Pasadena Roof Orchestra

File:Pasadena Roof Orchestra 2014.jpg

Pasadena Roof Orchestra 2014

File:Pasadena Roof Orchestra.jpg

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (PRO) is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider. The orchestra has existed since 1969, although the line-up has frequently changed. It has achieved success outside the United Kingdom, most notably in Germany.

Brief history

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was so named in November 1969 by John Arthy, a baker who played the double bass and sousaphone, and who had taken over the Creole Dance Orchestra (first formed in 1965) in which he played bass and sousaphone, from Chris Macdonald, its founder. Arthy purchased a cache of original musical arrangements dating from the 1920s stored in the attic of a lady in Manchester, and the strength of this find reinvigorated the flagging fortunes of the earlier band. The new name of the band was inspired by Harry Warren's "Home in Pasadena". There had been a strong revival movement for music of the 1920s in the late 1950s and early 1960s (known as the Trad movement – bands included The Temperance Seven); however, Arthy continued to move this band in a different direction to most of the revivalists, away from humour and towards more serious, dedicated renditions of the music.

The orchestra's first vocalist was John "Pazz" Parry, an old friend of Arthy's (the two had both been members of the Creole Dance Orchestra from 1965). With the injection of the new arrangements, Arthy as Bandleader, also performing on the double bass and sousaphone, the PRO soon grew in popularity.

The orchestra became professional in 1975. Their first LP for Transatlantic was recorded in August 1974 and released in December of that year, premiering at the Midem music fair in Cannes in 1975. The orchestra followed this by touring West Germany (where the revival movement was incredibly popular) in the Autumn of that year.

The orchestra toured the United States in 1993 and 2001 (their 25th Anniversary album cover featured a photo of the band in front of the Santa Fe train station in Pasadena, California).

They have worked with musicians including Robbie Williams (in 2005) and Bryan Ferry (in 2000).

Although John Arthy retired in 1997, the band continues to tour extensively and record with bandleader and singer Duncan Galloway. In 2009, the orchestra toured Great Britain and Germany.

Orchestra members

Whilst literally hundreds of the UK's finest jazz musicians have on occasion performed with the Orchestra, this is a timeline of the regular members.

<timeline> ImageSize = width:1000 height:1300 PlotArea = left:200 bottom:120 top:0 right:25 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1969 till:01/07/2024 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1969 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1969

Colors =

 id:voc value:red legend:Vocals
 id:vt value:yelloworange legend:Vocal_Trio
 id:alt1 value:lightpurple legend:Alto_1_/_Clar._/_Bari.
 id:alt2 value:purple legend:Alto_2_/_Clar.
 id:ten value:magenta legend:Tenor_/_Clar.
 id:tpt1 value:oceanblue legend:Trumpet_1
 id:tpt2 value:blue legend:Trumpet_2
 id:tbn value:darkblue legend:Trombone
 id:pno value:teal legend:Piano
 id:gtr value:kelleygreen legend:Guitar_/_Banjo
 id:bs value:redorange legend:Bass_/_Sousa
 id:dr value:claret legend:Drums
 id:vln value:tan2 legend:Violin
 id:eng value:gray(0.3) legend:Sound_Eng.
 id:rec value:black legend:Recording

LineData =

 layer:back
 width:0.5
 frompos:120
 tillpos:1300

 at:07/05/1972 #Stomp Records ROBB 008
 at:25/08/1974 #Transatlantic TRA286, BIG521 and Metronome 0900.091
 at:01/10/1974 #Transatlantic BIG521, TEP1
 at:01/05/1975 #Transatlantic TRA 301 and Metronome 0900.091
 at:05/12/1975 #Transatlantic TRA314 and Metronome 0064.018
 at:01/09/1976 #Transatlantic TRA335
 at:21/09/1976 #Transatlantic TEP1
 at:15/07/1977 #Metronome 0064.010
 at:01/04/1978 #CBS 82751
 at:12/09/1978 #Metronome 0030.304
 at:01/12/1978 #CBS 83220
 at:01/07/1979 #Metronome 0900.179
 at:01/07/1980 #Metronome 0030.304
 at:22/08/1981 #Aves/Intercord 146.540
 at:01/06/1983 #Reward Records FW39135
 at:27/07/1984 #Pasadena Records ARC-1018
 at:11/09/1986 #CD PRO 1
 at:01/08/1988 #Polydor CD LP Cass
 at:28/06/1989 #CD PRO 2 Live at Salisbury Playhouse
 at:16/05/1991 #CD PRO 3
 at:05/11/1992 #Kavan Records CD81911 Copenhagen
 at:26/11/1992 #Kavan VHS9356 Live at Falconer Theatre with Swing Sisters
 at:01/11/1993 #CD PRO 4 and Kavan Records CD81353
 at:01/05/1996 #CD PRO 5
 at:30/07/1998 #CD PRO 6
 at:22/08/1999 #DVD PRO Live in Regents Park
 at:28/03/2002 #CD PRO 7
 at:06/11/2007 #CD PRO 8
 at:26/02/2010 #Licensed to Swing
 at:10/03/2011 #Christmas Album
 at:20/06/2013 #Ladies and Gentlemen
 at:08/05/2016 #Live in London
 at:01/01/2021 #Back on the Road - actual date TBC

