About the dixie beats

Hello and welcome!

I’m John Percival, trumpeter and vocalist, and I have special permission from the band to say I am the leader. The Dixie Beats are a six piece Dixieland jazz band based in Bolton and performing mainly the North West of England with high musical standards and an emphasis on entertainment. We evolved from another highly successful band, the Bourbon Street Roof Raisers who performed at shows and events all over the country, appearing twice at the Royal Berkshire Show and travelling as far as Paderborn in Germany.

The Dixie Beats are a concert-focused band and we have three specific aims

To keep the genre current and relevant.
To find and encourage new, young talent.
To ensure that our audiences experience an inclusive performance and leave feeling happy and uplifted.

Dixieland (or “traditional jazz as it is sometimes called) has become a little bit lost, with many of the younger generation never having heard it played, yet, with its irresistible swing it is entertaining to musicians and non-musicians alike and particularly impressive when performed live. There are a few jazz clubs with loyal fans who work hard to keep the music alive and we want to support these. It is also fair to say that many jazz audiences, like many jazz musicians are “of a certain age”, and with our entertaining style we hope to find some new fans. So if you are a jazz club looking for a hot band or if you are looking for an entertaining band for an event, party or music venue we fit the bill.

We also want to encourage young musicians who are interested in playing Dixieland jazz. We meet at least once a week to practise and have an open-door policy to capable musicians who want to come along, listen and/or sit in. We hope to find people who will start off as associates of the band, jamming with us and performing occasionally on gigs, and, in the longer term perhaps become part of the band’s future. We have been joined by some terrific musicians and it is very rewarding to find talented players as young as sixteen who will hopefully carry the music forward. So if you are interested, don’t be shy, get in touch. We will be delighted to meet you.

Well, that’s enough from me, other than to say our one overall aim is to make sure that we and our audiences always have fun. Please explore the website – it will tell you all about us and our associates and how to get in touch. Hope to see you some time.

Now: from the top, B flat…

Music

As a Dixieland band we play a variety of classic jazz and blues tunes but we also cast the occasional line in other directions with the odd more mainstream number, a dip or two in the Great American Songbook and even some of our own compositions. At all times the emphasis is on entertainment – it is very important to us that our audience has a good time.

Associate Members

Our policy of inviting new musicians to play has yielded spectacular results with outstanding players joining us from a variety of musical backgrounds; not just jazz but rock, R&B and classical musicians who are also interested in jazz. This has helped to bring a freshness and energy which helps maintain the band’s vitality.