Contact Big Buzzard: email: asw@bigbuzzard.co.uk tel: 07980 680052 (outside UK: +44 7980 680052) Visit our Myspace page at: www.myspace.com/bigbuzzard

On this site: Big Buzzard Biography Big Buzzard Brass Music available as MP3s for download Reviews Picture Gallery Big Buzzard and its audience The Honkin' Hep Cats Links

This is the official online home of Big Buzzard. Sometimes we're a big band, playing music with as high a swing factor as we can muster. We also play music that could be described as jazz, funk, and soul with some spicy latin flavours in the mix too from a mambo to a bit of Cubano Chant. We do our own arrangements of a few tunes you might already know, and we perform our own material, which is superb! Do have a listen here. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but we're serious enough to have played at Buckingham Palace, or to accompany choral evensong on Radio 3. We've joined up with a great choir to perform Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert. Sometimes we're known as the Big Buzzard Boogie Band, sometimes just a concise Big Buzzard. We're available for festivals and events wherever they may be. If you'd like to know more, read our biography or send us an email. Free MP3 downloads of some Big Buzzard music, recorded LIVE in The Famous Spiegeltent. Carbon Neutral Live Music - Big Buzzard Brass For indoors/outdoors, on a boat, festivals, parties - a totally acoustic lineup, that still packs a funky punch We're acutely conscious of the fact that everyone should be trying to reduce their consumption of the earth's natural resources as much as possible. As it happens, that coincides with a style of music that we also love to play. Think of a New Orleans Funeral Band, mixed with some of the subtle ensemble harmonies of the Gerry Mulligan Sextet and that gives an idea of what we're into with this incarnation of the Big Buzzard band. More about the Big Buzzard Brass...

Past events The band appears regularly in various incarnations. Here are a few highlights over the years... 2009 On 12 March, 2009, The Andy Williamson Buzztet went to Bristol to record a jazz version of Songs of Praise, for BBC1. The band featured Zoe Rahman on piano, Charlie Stratford on drums, Dan Farrant on bass and Ben Cummings on trumpet and flugelhorn. Ned Bennett managed to create a wonderfully fresh arrangement of one of the oldest tunes in the book, 'O When the Saints". Andy chose a tune he'd first heard Eric Bibb perform in the tiny Ain't Nothin' But... THe programme was broadcast on Sunday 3 May. 2008 Bewdley Festival with Scott Stroman The Andy Williamson Buzztet returned to bewdley to perform Scott Stroman's Jazz Mass on Sunday morning with the choir of St Anne's Church as part of their festival service. As Scott was busy at another concert, Andy spent the previous day with pianist Robin Holloway in Bewdley rehearsing the choir. Scott arrived on Sunday morning to direct the choir and the band. 2007 Duke Ellington Sacred Concert, Bristol 24 Feb 2007 The Big Buzzard band joined with the Exultate Singers of Bristol to perform this wonderful music by Duke Ellington, with it's theme of 'Freedom' to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery. The concert featured the exquisite talents of Jacqui Dankworth (left) on vocals, and Zoe Rahman (right) on piano. 2006 "I'm a Believer" - Trafalgar Square On 3 & 4 March 2006, the Big Buzzard Horns performed in Trafalgar Square as part of a piece of performance art by Reza Aramesh. He based it on the Changing of the Guard ceremony, with the soldiers replaced by a group of 2nd generation immigrants to the UK. 2005 The Andy Williamson Buzztet and Jonathan Cairney appeared for two nights at London's Pizza on The Park. 2004 Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert, Radio 4 Thursday 20th May 2004 - Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert live on BBC Radio 4 The Big Buzzard Boogie Band expanded to 18 musicians, and were joined by the Exultate Singers and members of the BBC Daily Service singers for the broadcast, live from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The Buzzards at the Famous Spiegeltent The Big Buzzard Boogie Band returned to one o the most amazing venues in the world, the 'Famous Spiegeltent' for performances at the Brighton Festival during May, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe during August. Here's a snatch of one of the performances: 2002 Prom at the Palace On Saturday 1 June 2002, the Big Buzzard Boogie Band were among the performers at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's Golden Jubilee Celebrations.