In a sparkling and varied musical career Jane has sung professionally with The Tony Evans Orchestra, Mike Morris Band, and Voice Theatre Group, as well as touring Europe alongside the BBC Singers and London Philharmonic Choir. She also as experience in radio, theatre and film, doing everything from singing on the BBC world service to recording at Abbey Road!

"I love playing with Life and Soul because the music makes you move. It doesn’t come much better than being with good friends, playing live music, there’s a real energy and groove that makes everyone forget the day-to-day and dance the night away!"

When Stuart plays bass, you don’t just hear it – you feel it!

A rock solid player with a funky edge, he always finds the right groove for the song on his six-string Wal bass, with occasional flourishes to show off his fine technique! Stuart comes from a family of musicians and started gigging at an early age, gaining huge amounts of experience with a wide range of bands (including tours of the UK and Europe) not just as a bass player but as a singer and guitarist too. He has also written and recorded his own material.

Stuart says: “Great musicians! Great sound! Great fun! Let’s party!”

You can hear a little bit of everything in the cool, stylish music of master guitarist Mark.

He started playing guitar at the age of fifteen and has performed and recorded with many bands across a wide range of styles including indie, rock and pop, and has played gigs at prestigious venues like The Marquee in London and The Zodiac in Oxford – an original single released with one of his bands even received Radio 1 airplay! His playing reflects his broad range of influences from the music he has played and listened to over the years, and he brings a modern edge to the band without ever losing that classic soul groove!

Mark says: “It’s not how much you play, but where and what you play with!”

www.frankhockney.co.uk
www.myspace.com/frankhockney


Frank started playing drums when he was 12 years old, inspired by John Bonham, Bill Bruford and the like. In the early 80's he recorded albums (on vinyl) with Red (featuring keyboard player Mark Ambler fresh from the Tom Robinson Band), The Shiny Men (guest appearance from Robert Wyatt) and Fractals (led by jazz guitarist Paul Reynolds). These were all jazz/rock influenced albums. There is a rumour that The Shiny Men album will soon be re-released on CD. All these bands gigged/toured extensively. He also did gigs with prominent jazz figures such as guitarist John Etheridge and sax player Ian Ellis.

Frank then stopped drumming for approx 15 years, taking up guitar instead in an attempt to learn how music was made, and currently plays guitar in local jazz groups. He played guitar on the CD 'Pipedance' with Seventh Avenue Express.

In 2003 he returned to the drums by accident when the drummer in the band couldn't make a gig! He enjoyed it too much to give it up again, so he went on to work as the drummer for jazz pianist Martin Pickett and has recorded two CDs with the Martin Pickett Group, 'MP5' (featuring guitar giant Luis D'Agostini), and ' I'll be With You Again' (featuring singer Alison Bentley). See www.martinpickettjazz.co.uk

In late 2004 he was the drummer on the recording 'Cowley Road Songs', a CD by Singer/Songwriter/Actor (Guys and Dolls star) Doug Hodge. He still plays with Doug when Doug’s busy acting schedule allows him to gig. See www.doughodge.com

In 2008 he played on Sax player Tim Wilson's debut CD Soon It Will Be Tomorrow.

Frank's debut CD of his compositions TEMPUS INCOGNITUM has now been released and is available via his website or myspace. The music should be classed as Jazz with a difference!

Frank says he enjoys drumming with Life and Soul a lot - rock steady grooves are an art in themselves (ask Steely Dan) and the pleasure in watching audiences dance and have a great time is something a jazz player doesn't experience as often as they would like!

A seasoned Pro, Rory’s playing experience over the last twenty-four years encompasses Jazz, Funk, Rock, Pop, Soul, Rockabilly, Country, Rhythm and Blues and Big Band Swing.

He has played at the Edinburgh Festival and toured the South of France with a Blues Brother’s tribute band, worked professionally as a jazz musician in the Middle East, been musical director for a twenty-piece swing band, and is currently much in demand as a session pianist on the jazz scene. As well as playing with Life and Soul, he leads his own jazz trio and runs workshops teaching improvisation. His sparkling technique and funky playing add sophistication to the magical ‘Life and Soul’ mix.


Rory says: “Atlantic Soul is the best party music ever – the audience reaction is fantastic!”

Ady started playing saxophone when his wife bought him an alto sax for a surprise Christmas present.

Ady turned out to be a natural musician with a good ear, soaking up everything he listened to and rapidly developing the funky, down-home sound and style he has made his own, switching over to tenor along the way. After freelancing for a while, sitting in on all kinds of gigs, he joined a latin-jazz band with a four piece horn section, where he polished up his reading skills and tried his hand at arranging. It was there that he met our keyboard player, Rory, who brought him into Life and Soul.

One of the most in-demand trumpeters on the circuit, Gary's experience stretches from playing jazz with big bands and swing outfits to section work with numerous blues, rock and soul bands. His fluid technique and tight, punchy sound really put the icing on the 'Life and Soul' cake!

Graham has many years of experience organising the P.A. for a wide range of musicians and has dealt with everything from 11 piece bands to solo performers. He has done a lot of work in recording studios but prefers live sound engineering, because he enjoys the challenge of overcoming all the many problems that arise at live venues! He always aims for (and gets!) the sweetest possible sound on the P.A, no matter how bad the venues’ acoustics may be. Over the years Graham has acquired a wealth of technical knowledge and troubleshooting skills, and plays an integral part in creating the fabulous Life and Soul sound.