AN EXCITING, BRAND NEW CONCERT PRESENTATION
PETE CATER
AND
THE GREAT DRUM SHOW
FEATURING
THE PETE CATER BIG BAND
in association with strada music
www.stradamusic.com
All the best popular music that emerged in the twentieth century has one unifying, compelling feature. The beat!
Great music features great drumming, and great drumming is an essential part of great music.
Now in a brand new concert package, British drum star Pete Cater (in 2015 ranked number 5 in the world) brings all these elements together with a high energy, exciting performance featuring his 16 piece Big Band
In the days before electric guitars achieved global domination there was a golden era of jazz and big bands, and the biggest star instrumentalists of this age were the drummers. Starting with legendary figures including Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louie Bellson, Jo Jones, Sid Catlett and Chick Webb, and followed in later years by Joe Morello, Art Blakey, Shelly Manne, Mel Lewis, Sonny Payne and so many others, these drummers were bona fide stars of music, generating the all-important, era-defining ‘swing’ as well as being star soloists in their own right. Then everything changed and drummers were relegated to the back of the stage, sitting between banks of guitar amplifiers.
But now the drums are back out front. The Great Drum Show celebrates not only the greatest hits of the greatest hitters of this golden age, but also includes the all-important ‘groove’, the hallmark of more modern times.
The Great Drum Show features a wonderfully eclectic, wide-ranging repertoire, including new arrangements of classic tunes plus historic scores performed exactly as the composers intended. From Ellington and Basie, via Buddy Rich, Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis, to more modern compositions from the likes of The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and Tower of Power, which contain some of the most legendary drum parts ever recorded. Even Glenn Miller gets an updating and don’t be surprised if you hear a moment or two of Led Zeppelin, big band style!
And before you ask, don’t worry; we’re not returning to the dark days of the 30 minute drum solo!
This is the only show of its kind playing anywhere in the world today. It is a must for music fans of all ages, and if you’ve ever picked up a drum stick, or even thought about doing so, the Great Drum Show is absolutely unmissable.
ALSO NEW FOR 2023-24
PETE CATER’S BIG BAND MILESTONES
Pete Cater presents a retrospective of his 40 years as a big band leader with a programme of music associated with every era of his big band drumming career going back to the early days in MYJO, by way of his three big band record releases and a homage to several influential master drummers.
BIG BAND MILESTONES IS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR YOUR BIG BAND FEATURING PETE AS GUEST SOLOIST
oTHER CURRENT MUSIC PROJECTS
Pete has a variety of personal projects including the Big Band for which he is best known, the seven piece Ministry of Jazz and The Organisation.
Pete’s music showreel may be viewed here… https://youtu.be/GagMDgtQ-zw
NEW FOR 2024, SAMMY MAYNE, SAM DUNN, PETE WHITTAKER & PETE CATER
Outstanding all-star British jazz quartet, showcasing the alto saxophone virtuosity and compositions of Sammy Mayne in addition to standards and jazz classics, together with Sam Dunn, deservedly one of the fastest rising British jazz guitar stars. The group is completed by Hammond organ supremo Pete Whittaker, and drummer/record producer Pete Cater. The quartet’s debut album, ‘Sammy Side Up’ is soon t be released on Mister PC Records..
Enquiries for live performances for 2024/25 may be made to petecaterdrums@gmail.com or via the contact page of this website.
the pete cater big band
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed, swinging big band jazz as heard on the CDs 'Playing With Fire', 'Upswing', and 'The Right Time'. Long before anybody else thought of it Pete successfully toured his 'Man From Planet Jazz' tribute to Buddy Rich which recreated this iconic music authentically and superbly with a stellar team of UK talent. Pete still features this repertoire along with his own, personal back catalogue of big band music as well as classics from the all-time greats of the genre.
Also the band may be booked to accompany artists, as a ‘house band’ or for corporate and media events.
Here’s the band with the legendary Buddy Greco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBTTBZo_Y6E
and here’s what happened when Ronnie Corbett had a surprise for Miranda Hart
THE ORGANISATION
Fiery blue note-esque hard bop and funk featuring Tony Kofi's burning baritone sax. The group has a debut CD 'Point Blank' which was released to huge acclaim in 2018 at which time they toured the UK extensively including a headline slot at the London Jazz Festival (see events page for more details). The group may also be hired as a Hammond organ, guitar, drums trio, and features House of Love guitarist Simon Fernsby as well as Wonderstuff keyboard player Pete Whittaker.
THE MINISTRY OF JAZZ
Making its debut in 2015 Pete Cater's all-star sextet has been a hit since day one. Eschewing the all-too pervasive trend for 'tribute' and 'themed' jazz shows, The Ministry Of Jazz feature great music from the second half of the twentieth century by composers including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Thad Jones, Benny Golson, and Quincy Jones. In addition to PC the band consists of George Hogg (trumpet), Adrian Fry (trombone), Richard Shepherd (alto sax), Vasilis Xenopoulos (tenor sax), Pete Whittaker (Hammond organ) and Simon Thorpe (bass).
See the promo video here