Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

Jools Holland & his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra

featuring GILSON LAVIS, and guest vocalists
RUBY TURNER & LOUISE MARSHALL......

THE UK’S most popular pianist and bandleader JOOLS HOLLAND and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra featuring the wonderful RUBY TURNER promise an outstanding night of entertainment in New Zealand in March.

These legendary acts will perform at Auckland’s Aotea Centre on
Tuesday, March 18.

Tickets are on sale at Ticketek from Saturday.

Jools must hold the record for making more music programmes for TV than any other host: The Tube, made in Newcastle; four series of Night Music, made in New York; three series of The Happening, filmed at London's Astoria Theatre; two series of Name That Tune, filmed in Leeds; twenty-nine series of Later...; fourteen Hootenanny shows; and one series of Beat Route, filmed all over the world.

Although Squeeze sold millions of records, the most successful record Jools ever played on was Good Thing by The Fine Young Cannibals, which reached Number One in seventeen countries. Jools was paid the statutory session fee of £150.

Jools provided a headstone for the grave of blues legend Jimmy Yancey in Chicago.

At the G8 Conference in Holland, Jools and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra performed All You Need is Love for the leaders of the western world. On hearing the trumpet introduction, Jacques Chirac mistook it for the opening of the French national anthem and stood up.

Out of courtesy Mr Blair, Mr Clinton, and Mr Yeltsin also stood.

Once they realised it was The Beatles' song, and to avoid an international incident, they carried on dancing. After the performance, Bill Clinton spent half an hour with the brass section – talking about saxophones.

Jools Holland is the most popular pianist and bandleader in the United Kingdom.

The first recording session Jools ever played on was in 1976, for the punk band Wayne County and the Electric Chairs (Wayne later had a sex change and became Jayne).

Jools has worked with the same drummer for more than 25 years – Gilson Lavis.

When legendary blues pianist Dr. John switched to playing the guitar for a track on his live record there was only one man that he asked to take his seat at the piano – Jools Holland.

Jools holds the unique status of performing with musicians who have achieved success in every decade of the 20th Century.

Jools Holland, OBE was born Julian Miles Holland on January 24, 1958 in Blackheath, South East London.

At the age of eight, he could play the piano fluently by ear, and by the time he reached his early teens he was proficient and confident enough to be appearing regularly in many of the pubs in South East London and the East End Docks.

At the age of 15, Jools was introduced to Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford; together they formed Squeeze, and shortly afterwards they were joined by Gilson Lavis (who had already played with, among others, BB King, Chuck Berry, and Max Wall) – who still drums with Jools.

Up The Junction and Cool For Cats made Squeeze's success meteoric and their popularity rapidly extended to America, where their stadium tour included performances at Madison Square Garden.

In 1987, Jools formed The Jools Holland Big Band – comprising himself and Gilson Lavis. This has gradually metamorphosed into the current 18-piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, which consists of one pianist, one drummer, two female vocals, one guitar, one bass guitar, two tenor saxophones, two alto saxophones, one baritone saxophone, three trumpets, and four trombones.

Jools and the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra now plays an average of 100 live shows each year, touring the UK and Europe to audiences in excess of 500,000.

As well as the formidable live performances, Jools has maintained a prolific recording career since signing to Warners in 1996 and has sold millions of albums.

RUBY TURNER

"Truly the genuine article and blessed with a voice that has been likened to Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin, Ruby can breathe life and meaning into a song whether it is a passionate soaring ballad or a soulful up-tempo groove"
{The Guardian}

Ruby Turner was born in Jamaica where she lived until the age of 9, when she moved to Birmingham. Her career to date has always had unexpected twists and turns but with major tours, TV and theatre appearances, and a new Album just out, the future continues to look positive.

Her major break came in the mid 1980's, when she was asked to join 'Culture Club' at the height of their stardom. Ruby very quickly learned how to deal with the routine of gruelling tour schedules and living out of a suit case. An offer of a solo record deal closely followed and she soon signed to Jive Records, part of the Zomba Group. Four albums & the 'Best of Ruby Turner' compilation album were all released to critical acclaim over the next few years.

ENDS

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