| The Pasadena Roof Orchestra | |
| Alias: | PRO |
| Origin: | London, England |
| Years Active: | 1969–present |
| Label: | Currently Pasadena Records, originally Transatlantic |
| Website: | https://www.pasadena-ro.com |
| Background: | classical_ensemble |
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (PRO) is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider.[1] The orchestra has existed since 1969, although the line-up has frequently changed. It has achieved success outside the United Kingdom, most notably in Germany.
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra was so named in November 1969 by John Arthy, a baker who played the double bass and sousaphone,[1] and who had taken over the Creole Dance Orchestra (first formed in 1965) in which he played bass and sousaphone, from Chris Macdonald, its founder. Arthy purchased a cache of original musical arrangements dating from the 1920s stored in the attic of a lady in Manchester, and the strength of this find reinvigorated the flagging fortunes of the earlier band. The new name of the band was inspired by Harry Warren's "Home in Pasadena". There had been a strong revival movement for music of the 1920s in the late 1950s and early 1960s (known as the Trad movement – bands included The Temperance Seven); however, Arthy continued to move this band in a different direction to most of the revivalists, away from humour and towards more serious, dedicated renditions of the music.[1] The orchestra's first vocalist was John "Pazz" Parry, an old friend of Arthy's (the two had both been members of the Creole Dance Orchestra from 1965). With the injection of the new arrangements, Arthy as Bandleader, also performing on the double bass and sousaphone, the PRO soon grew in popularity.
The orchestra became professional in 1975. Their first LP for Transatlantic was recorded in August 1974 and released in December of that year, premiering at the Midem music fair in Cannes in 1975. The orchestra followed this by touring West Germany (where the revival movement was incredibly popular) in the Autumn of that year.
The orchestra toured the United States in 1993 and 2001 (their 25th Anniversary album cover featured a photo of the band in front of the Santa Fe train station in Pasadena, California).
They have worked with musicians including Robbie Williams (in 2005) and Bryan Ferry (in 2000).
Although John Arthy retired in 1997, the band continues to tour extensively and record with bandleader and singer Duncan Galloway. In 2009, the orchestra toured Great Britain and Germany.
Whilst literally hundreds of the UK's finest jazz musicians have on occasion performed with the Orchestra, this is a timeline of the regular members.
Colors = id:voc value:red legend:Vocals id:vt value:yelloworange legend:Vocal_Trio id:alt1 value:lightpurple legend:Alto_1_/_Clar._/_Bari. id:alt2 value:purple legend:Alto_2_/_Clar. id:ten value:magenta legend:Tenor_/_Clar. id:tpt1 value:oceanblue legend:Trumpet_1 id:tpt2 value:blue legend:Trumpet_2 id:tbn value:darkblue legend:Trombone id:pno value:teal legend:Piano id:gtr value:kelleygreen legend:Guitar_/_Banjo id:bs value:redorange legend:Bass_/_Sousa id:dr value:claret legend:Drums id:vln value:tan2 legend:Violin id:eng value:gray(0.3) legend:Sound_Eng. id:rec value:black legend:Recording
LineData = layer:back width:0.5 frompos:120 tillpos:1300
at:07/05/1972 #Stomp Records ROBB 008 at:25/08/1974 #Transatlantic TRA286, BIG521 and Metronome 0900.091 at:01/10/1974 #Transatlantic BIG521, TEP1 at:01/05/1975 #Transatlantic TRA 301 and Metronome 0900.091 at:05/12/1975 #Transatlantic TRA314 and Metronome 0064.018 at:01/09/1976 #Transatlantic TRA335 at:21/09/1976 #Transatlantic TEP1 at:15/07/1977 #Metronome 0064.010 at:01/04/1978 #CBS 82751 at:12/09/1978 #Metronome 0030.304 at:01/12/1978 #CBS 83220 at:01/07/1979 #Metronome 0900.179 at:01/07/1980 #Metronome 0030.304 at:22/08/1981 #Aves/Intercord 146.540 at:01/06/1983 #Reward Records FW39135 at:27/07/1984 #Pasadena Records ARC-1018 at:11/09/1986 #CD PRO 1 at:01/08/1988 #Polydor CD LP Cass at:28/06/1989 #CD PRO 2 Live at Salisbury Playhouse at:16/05/1991 #CD PRO 3 at:05/11/1992 #Kavan Records CD81911 Copenhagen at:26/11/1992 #Kavan VHS9356 Live at Falconer Theatre with Swing Sisters at:01/11/1993 #CD PRO 4 and Kavan Records CD81353 at:01/05/1996 #CD PRO 5 at:30/07/1998 #CD PRO 6 at:22/08/1999 #DVD PRO Live in Regents Park at:28/03/2002 #CD PRO 7 at:06/11/2007 #CD PRO 8 at:26/02/2010 #Licensed to Swing at:10/03/2011 #Christmas Album at:20/06/2013 #Ladies and Gentlemen at:08/05/2016 #Live in London at:01/01/2021 #Back on the Road - actual date TBC
