







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.
Wednesday, January 01, 2020
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
New Orleans Jazz Funeral
1198 Falcon Drive, Coquitlam
King of Life Lutheran Church
Tuesday February 25 , 2020
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Private Event
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.
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.
Trombone and trumpet
Mike has been around the local music scene for a fair number of years playing in a variety of groups. From Concert Bands to Pit Orchestras and Big Band, Mike plays a wide range of styles with a great love for music. Mike first joined up with the band as part of his rehabilitation after a horrible accident involving a circus clown and a female contortionist. We can provide no details as his wife "just doesn't want to hear about it!"
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.
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.
This is one of our favorite instrumentals. It's a happy number and those babies can really dance.
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.
"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."
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 me, 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
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.
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
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
Chilliwack
TBD, 2020
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
9460 Charles St. Chilliwack
Christ Lutheran Church
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
kevin@creolejazzband.com
Vancouver, BC Canada
604-941-6764