Barn
dance bands, ceilidh bands, hoe down bands UK
JIGABIT BAND LINE-UP
East
Midlands based JIGABIT works either as a 4 or 5-piece band with our own regular
Caller who manages to combine clear guidance with friendly wit and good humoured
encouragement. Bob will always explain and walk through all the moves for each
dance before the band is let loose on you! He is featured on our demo CD and
DVD.
Listen to the sound samples on this website, and watch the video clip -
Click on the ICON at the top of the page. Fiona can also send you a copy
of the CD and DVD in the post, with pleasure.
Photograph by Julie Humphreys
With a multi-instrumental line-up, this band makes the powerful punchy kind
of sound that you’d normally only find in a much larger band. The
line-up is Fiona Maurice-Smith on piano accordion, Al Harris on bass guitar
and vocals,
John Humphreys on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, and our excellent Caller
Bob Ballard, on guitar and vocals. We love working as a 5-piece band whenever
possible, which includes our drummer and vocalist Kip Hodgkinson.
Photograph by Julie Humphreys
Between
the five of us, we have far too many years playing history to count!
Having played in numerous band line-ups in the past, the formation of JIGABIT
meant that each musician brought a wealth of playing experience to
the band.
MORE ABOUT FI - MORE ABOUT AL - MORE ABOUT JOHN - MORE ABOUT BOB - MORE ABOUT KIP
Photograph by David Walston
THE MUSIC WE PLAY - Please click on the "Listen to
our Music / Watch a Video Clip" icon at the top of the page
JIGABIT plays loads of great traditional dance tunes from Scotland, Ireland,
England, USA, Quebec and other continents – all with the vibrant enthusiasm
of people who obviously enjoy what they’re doing and who want you to
have a share of that "buzz" at your Ceilidh or Barn Dance. As well
as a wide range of dance tunes, we play a few 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s standards
and classics. The repertoire of songs is ideal played in between the dances,
while you recover from the dancing, chat to friends and have a drink!
The JIGABIT song repertoire includes:
Brown Eyed Girl, Route 66, Johnny B
Goode, Big Bad Leroy Brown, Achy Breaky Heart, C’est La Vie, Peaceful
Easy Feeling, Take It Easy, Saw Her Standing There, Eight Days a Week,
When you Say Nothing At All, That’ll Be The Day, When you Walk In
The Room, Crazy Love, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Rocky Top, Swing Low,
What a Wonderful World, Last Dance, Whiskey In The Jar, I’ll Tell
me Ma, Dirty Old Town, Fields of Athenry, Wild Mountain Thyme, Irish Rover,
Wild Rover, Spanish Lady, Danny Boy and many more favourite songs.
THE DANCES YOU DANCE
If you’re booking JIGABIT for a party where people haven’t done
much Ceilidh or Barn Dancing before, it really doesn’t matter. No previous
dancing experience is necessary – just willingness to join in and have
a go!
Some of our favourite traditional dances include The Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeant, Canadian Progressive Reel, Strip the Willow, Bridge of Athlone, Canadian Barn Dance, Ninepins, The Chase, Cumberland Square Eight and plenty more good-fun straightforward dances. We avoid very long and complicated dances, which slow down the pace of a ceilidh too much. However, if there are some keen, experienced dancers present who wish to dance the Eightsome Reel or even a Quickstep or an old-fashioned Waltz, JIGABIT can of course provide suitable music for these dances as well.
AMPLIFICATION, BACKGROUND MUSIC FOR BREAKS, SHARING WITH A DISCO
JIGABIT uses a professional compact PA system, which can be set up quietly
and discreetly within just 40 minutes, immediately prior to the start of
the Ceilidh or Barn Dance.
We always bring a portable CD player to play suitable background music during any breaks. If recorded or other music is required after the ceilidh has finished, we ask you to book a DJ or provide your own equipment for this. We’re quite happy and willing to share the evening with a Disco as long as the Ceilidh is the first half of the evening and the DJ takes over entirely afterwards, which works very well indeed. Just ensure that there is sufficient space for band and DJ - ask Fiona for the required dimensions.
SAFETY
The band has full Public Liability Insurance and all our electrical equipment
is PAT Tested annually. All current Certificates are available on request.
COST
The cost of booking JIABIT (or any other Ceilidh or Barn Dance band) is dependent
on the day and time of the week, location and travel costs, and the size
of the Band booked. See Top 20 FAQs for a guide to costs
RECOMMENDATIONS & REFERENCES
See the "Thank You letters" section of this Web Site for loads
of good recommendations from our satisfied, happy customers who have danced
to JIGABIT! Personal references are available on request.
MAKING A PROVISIONAL BOOKING
When you get in touch with Fiona, please provide all the info requested on
the Home Page. You’ll be sent a copy of our JIGABIT Demo CD and DVD – both
recorded live. Look and listen then BOOK US for the real thing! The DVD
features a 30-minute Virtual Ceilidh and 10 minutes of edited footage of
JIGABIT with Bob our Caller in action at a recent wedding ceilidh. The
DVD features us playing for dances in lines, squares and circles, with
Bob walking people through the dance steps.
For a quick view of JIGABIT please go to our video clip - a live recording - featured on YouTube:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RrcJkDuBnEE
If your venue is much further afield than the East or West midlands, or if JIGABIT is already booked for the date you have in mind, Fiona will offer you another excellent Ceilidh or Barn Dance Band and Caller.
If you book JIGABIT, you can be assured of a cracking good night of music and dance. With about a century and a half of playing experience between the lot of us, you’ll find us more than equal to it, whatever the occasion.
IF YOU'VE NEVER ARRANGED A BARN DANCE OR CEILIDH BEFORE.....
If you haven't booked a Ceilidh or Barn Dance Band and Caller before, you
are bound to have some questions so please browse through the section of
the site "Top 20 Frequently Asked Questions about
Barn Dances and Ceilidhs."
THANK YOU
*Some of the photographs on the Jigabit band pages are by David Walston - see www.pr-photography.org