PlotData = width:15 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from
bar:John 'Pazz' Parry from:start till:31/12/1978 color:voc #end guess from discography bar:Robin Merrill from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/1988 color:voc #start and end guess from discography bar:Duncan Galloway from:01/01/1989 till:31/12/1994 color:voc #start and end guess from discography bar:James Langton from:01/01/1995 till:31/12/2001 color:voc #start and end guess from discography bar:Duncan Galloway from:01/01/2002 till:end color:voc #start guess from discography bar:Louise Cookman from:01/02/2002 till:01/02/2008 color:voc #VERIFIED LC email
bar:Josephine Gurr from:start till:31/03/1972 color:alt1 #end guess from Chris Macdonald's History of the Creole Dance Orchestra / PRO bar:Andrew Pummell from:01/04/1972 till:30/06/1997 color:alt1 #end guess from discography bar:Nicholas Payton from:01/07/1997 till:31/12/2002 color:alt1 #start and end guess from discography bar:Steve Kaldestad from:01/01/2003 till:31/12/2007 color:alt1 #start guess from discography bar:Robert Fowler from:01/01/2008 till:end color:alt1 #VERIFIED RF verbal
bar:Ken Hughes from:start till:30/09/1975 color:alt2 #end guess from discography bar:Mac White from:01/10/1975 till:23/09/1981 color:alt2 #start guess from discography bar:Alan Barnes from:24/09/1981 till:23/01/1983 color:alt2 #VERIFIED AB email (dates from diary) bar:Keith Gemmell from:24/01/1983 till:30/06/1996 color:alt2 bar:Keith Gemmell from:01/01/1984 till:30/06/1996 color:vt width:3 bar:Paul Jones from:01/10/1999 till:30/09/2003 color:alt2 #start verified PJ email, end guess from discography bar:Dai Pritchard from:01/04/2004 till:end color:alt2 #VERIFIED DP email
bar:Chris Macdonald from:start till:31/08/1974 color:ten #VERIFIED CM (from History of the Creole Dance Orchestra / PRO) bar:Clive Payne from:01/09/1974 till:30/09/1975 color:ten #end guess from discography bar:Frank White from:01/10/1975 till:31/12/1984 color:ten #start and end guess from discography bar:Howard Turner from:01/01/1985 till:31/07/1986 color:ten #start guess from discography bar:Robert Fowler from:01/08/1986 till:30/06/1996 color:ten #VERIFIED RF verbal bar:Keith Gemmell from:01/07/1996 till:31/12/1997 color:ten #end guess from discography bar:James Scannell from:01/01/1998 till:31/08/2001 color:ten #start guess from discography bar:Oliver Wilby from:01/09/2001 till:end color:ten #VERIFIED OW verbal
bar:Tony Cooke from:start till:30/11/1974 color:tpt1 #end guess from discography bar:Derek Wood from:01/01/1975 till:30/06/1975 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography bar:Jeff Evans from:01/07/1975 till:30/06/1976 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography bar:Clive Baker from:01/07/1976 till:31/12/1983 color:tpt1 #start and end guess from discography bar:Clive Baker from:01/01/1981 till:31/12/1983 color:vt width:3 bar:Mike 'Magic' Henry from:01/01/1984 till:31/12/1990 color:tpt1 #VERIFIED MH email (Dec 1990 is a guess) bar:Malcolm Baxter from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1995 color:tpt1 #DF suggests until 1995 bar:David Ford from:01/01/1995 till:end color:tpt1 #VERIFIED DF email
bar:Jake Spalding from:start till:30/06/1972 color:tpt2 bar:Mike Durston from:01/07/1972 till:30/06/1973 color:tpt2 #approximate dates from Derek Jones email bar:David Manning from:01/07/1973 till:31/12/1974 color:tpt2 #start and end guess from discography bar:George Burt from:01/01/1975 till:30/04/1976 color:tpt2 #start and end guess from discography bar:John Malam from:01/05/1976 till:30/09/1978 color:tpt2 #start guess from discography bar:Mike 'Magic' Henry from:01/10/1978 till:01/01/1984 color:tpt2 #VERIFIED MH email note 1984 same date as Rico joined bar:Enrico Tomasso from:01/01/1984 till:31/12/1994 color:tpt2 #end guess from discography bar:Danny Hammerton from:01/01/1995 till:01/03/2003 color:tpt2 #DF suggests from 1995 DG suggests until 03/2003 bar:Ben Cummings from:05/04/2005 till:15/03/2009 color:tpt2 #VERIFIED BC email (dates from diary) bar:Malcolm Baxter from:16/03/2009 till:end color:tpt2 #VERIFIED
