Verona Chard - vocalist

Verona was born in Bristol and raised in Bath, Somerset. Her first really lucky jazz break came in 2005 when Humphrey Lyttelton asked her to record a track perhaps aptly entitled ‘Jail Break’ for his ‘Sad Sweet Songs and Crazy Rhythms’ album. Verona met Humph through jazz pianist Ted Beament who years before had introduced her to Claire Martin with whom she still collaborates. Humph invited Verona to ‘sit-in’ at The Bull in Barnes and this experience inspired her to set up live jazz at Monty’s in The Mall W5 and subsequently Vamp Jazz, Blues and Live at Café Chai W5, which re-launched in October 2009 in addition to residencies at the Holiday Inn, Brentford and the Duke of Kent W13, Verona has performed at the Ealing Jazz Festival, The National Theatre; The Purcell Room – South Bank; Café Royal; The Green Room; The Spice of Life; Hugo’s and for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Arts. Touring and Festivals include Pizza Express, Norwich; The Brazz, Brighton; The Jazz Bar, Edinburgh; Sedbergh Literary Festival; The Bear, Devizes; Brighton Festival and the Edinburgh and Bath Festivals. She worked extensively in an ensemble called Sheherazade (with Denise Dance – flute, Fiona Clifton-Welker – harp) plus early Italian Opera, concerts and musicals both in the UK and abroad. Broadcast appearances include – Thames, Scottish, HTV, BBC 2, BBC London Radio, BBC Regional Radio, Liberty Radio and a Bollywood film.

Verona trained in London at the Royal Academy of Music and the Trinity College of Music with the assistance of awards from The Drapers’ Company, The Clara Thornley Trust, Bath Council, The Vanburgh Trust, RAC and friends and supporters. It was her plan from the age of five to become a professional singer and performer; she worked regularly with The Jane Lilley Singers and won numerous solo awards at local festivals. Her parents Betty & Ron embraced all styles of music and Saturday afternoons were spent, after Verona’s ballroom dancing and swimming lessons glued to ‘the box’, transported to some other place whilst watching musicals and epic movies.

Verona admires amongst others, Ella Fitzgerald, Norma Winstone, Julie Andrews, Harry Secombe, Mado Robin, Nina Simone, Irma Thomas, Barbra Streisand, Kurt Elling, Mark Murphy and contemporaries that it would be too sycophantic to name. She is vegetarian, collects jet jewellery, loves seahorses, enjoys travel and the outdoor life, lives near her mum and with her actor fiancé and Sloshed the goldfish in West London.

Her current ‘Fever’ album concept was inspired by Sir John Dankworth and the meteorically talented Dame Cleo Laine’s 1964 recording ‘Shakespeare and All That Jazz’. Music includes arrangements of songs by Elton John, Stephen Sondheim, Galt MacDermot, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart and a very original treatment of the iconic ‘Fever’ track.

Sheila Earl - vocalist

Tony Jumont - vocalist

Nicola Lambrianos - vocalist

Johnny Maxim - harmonica

Johnny Maxim has been a professional harmonica player and entertainer for over fifty years. He has played all the major theatres in the country with all the star names of the day.

Johnny came out of the navy in 1948 with the intention of getting married and getting a regular job, but somebody gave him a harmonica just before his twenty first birthday and he was hooked. "I had no musical knowledge but I really worked at being a good harmonica player, and by the time I was twenty five I had achieved 2nd place in the World Harmonica Championships in Duisburg, playing the classical overture 'The Dance of the Comedians'".

Johnny came home from Duisburg and entered showbiz. Initially he did a solo act, then formed harmonica trio 'The Chroma Trio', and finally finished with a family act 'The Musical Maxims', which consisted of his wife Kath, son John and daughter Sharon: they played harmonicas, melodicas, trumpets, trombone, saxophone, guitar, piano and vocals. In 1980 Johnny Maxim was made a member of the very prestigious showbiz fraternity 'The Grand Order Of Water Rats', whose membership never exceeds 180 at any one time.

Johnny is in his 80s now, but still loves playing, and still gets to play harmonica features and saxophone with several bands.

