight – Hey Jude
Swing, Trad, Latin & Mainstream Jazz, etc.
In the Mood – Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby? – Minnie the Moocher – Makin’ Whoopee – Don’t Get Around Much Any More – Take the “A” Train – Fever – I Wanna Be Like You – Buona Sera – Brother Can You Spare a Dime? – Bad Bad LeRoy Brown – My Baby Just Cares For Me – Blueberry Hill.
£900 is our normal minimum for the full 7-piece format in the Greater London area but our least expensive option is to play as a quartet (normally £675 minimum)
PRICES ARE USUALLY HIGHER WHEN....
- the event is outside the Greater London area. The further we have to travel, the higher the cost.
- the event takes place at a weekend or during other periods of high demand (the week before Christmas, New Year's Eve, etc)
- we are required to be set up some hours ahead of when we are to play. (It can be arranged but will cost a little more).
- we are required to play for over 2.5 hours in total. (Up to 3 sets of 45 minutes each or 2 sets of 60 minutes each is usual).
PRICES MAY BE LOWER WHEN....
- you are providing or arranging for the provision of a PA system (and engineer) for us.
- you are booking us for a SERIES of events rather than a one-off engagement.
- the event takes place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday within the Greater London area.
- you want us to play with a reduced line-up. We can play (and have played) as a sextet, quintet, quartet, trio and duo but naturally the character of the band changes a little with each reduction. We recommend that you book the full 7-piece whenever possible for maximum impact and variety but the music is still excellent however many of us play. For prices of smaller line-ups please ask for a quote.
WE ARE ALWAYS HAPPY TO DISCUSS YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND NEGOTIATE ALL ASPECTS OF A POTENTIAL BOOKING.
Based in Caterham, Surrey
Minnie the Moocher
Take the “A” Train
Reet Petite
Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
Brother Can You Spare a Dime?
Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby?
See You Later Alligator
You Never Can Tell
Hit That Jive, Jack
Sway
Let’s Face the Music & Dance
Knock on Wood
Dancing in the Street
All right, OK, You Win
Bad Bad LeRoy Brown
Beyond the Sea
It Don’t Mean a Thing
Twistin' the Night Away
Moondance
Fly Me to the Moon
I Wanna Be Like You
Straighten Up and Fly Right
Stand By Me
Fever
Buona Sera
(See our band description for more)
Minimum Stage size (or clear floorspace) for 7-piece: 6 metres wide by 3 metres deep (20ft x 10ft).
2 or more mains electricity sockets on stage or adjacent to band's floorspace.
Parking for same number of cars as musicians (on most occasions).
Yes, we bring everything we need including a PA system and a small selection of lights.
The full address and postcode is a good start! If it's at all tricky to find then clear directions would also be helpful. Any restrictions imposed by the venue (sound limiter, out-of-bounds areas, etc) should be advised and clear instructions on exactly where to set up also helps.
We bring pre-recorded music of a similar nature to our own repertoire to play between sets but our clients are welcome to provide their own playlist via an iPod, smart phone, laptop or similar which we can amplify through our PA.
It's much too hard to pick one! We've played most of the leading London hotels including the Langham Hilton, the Waldorf and the Dorchester as well as leading rock venues like the 100 Club, the Mean Fiddler and the Dublin Castle. The most exotic would probably be the Royal Beach Hotel in Eilat, on the Red Sea.
Louis Jordan is our main influence (his music was featured in the hit show Five Guys Named Moe) but Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles and Slim Gaillard are other significant influences on our core style. The first 2 numbers we chose to cover were Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby and Choo Choo Ch'Boogie but there are way too many great songs to pick just one.
Most of the band have a background in jazz, although Kit started in rock'n'roll and came to jazz later. He formed his own band (which was to evolve into One Jump Ahead) in 1984 and has been running it ever since.
We love playing for dancers and have had fantastic gigs playing for organisations like the London Swing Dance Society, Now That's Jive, Boogaloo promotions, Jive Party, Eight Beat Jive....(notice a pattern there?!). Having said that, we've also enjoyed many wedding receptions, charity balls and festivals. They're all good!
We generally need an hour to load in and set up the full band, although we like to allow longer, just in case there are any problems. Things that will help it go quickly and smoothly are vehicular access close to the stage, a clear unobstructed and direct route from the unloading area to the stage, a large stage area and/or plenty of clear space next to the stage where equipment can be "parked" temporarily before being set up, and some nearby space to put empty cases afterwards.
Set timings are fully negotiable but are often 3 x 45 minutes or 2 x 60 minutes. We prefer breaks between sets to be at least 15 minutes but we'll always listen to your requirements and do all we can to keep everybody happy.
Yes we are, with certain conditions. We won't perform in wet weather since, apart from our own discomfort, it's dangerous with mains power required for our equipment. If you're planning an outside event we need a power supply on hand and would recommend a large gazebo or similar to offer some protection from sun or rain. The ground should also be level and firm, at least for the drumkit, but ideally for the whole band. We'd also recommend having an alternative plan if it looks like bad weather.
We're very happy to play any requests from our repertoire and have largely built it up from "off list" requests by previous clients. So a couple of new numbers are possible, given reasonable notice. We plan a custom set list for every single booking and have never played the same set twice!
Comments like "got everybody dancing" and "great energy" are typical. People often say that Kit is easy to deal with too!
Macao Club, Crawley
Sidcup Jazz Club
Surrey & South London Rhythm & Blues Club
The Oval Tavern, Croydon
Eight Beat Jive
Boogaloo Promotions
The Venue, Croydon
RAF Digby, Lincoln
Billingbear Park Golf Course, Wokingham
Sand Martins Golf Club, Wokingham
The Boston Room, George IV PH, Chiswick
Hornchurch Jazz Club, Hornchurch Conservative Club, Hornchurch
Bull's Head PH, Barnes
Phyllis Court Club, Henley-on-Thames
Caley Hall Hotel, Old Hunstanton, Norfolk
Stoke Place, Slough
Brumby Hall Sports & Recreation Club, Scunthorpe, Lincs
Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth
Bearsted Golf Club, Midstone, Kent
Chobham Club, Woking
Southsea Beach Cafe, Portsmouth
Oakfield Playing Fields Pavilion, Ilford
Shiplake Memorial Hall, Shiplake, Berks
Whittledown, Salisbury
Stoke Park, Stoke Poges
Addison Centre, Kempston, Bedford
Langan's Brasserie, Mayfair
Crofton Hall, Orpington
Rivoli Ballroom, Brockley
Bisham Abbey, Marlow
Grand Hotel, Brighton
Olympia Exhibition Hall
Barbican
Royal Festival Hall
Lewisham Theatre
Cafe Royal, W1
Pinewood Film Studios
100 Club, W1
Goodwood House
Bottom Line, Shepherd's Bush
Waldorf Hotel, Aldwych
Royal Beach Hotel, Eilat
St. Pierre Park Hotel, Guernsey
Winter Gardens, Weston Super Mare
Cruise Inn, Amsterdam
Mean Fiddler, Harlesden
Eltham Palace
Langan's Brasserie, Mayfair
Rivoli Ballroom, Brockley
Natural History Museum
Grand Hotel, Brighton