7 Stars of Jazz
Richard Leach’s 7 Stars of Jazz

Richard Leach’s 7 Stars of Jazz has a style reminiscent of the Alex Welsh Band, which, from the mid 1950’s to the early 1980’s, was Britain’s foremost Chicago/Dixieland style jazz band.
When asked, many people have said that the Roy Williams – John Barnes era of the Alex Welsh band is their favourite listening. Richard is no exception and the Classic Concert recorded in Dresden during 1971 remains his personal favourite. With the perfect eclectic mix of Chicago, Swing and Dixieland plus a hint of Vaudeville, the band doesn’t just play jazz it entertains the audience. It is impossible not to be swept along with the atmosphere.
This then is the basis of Richard Leach’s 7 Stars of Jazz, not to be a direct ‘tribute’ band to Alex Welsh but a band that plays with a similar energy and skill plus the ability to entertain an audience with a variety of musical styles.
The Band
(click on an image for a short biog)
-
John HallamClarinet, Saxophones
-
Kevin GrenfellTrumpet
-
Jim DouglasGuitar, Banjo
-
Ian RileyKeyboard
-
Ian ParryBass
-
Graham SmithDrums
John Hallam
John started playing the clarinet & saxophone in his early teens, and jointly with Mickey Cooke, formed the Blue Lotus Jazz Band, which went onto play at the Royal Albert Hall and the 100 Club.
During the seventies and eighties he played with the Smoky City Jazz Band – the premier Manchester Band at the time, which toured many European Festivals.
Since then he has worked for many years as a freelance professional musician, playing with some of the finest musicians from both sides of the Atlantic – Clark Terry, Benny Carter, Al Grey, Allan Vaché & Randy Sandke being just a few.
His work has covered recordings for radio, television and film. Also jazz workshops and projects for education.
Kevin Grenfell
Kevin started playing at an early age with brass bands in his native Cornwall. At 18 years old he enlisted in the armed forces and joined the band of the Queen’s Own Hussars (Royal Armoured Corps). Whilst in the army Kevin studied at the Royal Military School of Music for two years.
Since leaving the armed forces Kevin has been working as a freelance musician gaining a wealth of experience playing alongside many of the jazz scene’s top names aswell as leading his own highly successful Jazz Giants which work extensively on the club and festival circuit throughout the UK and across mainland Europe.
In 2009 it was Kevin’s inspired idea to collaborate with fellow trombonist Richard Leach in a new venture called Slide By Slide where the two trombones provide the focal point of an eclectic repertoire that shows that music doesn’t have to be boxed into any one particular style.
He joined Richard Leach’s 7 Stars of Jazz at the beginning of 2018.
Jim Douglas
Guitar/banjo player Jim Douglas was born in the village of Gifford near Edinburgh in May 1942. He showed an early talent for music when he took up violin at the age of seven and drums shortly after. The violin was soon discarded but he went on to feature in the local Boys’ Brigade Pipe band as lead drummer. It was at school however that he met and formed a jazz band with clarinettist /bagpiper Pete Kerr. It was his interest firstly in ‘Skiffle’ and later jazz that led to Jim acquiring a guitar and banjo at the age of fifteen.
Their first band ‘The Hidden Town Dixie-landers’ went from strength to strength and after a change of name and winning the Carroll Levis’ Discoveries competition, the band turned professional to fulfil an engagement in Germany as the ‘Capitol Jazz Band,’
In May of 1961 Jim joined the ‘Clyde Valley Stompers’ just after his nineteenth Birthday. During this time the band had a successful hit with a jazz version of ‘Peter and the Wolf’. Financial discontent led to the whole band leaving and in 1963, after a period of re-establishment, Jim started playing on occasional gigs with The Alex Welsh Band. After officially joining he band in 1964 he was to remain with it almost to the end of its existence when Alex died in 1982. During this eighteen years or so The Alex Welsh Band became one of the most popular outfits in the British Isles and was asked to accompany many American Jazz Legend visitors to these shores. They included: Henry ‘Red’ Allen; Earl Hines; Wild Bill Davison; Bud Freeman; Ruby Braff and many more. Several historic recordings of these sessions have been found, digitally re-recorded and issued. In 1968 the Band was invited and appeared at the famous Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island.
After a period of retirement in which Jim cooked for a living, he returned to Jazz to become a ‘freelance’ musician answering the requests of many fine band-leaders such as Keith Smith, Digby Fairweather, Dave
Shepherd, Pete Allen and John Petters to play with them in shows like ‘Lady Sings the Blues’, Let’s Do it, and outfits like the Great British Jazz Band, the ‘First Class Sounds’ and Ed Polcer’s Tribute to Eddie Condon on a tour in Germany.
In 1993 Jim won the British Jazz Award on guitar. As well as being known as the most recorded jazz guitarist in Britain, Jim has written and self-published two semi-biographical books relating some of the more unforgettable, amusing and nostalgic memories of an event-packed life in Jazz. They are both available from Amazon.co.uk.
Ian Riley
Ian Parry
Graham Smith