Alex Mendham (born 13 September 1989 in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England) is an English singer, saxophonist, and bandleader. He is best known as the founder and leader of Alex Mendham & His Orchestra. Founding his orchestra in 2010, Mendham, who has been described as ''a very classic British gentleman with a flawless and sophisticated attire'', has risen to become Britain's premier bandleader recreating the glamorous, romantic music of the 1920s and 1930s by replicating the authentic aura of every song using careful arrangements and instruments from the era. Performing in elegant attire from the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

era, Alex and his Orchestra performed as the house band at London's luxurious Savoy Hotel, is frequently featured on BBC Radio and appeared on stage to sell out audiences in the UK, Europe and USA. He has been featured on the BBC and in journals including Forbes. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the livelihoods of musicians, Mendham signed to

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American Decca's president. ...

for a project celebrating the career of Dame Vera Lynn, entitled ''Keep Smiling Through'' and recorded his uplifting compilation of hot jazz standards and romantic songs, ''Puttin' on the Ritz''.

Discography

* ''Whistling in the Dark'' (2013) * ''Jazznocracy'' (2015) * '' On With The Show'' (2017) *Puttin' on the Ritz (2020) Mendham launched a

Kickstarter Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of July 2021, K ...

Campaign to fund his 2020 album exceeding his £7,000 goal with £11,120 pledged by 158 backers. Recording of the album and a series of concerts aboard

Cunard Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Ber ...

Queen Mary 2 RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' (also referred to as the ''QM2'') is a British transatlantic crossing, transatlantic ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of Cunard Line since succeeding ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' in 2004. As of 2022, ''Queen Mary 2'' ...

on a transatlantic crossing to New York City was interrupted by the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

pandemic. However, when lock down restrictions were temporarily eased in the UK, Mendham succeeded in assembling the orchestra and recording the album.

References

External links

Alex Mendham & His Orchestra's home page
*https://vimeo.com/alexmendhamorchestra *https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07h6qlg *https://syncopatedtimes.com/alex-mendham-and-the-classic-british-dance-band/ 1989 births Living people Big band bandleaders English male singers English jazz saxophonists {{England-musician-stub