Nikki Page - vocalist

Neale Ridding - flute and saxophone

Neale started playing at 8 years of age on flute. He then started studying saxophones at the age of 11, and went on to study piano at 13. At this time he joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO). In 1975 Neale appeared in the film “Bugsy Malone” - look out for the fresh-faced saxophone player in Fat Sam's band! Since leaving school he has been a professional musician: playing on cruise ships, including the QE2 and Canberra; shows and pantomimes with Marti Caine and Des O’Connor amongst others; radio broadcasts for the BBC; accompanying cabaret artistes such as Bertice Reading and Linda Nolan; and playing with jazz artists including Alan Barnes, Don Rendell, Roy Williams, Janusz Carmello and Pete Jacobson. Neale is regarded as one of the finest jazz flautists around, as well as being a great jazz pianist and saxophonist.

Mike Sullivan - vocalist

Because I have asthma my parents started me on the clarinet at the age of 6 but I didn't enjoy the squeaks so changed to Piano and later Organ as well.

I played in lots of bands, writing my own songs, from the age of 15, all through university and then till I was 28 when my band "The Mark of Cain" wasn't really getting anywhere so I decided to take a break.

Alongside this I have also been an organist and choirmaster for various local parish choirs, an accompanist at times and taught piano once or twice.

Over the last 5 years I have begun singing with two great Big Bands -The Melvin Beddow Big Band and The Bryan Williamson Big Band, as well as Infusion and other smaller setups.

Aldevis Tibaldi - saxophone, flute, clarinet

I was born in Trieste, Italy, in 1968, where I attended classical studies at the Music Academy “G. Tartini”.
After several experiences in theatre and classic music, I developed a strong interest in jazz in 1985. In 1988 I took part as a stage musician in the Theatre Season of “Veneto Teatro”.

During 1990, I moved to Florence where I could work across a wider variety of music, ranging from jazz to ethnic, to rock and fusion. I had also started my career as a saxophone teacher at the Music Academy.

In 1992 I went to study saxophone with Maurizio Giammarco. During those years I also played with many bands and musicians including the Michael Allen Band, Franco Nesti’s “Grand Wazoo Orchestra”, Leonardo Pieri’s “Lo squalo giallo (The Yellow Shark), the acclaimed Italian jazz singer Barbara Casini. I also played baritone sax with the OFP Orchestra S.Lazzaro in Bologna, directed, amongst the others, by Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Steve Coleman and Bruno Tommaso. I have also been involved in gigs with Franco Oppini and Jerry Cala’, advertisement jingles and the resident band at the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia.

I have also played, arranged and produced several records, including a solo album, which was released in 1998 and obtained extremely favourable international reviews. As a composer and arranger I also work with the Gospel Choir “Jubilee Shouters”, directed by Gianna Grazzini.

In 1995 I obtained a MA in Political Studies at the University of Florence. During the last years, I have taken part in numerous studio sessions playing flute and trombone. Further I consistently work as a producer as well as a wide range of solo projects.

Paul Wood - vocalist

Paul was born in Romford, Essex in the late Sixties. He started singing at the age of 6 and by the time he reached 16 was working regularly as a semi-professional in cabaret as far afield as Great Yarmouth and Taunton in Somerset.

Paul has been billed in various London venues with many familiar names from television such as Barbara Windsor, The Batchelors, The Baron Knights, Richard Briers and Jim Davidson. Paul has also worked with some of Britain's leading musicians including the late Don Lusher, George Chisholm, Kenny Ball and Terry Lightfoot to name but a few. Amongst the list of venues at which Paul has performed are all the major hotels in London and other venues such as the Pizza on the Park, Pizza Express, Ronnie Scotts, Royal Festival Hall, Royal Ascot and the Albert Hall. Paul has also sung on local radio stations in the UK and Europe and has been interiewed on various telvision talk shows. He also performed a two-hour live radio broadcast at the film festival hall in Cannes, and successfully completed a sell-out tour called "A Salute to Frank Sinatra" all over France including Salle Playalle Theatre in Paris.

Paul has now completed over thirty European tours with a 20 piece orchestra which has taken him all over Europe and North Africa, and even to Texas USA where Paul performed four shows. One of the highlights of these tour included performing before Prince Ranier and Princess Caroline at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo. Paul also works with a number of orchestras including the Glenn Miller Memorial Orchestra, the BBC Big Band and the Sid Lawrence Orchestra, and is about to commence a tour with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.

Paul's expertise lies mainly with standard and jazz numbers,although he also peforms a wide repertoire of musical styles and techniques including popular songs and chart music. This combined with a very pleasant and engaging appoach makes him a very good, all-round entertainer. His polished performance has resulted from much hard work and effort and his wide experience over recent years.