PlotData =

 width:15
 textcolor:black
 align:left
 anchor:from

1. vocals

 bar:John 'Pazz' Parry from:start till:31/12/1978 color:voc #end guess from discography 
 bar:Robin Merrill from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/1988 color:voc #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Duncan Galloway from:01/01/1989 till:31/12/1994 color:voc #start and end guess from discography
 bar:James Langton from:01/01/1995 till:31/12/2001 color:voc #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Duncan Galloway from:01/01/2002 till:end color:voc #start guess from discography
 bar:Louise Cookman from:01/02/2002 till:01/02/2008 color:voc #VERIFIED LC email

1. alto 1

 bar:Josephine Gurr from:start till:31/03/1972 color:alt1 #end guess from Chris Macdonald's History of the Creole Dance Orchestra / PRO
 bar:Andrew Pummell from:01/04/1972 till:30/06/1997 color:alt1 #end guess from discography
 bar:Nicholas Payton from:01/07/1997 till:31/12/2002 color:alt1 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Steve Kaldestad from:01/01/2003 till:31/12/2007 color:alt1 #start guess from discography
 bar:Robert Fowler from:01/01/2008 till:end color:alt1 #VERIFIED RF verbal

1. alto 2

 bar:Ken Hughes from:start till:30/09/1975 color:alt2 #end guess from discography
 bar:Mac White from:01/10/1975 till:23/09/1981 color:alt2 #start guess from discography
 bar:Alan Barnes from:24/09/1981 till:23/01/1983 color:alt2 #VERIFIED AB email (dates from diary)
 bar:Keith Gemmell from:24/01/1983 till:30/06/1996 color:alt2
 bar:Keith Gemmell from:01/01/1984 till:30/06/1996 color:vt width:3
 bar:Paul Jones from:01/10/1999 till:30/09/2003 color:alt2 #start verified PJ email, end guess from discography
 bar:Dai Pritchard from:01/04/2004 till:end color:alt2 #VERIFIED DP email

1. tenor

 bar:Chris Macdonald from:start till:31/08/1974 color:ten #VERIFIED CM (from History of the Creole Dance Orchestra / PRO)
 bar:Clive Payne from:01/09/1974 till:30/09/1975 color:ten #end guess from discography
 bar:Frank White from:01/10/1975 till:31/12/1984 color:ten #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Howard Turner from:01/01/1985 till:31/07/1986 color:ten #start guess from discography
 bar:Robert Fowler from:01/08/1986 till:30/06/1996 color:ten #VERIFIED RF verbal
 bar:Keith Gemmell from:01/07/1996 till:31/12/1997 color:ten #end guess from discography
 bar:James Scannell from:01/01/1998 till:31/08/2001 color:ten #start guess from discography
 bar:Oliver Wilby from:01/09/2001 till:end color:ten #VERIFIED OW verbal

1. trumpet 1

 bar:Tony Cooke from:start till:30/11/1974 color:tpt1 #end guess from discography
 bar:Derek Wood from:01/01/1975 till:30/06/1975 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Jeff Evans from:01/07/1975 till:30/06/1976 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Clive Baker from:01/07/1976 till:31/12/1983 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Clive Baker from:01/01/1981 till:31/12/1983 color:vt width:3
 bar:Mike 'Magic' Henry from:01/01/1984 till:31/12/1990 color:tpt1 #VERIFIED MH email (Dec 1990 is a guess)
 bar:Malcolm Baxter from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1995 color:tpt1 #DF suggests until 1995
 bar:David Ford from:01/01/1995 till:end color:tpt1 #VERIFIED DF email

