Well, apart from Acker Bilk having a bit of a resurgence in gigs for 2010, all the other bands I play for are very quiet. So, all the more urgency for me to get my own projects going - after all these years I'm finally becoming a bandleader again!

The Bone Supremacy is my main focus of attention - we've got something special there and as long as I stay on top of it this band is going to be a big success. Not everyone can afford The Bone Supremacy, so I am also anxious to get some work in for my Frank/JJ Quintet, which seems to be taking shape. The Quintet has been booked to play at the very popular venue The Wheatsheaf in my home town of Swindon on June 22nd as part of the Swindon Festival. The band swings like the clappers and with Alex Garnett, Leon Greening, Richie Bryant and now Dave Green joining us, you and I are in for a treat!

I have always been a great fan of Louis Armstrong, especially the All-Stars which featured Trummy Young, one of my inspirations! Over the past 30 years I have played with, heard and seen many bands doing 'tribute' gigs to this band and I don't think any of them have succeeded - let's face it, it's a hard act to follow! We need a Louis Armstrong-type trumpet/cornet player to dominate it and that person hasn't come along ... until now. My brother, Alan Bateman, is currently taking the jazz scene by storm and when the two of us get together everything electrifies! So, we're going to have a go at doing a tribute to the All-Stars and this is currently in planning and rehearsal.

We will be playing the original arrangements - yes even Basin Street Blues in the right tempos! So keep an eye out for that band hitting the scene. I suppose it is also a bit of a novelty having two brothers in a line-up. Tony & Vic Pitt, Terry & Paddy Lightfoot are the most notable 'brothers' in British jazz history and not since those pairings have we seen brothers in the UK jazz fraternity. So, please look out for the Bateman Brothers Jazz Band coming to a venue near you!

Ian Bateman
July 2010