Ancient history update!

 Ancient history part three is now available for your viewing pleasure!

3 In A Bar Demo CD - Part 1

Here are the first three tracks on our current demo CD.

Feel free to download these tracks
(click the track's playbar and follow the 'download' links)

01 Shuffle Twist

02 Ain't Misbehavin' #1

03 Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen

More soon!

Morville Fete : Gig Reminder!

Just a quick reminder that we'll be playing at Morville Church Fete this Bank Holiday Monday 7th May
More info can be found on the Morville Festival website 

Look forward to seeing you there!

Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny

3 In A Bar cover a lot of ground, especially when they stand far apart. Here they are playing Frank Zappa's "Chunga's Revenge" at The Pheasant, Admaston in May 2007

Chunga's Revenge

This was a farewell party for Mike's good friend Stu Hartland and his family, who were moving to sunny Bury St. Edmunds. Stu is an accomplished rock drummer and was talked into sitting in with the band for a couple of mutually agreed numbers - with no rehearsal! Didn't he do well, folks?

On hand were 3 In A Bar regulars Mike Gray (baritone sax); Keith Crane (tenor sax); Paul Hobbs (guitar) and Eve Fayle (bass guitar).

The cool alto solo is by David Lang, one of Mike's ex-pupils, who was guesting with the band that night.

Eve played regularly with the band in the early years of the 21st Century (this still sounds futuristic to me!) She is now based in Leeds, where her funky bass playing continues to go from strength to strength.

To find out what she has been doing since this gig have a look at her Myspace page (see the Jazz Links section, where you will also find a link to The Wrong Object, an excellent Belgian band who play a lot of Frank Zappa compositions*).

And from the same session, again with Stu on drums and with Mike on soprano sax this time, is a totally unplanned performance of a well-known Herbie Hancock tune.

Canataloupe Island

Stu had never even heard this one before playing it!

* Mike resists the temptation to add "I don't know why, he never played any of theirs!"

Ancient history!

You may notice a new section to the site ... Ancient history! in which you can find out about the many bands that Mike has been involved with prior to the birth of 3 In A Bar. Parts one and two now online!

Please take notes as there will be a short test at the end of the series!

Not Our Most Popular Number...

Recent investigation of the YouTube videos listed in the Hear Us! section to the left, has shown that Watermelon Man, for a long time the band's grand finale and an opportunity for gratuitous introduction of band members by Mike, is no longer the most viewed. The version included here was recorded at The Stompers' Xmas Xtravaganza, Market Drayton, 29/12/2005 and features Mike Gray (soprano sax); Keith Crane & Emily Floyd (tenor saxes); Brian Jones (piano); Paul Hobbs (guitar); Dave Towers (bass); Phil Asma (drums).

Watermelon Man

Vital Statistics:

Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen             3,389

Shuffle Twist                            1,993

Watermelon Man                      1,711

Darktown Strutters' Ball             1,398

Blue Bossa                                 851

A-Train                                       649

Wild Man Blues                           535

Sidewalk Blues                           365

Easy Rider                                  332

You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now  320

Avalon                                       281

Lady Be Good                            250

It's Hard When I Think Of You    150

St. Louis Blues                          149

Merely The Blues                       145

Ain't Misbehavin'                        120

Fine And Mellow                        119

Feeding The Crocodile                 99

Down With Love                          53

Does this mean that there are a lot more language students around these days?

Stars of Stage, Screen, and...

19th December 1993 was an historic moment in the annals (sp.) of broadcasting, when 3 In A Bar hit the Telford airwaves courtesy of Showtime Radio CTFM. The recording took place at the radio station studio on 9th December, where the band played four tunes and were interviewed with great enthusiasm by Andrew Capman. (Whatever became of him?)
Showtime Radio CTFM broadcast