1. trumpet 2

 bar:Jake Spalding from:start till:30/06/1972 color:tpt2
 bar:Mike Durston from:01/07/1972 till:30/06/1973 color:tpt2 #approximate dates from Derek Jones email
 bar:David Manning from:01/07/1973 till:31/12/1974 color:tpt2 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:George Burt from:01/01/1975 till:30/04/1976 color:tpt2 #start and end guess from discography
 bar:John Malam from:01/05/1976 till:30/09/1978 color:tpt2 #start guess from discography
 bar:Mike 'Magic' Henry from:01/10/1978 till:01/01/1984 color:tpt2 #VERIFIED MH email note 1984 same date as Rico joined
 bar:Enrico Tomasso from:01/01/1984 till:31/12/1994 color:tpt2 #end guess from discography
 bar:Danny Hammerton from:01/01/1995 till:01/03/2003 color:tpt2 #DF suggests from 1995 DG suggests until 03/2003
 bar:Ben Cummings from:05/04/2005 till:15/03/2009 color:tpt2 #VERIFIED BC email (dates from diary)
 bar:Malcolm Baxter from:16/03/2009 till:end color:tpt2 #VERIFIED

1. trombone

 bar:Bob Renvoize from:start till:31/12/1987 color:tbn #end guess from discography
 bar:Steve Shaw from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/2010 color:tbn #start guess from discography
 bar:Steve Shaw from:01/07/1996 till:01/01/2010 color:vt width:3
 bar:Andy Hillier from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2010 color:tbn
 bar:Andy Hillier from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2010 color:vt width:3
 bar:Adrian Fry from:01/03/2011 till:04/04/2021 color:tbn #VERIFIED DG band email
 bar:Adrian Fry from:01/03/2011 till:04/04/2021 color:vt width:3 #VERIFIED AF verbal
 bar:Rory Ingham from:01/01/2022 till:end color:tbn #VERIFIED DG email

1. piano

 bar:Mike Baskerville from:start till:30/06/1971 color:pno #end guess from discography
 bar:Tom Colbert from:01/07/1971 till:30/06/1972 color:pno #start and end guess from discography
 bar:John Harrop from:01/07/1972 till:30/06/1973 color:pno #approximate dates from Derek Jones email
 bar:Stan Ivison from:01/07/1973 till:30/09/1975 color:pno #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Hugh Ledigo from:01/10/1975 till:30/06/1976 color:pno #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Peter Durrent from:01/07/1976 till:31/12/1979 color:pno #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Mike Holmes from:01/01/1980 till:12/03/1992 color:pno #start guess from discography
 bar:Mike Holmes from:01/01/1981 till:12/03/1992 color:vt width:3
 bar:Simon Townley from:13/03/1992 till:end color:pno #VERIFIED ST verbal
 bar:Simon Townley from:13/03/1992 till:04/04/2021 color:vt width:3

1. guitar / banjo

 bar:Bill Triggs from:start till:30/06/1971 color:gtr #end guess from discography
 bar:John Bright from:01/07/1971 till:30/09/1975 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Albert Sadler from:01/07/1971 till:31/12/1976 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography
 bar:John Barron from:01/01/1977 till:30/06/1987 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Peter Warren from:01/07/1987 till:30/09/1990 color:gtr #start guess from discography
 bar:Graham Roberts from:01/10/1990 till:01/08/1999 color:gtr #VERIFIED GR email
 bar:Andrew Kuc from:01/08/1999 till:01/01/2002 color:gtr
 bar:Tom 'Spats' Langham from:01/01/2002 till:01/09/2007 color:gtr
 bar:Graham Roberts from:01/09/2007 till:01/10/2013 color:gtr #VERIFIED GR email
 bar:Tom 'Spats' Langham from:01/01/2014 till:end color:gtr

1. bass / sousa

 bar:John Arthy from:start till:30/06/1997 color:bs #VERIFIED
 bar:David Berry from:01/07/1997 till:end color:bs #VERIFIED DB verbal

1. drums

 bar:Barry Tyler from:start till:31/12/1971 color:dr #end guess from discography
 bar:Derek Jones from:01/01/1972 till:31/12/1977 color:dr #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Stephen Foster from:01/01/1978 till:31/12/1978 color:dr #start and end guess from discography
 bar:Peter Coulcher from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/1979 color:dr #verbal from Robert Fowler and Tom Langham
 bar:John Sutton from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/2006 color:dr #start guess from discography
 bar:John Watson from:19/01/2006 till:16/12/2012 color:dr #VERIFIED JW email
 bar:John Sutton from:01/01/2013 till:28/01/2015 color:dr
 bar:Dominic Sales from:28/01/2015 till:end color:dr #VERIFIED DG band email

