UPCOMING SHOWS VIDEOS ABOUT US FAKE BOOKS AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL REVIEWS CONTACT US

The Creole Jazz Band is a 5 piece ensemble that recreates the unique Dixieland music of New Orleans in the first quarter of the 20th century.  We bring you that joyous Early Jazz music which was influenced by the Marches, Spirituals, and Ragtime music of that era.  Our arrangements are true to the ensemble format found in the music of legends like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton as well as numerous other pioneers of Jazz. We also feature the music of the swing era as well as Latin music and waltzes.

Our music is perfect for events with themes such as Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Prohibition Era, Roaring 20's, as well as any event where you want some fun music. 

Funerals - we are also available to play at a funeral for your loved one. We can swing the old-time hymns as well as speed them up and have a joyous send off. Feel free to contact us and ask questions to see if we can work with what you envision.


The Creole Jazz Band
 The band that couldn't wait for success, so they went ahead without it.

ABOUT US

 

KEVIN YEATES

Cornet and bad jokes  

Kevin has played a variety of musical styles over the years. They all had in common the joyous sound that is the nature of Dixieland Jazz. From playing banjo in bluegrass bands, trumpet in big bands or cornet in Dixie, it's all music and it's all fun. Kevin and Scott work together to create the unique arrangements of the music the band plays. Kevin spends most of his spare time trying to find his inner child. His wife, and the band, wish he would spend more time trying to find his inner adult.
 

 

Scott Sproxton

Clarinet and Sax

Scott plays with numerous groups in the local music scene. His skills as a multi-instrumentalist are second to none. Scott also arranges many of the band’s tunes. His work as a clinical psychologist is responsible for the group coming together as we all met during his group therapy sessions.



Mike Lord 

Trombone and trumpet

Mike had his first pro gig at age 16 with a Rock 'n' Roll Revival Act.  His fortunes changed when he was asked to join a trad jazz group which was one of the precursors to Vancouver's Hot Jazz Society. There he was lucky enough to play this style of music with visiting artists Wingy Manone,  Joe Darensbourg and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. During a "gap year" he toured with Bobby Curtola in the mid 70's. He's newly retired from 42 years of teaching beginner school band, so he appreciates the opportunity to keep playing and learning with the Creole Jazz Band!

 

Ken Steele

Tuba


Ken is still trying to come up with something for his bio that (1) can be written in the public forum and (2) is somewhat believable. Apparently the truth of his life meets neither of these criteria. We’ll let you know once he comes up with something.

 

Banjo

Whoever we can find who is foolish enough to play with us.  

uPcoMing shows


March 2020 - ????? 

COVID has shut things down for a bit.

 

Videos

The Spirit of New Orleans

This song was written by Mike Lord, our trombone player. It is a wonderful piece with lyrics that speak for all of us in the band. 

Symphonic Raps

This is one of our favorite instrumentals. It's a happy number and those babies can really dance.

When You're Smilin'

This is a live video of us performing in Whistler, BC in the summer of 2018. As you can see, the music is so much fun that people walking by were stopping to dance.

client reviews

If you want some references we will gladly provide them upon request. In the mean time you can enjoy the following in order to get a flavour of our band.


  "The Creole Jazz Band makes the Vancouver Symphony sound like an orchestra!"           

   Bramwell T.  Vancouver 

"I’ve heard many Dixie bands in my life, and the Creole Jazz Band is definitely one of them!"    

WYNTON M. 

WASHINGTON, D.C.

"This is the first time I’ve had something Creole that didn’t leave my mouth burning."     

 

Emeril L-  New Orleans

 

THE MARDI GRAS SHOW

Each year we do a show near Mardi Gras. It involves 2 hours of music, stories, videos, and jokes. It is a family event with all aspects being suitable for all ages. You will hear some classic traditional jazz tunes from New Orleans as well as a few others that have stood the test of time.

There is a pre-show video that will start running about 10 minutes prior to show time. It will introduce you to the band, and hopefully entertain you.

Our next Mardi Gras shows are scheduled as follows:

Coquitlam

TBD, 2020

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

1198 Falcon Drive, Coquitlam, BC

King of Life Lutheran Church at the corner of Falcon Drive and Guildford Way

Buy Tickets

Chilliwack

TBD, 2020

2:00 pm - 4:00 pm

9460 Charles St. Chilliwack

Christ Lutheran Church

Buy Tickets

New Orleans Jazz Funeral

All are welcome at this free family-friendly event. Have a little fun, "lay down" your regrets or worries, reflect on the past year, and get a fresh start on 2020 while The Creole Jazz Band swings those old-time hymns.

At the midway point in the funeral those attending have an opportunity to jot on a piece of paper – which is kept private - some of the things they would like to bury with the old year. Just as a deceased loved one is placed in a coffin for burial, the cares of the old year may be written down privately and then placed into a “coffin” representative of the old year. It may be something they wish they had done, but didn’t do, or something they did, and wish they hadn’t. They then bring that piece of paper to the ‘coffin’ at the front of the church and deposit it within. The band plays a slow hymn as this takes place.

These papers are ceremonially “cremated” to reinforce letting go of the old concerns. After the “burial” of the old year and its cares, the participants are then free to greet the New Year and all its possibilities. As the funeral breaks into the celebratory part of the service, all the hymns are upbeat.


Wednesday January 01, 2020

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

King of Life Lutheran Church
1198 Falcon Dr, Coquitlam

Sunday, January 05, 2020

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Christ Lutheran Church

9460 Charles St, Chilliwack, BC


CONTACT US

Want to learn more or hire us for your event? YOu can use the email address below or use the box on the right of this one.

kevin@creolejazzband.com

Vancouver, BC  Canada

604-941-6764

Fake Books and

Educational Material



FAKE BOOKS

These Fake Books are offered at no charge. Please enjoy them and share them as you

see fit.   Rather than selling these and having someone pay us, we are asking

that instead you "pay it forward".

For those of you who don't know the concept of paying it forward, here

is a quote from the movie  of the same name which explains the concept.

 "You see, I do something real good

for three people. And then when they ask how much they can pay it back,

I say they have to Pay It Forward to three more people. So nine people get helped.

Then those people have to do twenty-seven".

 

Please be sure to advise us of any errors in them so we can fix them.

 We are pleased to say that the latest version includes and interactive index! If you open the fake book 

on any computer or tablet, you can simply click/tap on the name of the tune in the index,

and it will automatically jump to that tune.


Be sure to check out

www.simplyearlyjazz.com

 Scott, our clarinet player has fabulous charts there for incredibly low prices.

He also has superb transcriptions of old recordings.

You can even get some of our own arrangements there under the folder "The Creole Jazz Band"


The Creole Jazz Band Fake Book ver 3.1 can be found at www.simplyearlyjazz.com
Click on the "Freebies" when you get to the site.


Educational material

Introduction to Playing Early Jazz

You can also access a wonderful educational publication, Introduction to Playing Early Jazz,

written by Rick Campell of Tigard, Oregon. Rick created this book for workshops being provided by 

the Portland Dixieland Jazz Society. He is a man of many talents, one of them being 

his ability to consolidate so much valuable information into one book.

You can download the book at  

https://www.portlanddixielandjazzsociety.com/education