Jive Aces

The Jive Aces
The Jive Aces in concert
Background information
Origin	Billericay, Essex, England
Genres	Jive Swing Boogie Woogie Skiffle
Years active	1989—present
Labels	Right Recordings, Golden Age Recordings
Website	www.jiveaces.com
Members	Ian Clarkson – vocals, trumpet, ukulele Ken Smith – double bass Vince Hurley – piano Peter Howell – drums John Fordham – saxophone Alex Douglas – trombone, washboard, bongos, blues harp, kazoo, spoons, vuvuzela

The Jive Aces are a six-piece UK based, high energy,jive and swing band, formed in 1989. They were the winners of BBC TV's Opportunity Knocks, and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalists in 2012. They have recorded singles and albums, and have performed at numerous music festivals.

The band is widely recognised as one of the top swing bands in the world, something borne out by their extensive international travel (the band has performed in over 30 countries). The June 2015 issue of "Vintage Rock" magazine described them as the "UK's number one jive and swing band"" in a six page feature on the band titled "Leaders of the Pack".

They have received an award from Variety, the Children's Charity for their charity work, and the City of Derry International Music Award in 2006.

On 9 July 2010, the band headlined at the first ever swing dance at the Royal Albert Hall. They played to approximately 1,400 dancers on the 5,000-square-foot (460 m²) dance floor, with support from the Back To Basie Orchestra and Top Shelf Jazz. In late August 2010, the Jive Aces performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in a show tributing one of their musical heroes, Louis Prima. In February 2011, after recording in Los Angeles, they toured the United States, including opening for legendary singer Keely Smith, the former wife of Louis Prima. Keely Smith has also sung with the band on a number of occasions, including shows in Los Angeles, Palm Desert, Phoenix and at the Edinburgh Fringe. The band played London's famous jazz venue Ronnie Scotts for the first time in July 2011. In Spring 2015, the band did their biggest tour to date, 6 weeks of major theatres around the US (mostly 1000-2000+ capacity). The tour was a huge success, with more major US tours to follow in Winter 2015 and 2016.

In March 2011 the band produced a YouTube video for their cover of the Morecambe and Wise theme song Bring Me Sunshine in a Louis Prima, jive style. It went on to win several awards at film festivals, and a Silver Telly Award. The video is noted for its uplifting quality and has even been prescribed by a US doctor for depression, as noted in national media.