Midnite Follies Orchestra was formed in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in 1978, by

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musicians Keith Nichols and Alan Cohen, dedicated to recreating standards by some of early jazz musicians. The orchestra more or less disbanded in the 1990s. The Midnite Follies Orchestra had showcased a variety of musicians over the years, including Nick Stevenson,

Digby Fairweather Richard John Charles "Digby" Fairweather (born 25 April 1946) is a British jazz trumpeter, author and broadcaster. Biography Before becoming a professional musician, Fairweather was a librarian and has retained an interest in jazz bibliography ...

Alan Elsdon Alan Elsdon (15 October 1934 – 2 May 2016) was an English jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist. Biography Elsdon was born in London on 15 October 1934. He studied trumpet under Tommy McQuater. His early professional work included time with Cy Lau ...

, Dave Savill, Laurie Chescoe, Keith Greville, Randolph Colville, Olaf Vas, Mac White,

Will Hastie Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...

, Gordon Blundy and Peter Strange. During the orchestra's active years, it was often featured on

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

Background

The group was put together by Keith Nichols with co-leader Alan Cohen. They played the music or Harlem that was previously performed by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

and

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

. They were the only group in Europe that specialized in the music of Duke Ellington. Members Laurie Chescoe and Will Hastie had been members of Eric Allandale's New Orleans Knights band in the early 1960s.

Career

1970s

It was mentioned in the 25 March 1978 issue of ''Music Week'' that Midnite Follies Orchestra had signed to the MOR division of

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

. James Hamilton gave a short review on their single "No Strings". He said that it was "Really useful ‘30s-style Pasadena-type MoR quickstepper, lovely and jolly". He also said that it was for old folks. "No Strings" was getting airplay on Radio 210 in Thames Valley for the week of 14 October 1978. Along with Max Collie's Rhythm Aces and Monty Sunshine, the ensemble played at the Hot Jazz Spectacular, Fairfield Halls in 1979. In August that year the group having appeared some time back at the White Rock and performing well was appearing at the Winter Gardens in Eastbourne.

1980s

On 23 May 1982, the ensemble was to appear with jazz singer Adelaide Hall in her debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The event was a Duke Ellington anniversary concert. The group were set to give their Duke Ellington tribute performance on Friday 25 May 1984. In 1989 the ensemble played at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Later years

Keith Nichols died on January 20, 2021. A tribute to Keith Nichols had been organized for Wed 20 Sep 2023 at the Main club. Participating musicians include, Johnny M. on vocals, Mike Henry, Enrico Tomasso, and Pete Rudeforth on trumpets, Alistair Allan, and Andy Flaxman on trombones, Michael McQuaid, Robert Fowler, and David Horniblow on saxophones. The rhythm section includes, Martin Litton on piano, Thomas "Spats" Langham on sousaphone, Graham Read on double bass and Richard Pite on drums.

Discography

Single

* "No Strings" / "

Minnie the Moocher "Minnie the Moocher" is a jazz song co-written by American musician Cab Calloway and first recorded in 1931 by Calloway and his big band orchestra, selling over a million copies. "Minnie the Moocher" is famous for its nonsensical ad libbed ly ...

" -

, Odeon ODO 101 - 1978

Albums

*''Hotter Than Hades'' - EMI, Odeon ODN 1001 - 1978 *''Jungle Nights in Harlem'' - ASV ALA 3002 - 1981Music Metason
ArtistInfo, The Midnite Follies Orchestra Discography
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References

External links

* Discogs
The Midnite Follies Orchestra
{{Authority control British jazz musicians Musical groups established in 1978