bar:Bob Renvoize from:start till:31/12/1987 color:tbn #end guess from discography bar:Steve Shaw from:01/01/1988 till:01/01/2010 color:tbn #start guess from discography bar:Steve Shaw from:01/07/1996 till:01/01/2010 color:vt width:3 bar:Andy Hillier from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2010 color:tbn bar:Andy Hillier from:01/01/2010 till:31/12/2010 color:vt width:3 bar:Adrian Fry from:01/03/2011 till:04/04/2021 color:tbn #VERIFIED DG band email bar:Adrian Fry from:01/03/2011 till:04/04/2021 color:vt width:3 #VERIFIED AF verbal bar:Rory Ingham from:01/01/2022 till:end color:tbn #VERIFIED DG email
bar:Mike Baskerville from:start till:30/06/1971 color:pno #end guess from discography bar:Tom Colbert from:01/07/1971 till:30/06/1972 color:pno #start and end guess from discography bar:John Harrop from:01/07/1972 till:30/06/1973 color:pno #approximate dates from Derek Jones email bar:Stan Ivison from:01/07/1973 till:30/09/1975 color:pno #start and end guess from discography bar:Hugh Ledigo from:01/10/1975 till:30/06/1976 color:pno #start and end guess from discography bar:Peter Durrent from:01/07/1976 till:31/12/1979 color:pno #start and end guess from discography bar:Mike Holmes from:01/01/1980 till:12/03/1992 color:pno #start guess from discography bar:Mike Holmes from:01/01/1981 till:12/03/1992 color:vt width:3 bar:Simon Townley from:13/03/1992 till:end color:pno #VERIFIED ST verbal bar:Simon Townley from:13/03/1992 till:end color:vt width:3
bar:Bill Triggs from:start till:30/06/1971 color:gtr #end guess from discography bar:John Bright from:01/07/1971 till:30/09/1975 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography bar:Albert Sadler from:01/07/1971 till:31/12/1976 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography bar:John Barron from:01/01/1977 till:30/06/1987 color:gtr #start and end guess from discography bar:Peter Warren from:01/07/1987 till:30/09/1990 color:gtr #start guess from discography bar:Graham Roberts from:01/10/1990 till:01/08/1999 color:gtr #VERIFIED GR email bar:Andrew Kuc from:01/08/1999 till:01/01/2002 color:gtr bar:Tom 'Spats' Langham from:01/01/2002 till:01/09/2007 color:gtr bar:Graham Roberts from:01/09/2007 till:01/10/2013 color:gtr #VERIFIED GR email bar:Tom 'Spats' Langham from:01/01/2014 till:end color:gtr
bar:John Arthy from:start till:30/06/1997 color:bs #VERIFIED bar:David Berry from:01/07/1997 till:end color:bs #VERIFIED DB verbal
bar:Barry Tyler from:start till:31/12/1971 color:dr #end guess from discography bar:Derek Jones from:01/01/1972 till:31/12/1977 color:dr #start and end guess from discography bar:Stephen Foster from:01/01/1978 till:31/12/1978 color:dr #start and end guess from discography bar:Peter Coulcher from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/1979 color:dr #verbal from Robert Fowler and Tom Langham bar:John Sutton from:01/01/1980 till:01/01/2006 color:dr #start guess from discography bar:John Watson from:19/01/2006 till:16/12/2012 color:dr #VERIFIED JW email bar:John Sutton from:01/01/2013 till:28/01/2015 color:dr bar:Dominic Sales from:28/01/2015 till:end color:dr #VERIFIED DG band email
bar:Peter Beresford from:start till:31/12/1974 color:vln #end guess from discography bar:Barrie Williams from:01/01/1975 till:01/04/1977 color:vln #start and end guess from discography
bar:Simon Wingfield from:01/01/1986 till:31/12/1995 color:eng #dates suggested by Derek Jones bar:Thorsten Merriott from:01/12/1996 till:end color:eng #VERIFIED conversation with TM
In 2003 the Pasadena Roof Orchestra released a DVD of the 30th Anniversary live concert at Regent's Park, London, with guests. This DVD is only available in Region 2 format.
This DVD is the first release to feature a double sided DVD which plays in colour and digital stereo on one side and in sepia-toned monochrome, with Phonograph style mono audio, on the other.
In August 2005 another DVD, Dance the Night Away appeared, but only in Region 1 format. This DVD was not sanctioned by the orchestra and was recorded from a 1979 German TV show.