Castle Rock Jazz Band
Hello! We’re the Castle Rock Jazz Band, named for the Castle Rock in Edinburgh.[1] We’re a 7-piece jazz band, consisting of a 4-piece rhythm section
(Drums, Bass, Guitar & Piano), as well as a versatile 3-piece front line (Trumpet/Vocals, Clarinet/Trombone,
Saxophones).
We specialise in playing 1930’s-40’s jazz
for swing dancers and, being swing dancers ourselves, we hope we know
what we’re doing. We’re inspired by, and aspire to play like, the great
bands (big and small) of the swing era. We’re talking about Duke
Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet,
Mary Lou Williams, Ella Fitzerald, Johnny Hodges, and countless more! We
love playing dance gigs, and have done all around Edinburgh and bits of
the north of England. We also love to play weddings and other
celebrations, especially for dancers.
If you’d like to hire us for your event (dancing, or otherwise!),
please get in touch, or reach out via Facebook or
Instagram. We’re based in Edinburgh, Scotland
and do prefer local gigs, but we’re willing to travel - especially if you’re throwing a swing dance event
that we can also dance at!
Where have you played?
We’ve been lucky enough to play a whole bunch of dance gigs
over the past couple of years, as well as some weddings and
other celebrations. Click here for a full list of our most
recent dance gigs.
- Edinburgh Queer Lindy Mini-Festival, Edinburgh, 1st June 2024
- The Spoonful, Edinburgh, 17th May 2024
- Pomegranates Festival of Traditional Dance, Edinburgh, April 2024
- University of Swing, Edinburgh, 23rd & 24th March 2024
- Swing into Spring, Todmorden, 16th March 2024
- Jazz & Jive, Edinburgh, 1st March 2024
- Edinburgh Swing Dance Society, Edinburgh, 25th February 2024
- Edinbop, Edinburgh, 2nd December 2023
- Jazz & Jive, Edinburgh, 1st December 2023
- Edinburgh Swing Dance Society, Edinburgh, 29th October 2023
- Swing North, Manchester, 28th October 2023
- Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society, Edinburgh, 21st October 2023
- Edinburgh Lindy Exchange, Edinburgh, 17th September 2023
- Bal Club, Edinburgh, 22nd July 2023
- Edinburgh Queer Lindy Mini-Festival, Edinburgh, 17th June 2023
- University of Swing, Edinburgh, 11th March 2023
We gig sporadically, and usually for events organised by other
people. To find out about them, and when and where they might be happening, follow us on Facebook or
Instagram.
That’s okay! We’re also fans of the following local artists - some
of whom have CRJB members in their band! If we’re not the right band
for you, please reach out to these fine folks!