1. violin

 bar:Peter Beresford from:start till:31/12/1974 color:vln #end guess from discography
 bar:Barrie Williams from:01/01/1975 till:01/04/1977 color:vln #start and end guess from discography

1. sound

 bar:Simon Wingfield from:01/01/1986 till:31/12/1995 color:eng #dates suggested by Derek Jones
 bar:Thorsten Merriott from:01/12/1996 till:end color:eng #VERIFIED conversation with TM

</timeline>

Discography

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra

Vinyl

• The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (Transatlantic, 1974)
• Good News (Transatlantic, 1975)
• On Tour (Transatlantic 1976; live album recorded in Germany)
• Isn't It Romantic (Transatlantic, 1976)
• The Show Must Go On (Transatlantic, 1977)
• A Talking Picture (Transatlantic, 1978)
• Anthology (Transatlantic, 1978)
• Night Out (CBS, 1979)
• Crazy Words, Crazy Tunes (Aves Records & Tapes, 1982)
• Fifteen Years On (Metronome, 1984)

CDs

File:PASADENA ROOF ORCHESTRA.jpg

• Happy Feet (Pasadena Records, 1987; CD PRO 1)
• ...Steppin' Out (Pasadena Records, 1989; CD PRO 2; live album recorded in England)
• 42nd Street (Ditto, 1990; twin cassettes)
• Breakaway (Pasadena Records, 1991; CD PRO 3)
• The Collection (Castle Music UK; 1992)
• 25th Anniversary Album (Pasadena Records, 1993; CD PRO 4)
• Rhythm is our Business (Pasadena Records, 1996; CD PRO 5)
• The Best of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra: Lullaby of Broadway (Castle/Pulse, 1997)
• Home in Pasadena: Very Best of the Pasadena Roof Orchestra (Castle/Pulse, 1998)
• Swing That Music! (Pasadena Records, 1998; CD PRO 6)
• 30th Anniversary (Pasadena Records, 2001)
• Here & Now (Pasadena Records, 2002; CD PRO 7)
• Roots of Swing (Pasadena Records, 2008; CD PRO 8)
• Licensed To Swing (2011; CD PRO 9)
• The Christmas Album (2011; CD PRO 10)
• Ladies and Gentlemen (2013; Herzog Records) - features Laura Fygi on two tracks and Les Brünettes on two tracks
• Live from London (2016; Herzog Records)
• The Jubilee Collection (2018; Herzog Records) - 3 CD set - re-releases of The Show Must Go On (1977), On Tour (1976) and Ladies and Gentlemen (2013)
• Back on the Road (2021; Herzog Records)

Singles

• Pennies from Heaven/Back in Your Own Backyard (1978; 7" single)
• Paddlin' Madelin' Home/Nagasaki (Island; 7" single)
• Me and Jane in a Plane/Pasadena (Transatlantic; 7" single)
• Looney Tunes/Nobody's Sweetheart (Reward Records; 7" single)

The Pasadena Roof Orchestra and The Swing Sisters

• Take Me Back (Emporio 627, 1993)
• Sentimental Journey (MCI, 1993)

DVD releases

In 2003 the Pasadena Roof Orchestra released a DVD of the 30th Anniversary live concert at Regent's Park, London, with guests. This DVD is only available in Region 2 format.

This DVD is the first release to feature a double sided DVD which plays in colour and digital stereo on one side and in sepia-toned monochrome, with Phonograph style mono audio, on the other.

In August 2005 another DVD, Dance the Night Away appeared, but only in Region 1 format. This DVD was not sanctioned by the orchestra and was recorded from a 1979 German TV show.

Appearances

• The PRO has worked on the soundtracks of several films, including Just a Gigolo (1979) and Comedian Harmonists (1997).
• On 1 October 1975, the PRO appeared on the first episode of the second season of Twiggy, a BBC2 variety show hosted by the model Twiggy, with whom they performed Everything Stops for Tea.
• In 1992, the orchestra appeared in two six-part BBC Radio 2 half-hour comedy series entitled The Pasadenas' Almanac. The premise was that the orchestra played themselves, despite the series being set in the 1930s. Each series would feature the band travelling the world and foiling the plans of villains and evil masterminds, always finding the time to play some music too. Duncan Galloway took the fore, supported by traditional British radio actors and comedians such as June Whitfield and Roy Hudd.

See also

• The Temperance Seven
• Max Raabe & Palast Orchester

External links

• Pasadena Roof Orchestra official website
• James Langton interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' July 2010
• All releases of Pasadena Roof Orchestra