The Duchess & Her Dukes
The Duchess & Her Dukes
Swing with a regal diva
The Duchess and her Dukes are one of the most exciting bands on the swing and jive scene today. With svelte songstress Debra Noelle playing the Duchess, this 7- piece band are attractive to the eye as well as the ear! With some of London's most respected jazz musicians on the team, the standard of musicianship is superb.

They have built up a repertoire which ranges from the jazz divas of Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington and Peggy Lee to the earthy blues of Etta James and Little Esther. There's plenty of good-time fun too, with the Andrews Sisters, Pearl Bailey and Louis Jordan contributing material to the mix. The band leavens the recipe with instrumentals from Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Lester Young and other classic swingers. This energetic "retro-swing" provides the fuel for thejitterbugs, whether they belong to Ceroc, Lindy-hop, West Coast Swing, Le Jive or any of the other modern jive schools.

The bands musical director, saxophonist Kit Packham, describes their music as being "in the region where jazz meets rock'n'roll". In fact, 3 key band members met while touring with the American Pie Rock'n'Roll Theatre Company. Debra, Kit and pianist Perry White played with American Pie all over the UK from Chichester Festival Theatre to Belfast's Royal Opera House and became firm friends. They also earned each others respect for their talents as musicians and performers. It was only natural that they would look for a way to continue working together when the tour ended.

Kit already fronted his own successful jump/jive band One Jump Ahead and wanted to continue as lead singer himself. However, as an interim measure, Kit invited Debra to try out her repertoire with One Jump Ahead. The rest of the band recognised her talent immediately and naturally wanted to be involved too. Why waste time auditioning when there was a ready-made band who were ready, willing and extremely able? Thus was born The Duchess and her Dukes.

Supporting artists!
Steve Knight (guitar), Chris Rodel (bass), Tracey Mendham (saxes), and Kenrick Rowe (drums) make up the rest of the band. Each has an enviable musical pedigree and a wealth of experience performing in all kinds of venues and at all kinds of events. The dance clubs have been quick to catch on to this new outfit. Zoot Suit Riot, Jive Party, Ceroc and the London Swing Dance Society have already had eager jivers showing off their steps on the dance-floor while the Duchess and her Dukes keep the swinging rhythms coming.

But you don't have to be able to jive to enjoy them. When the Duchess and her Dukes play, listening is nearly as much fun as dancing. And the band aren't limited to swing alone. For those who still haven't caught up with the modern jive craze there are Latin tunes and a sprinkling of ballads when you're ready to smooch! So why settle for riff-raff when you can have royal riffs? For a band without peer - book the Duchess and her Dukes!

Music Samples

  Funny Man 872 kb   Daddy O 903 kb

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