Meet the Bandleader
Chris Pope (drums/leader)
Born in Dorset ages ago, a fact only partially concealed by gym membership. His love of jazz used to co-exist with a career in HR management. Chris now has time to combine running his own music business, Live Music UK, with his first love, performance.
Has toured and recorded extensively with numerous bands. Among residencies, London's 100 Club in Oxford Street, The Granary in Bristol and the Slow-Club on the Rue du Rivoli in Paris are particular favourites. For the weather it has to be two months with a Czech band in Gran Canaria. Regards jazz festivals in Holland, Germany, Denmark and the UK as serious fun. Has a long association with one of the legends of British jazz Acker Bilk. Continues to play with Acker & His Paramount Jazz Band as needed throughout Europe at major concert venues. Come to think of it, if Acker is one of his oldest jazz associates, then Jamie Cullum must be one of the youngest.
Extensive radio and TV work includes Thames TV with Bristol's Avon Cities, for HTV - a series of Jazz on the Quay films made in Bristol and numerous programmes for Radio 2 with Groovejuice Special. Theatre work includes the most interesting tutoring of the late Barry Foster for his drum crazy part in Peter Nichols' play Born in the Gardens.
"...surely one of the best drummers in the country" wrote jazz journalist Bernard Dumbleton, surely after a glass or two...
