Choral History is the latest CD from the Carnival Band in collaboration with writer David Calcutt, the children from primary schools in the Kidderminster area and Wyre Forest Young Voices Chorale. Five ’radio ballads’ commemorate the life of Ralph Vaughan Williams and for anyone passionate about the transmission of traditional music from one generation to another, this album is a must! Click for more details  | Buy the CD

Andy's workshops for voices and instruments

Origins

The summer of 1983, and The Medieval Players, a touring theatre company, mount an open-air production of Rabelais' 'Gargantua' featuring actors, giant carnival characters, puppets, acrobatics, juggling and music. The sixteenth century music is provided by a mixture of actors and musicians - a scratch band or 'carnival band' as they begin to call it. Their songs and dance tunes are rough and ready, far removed from the neater versions of the specialist early music groups of the time, but the players more than make up for it with theatricality, humour and sheer energy – and audiences love it. At the end of the production, the musical director, Andy Watts, decides that this is too good to lose and sets about putting together a band to do occasional gigs as a spin off from the main company.

Three founder members of the Carnival Band were musicians with the Medieval Players – Andy Watts, Giles Lewin and Bill Badley. Together with percussionist Charles Fullbrook the quartet made their debut on the towpath of the Leeds-Liverpool canal at the Burnley Canalside Festival. Jub joined the band for a New Years' concert in 1985 and this date marks the band's real birthday. Charles left in 1990 and Raph Mizraki took his place. More recently, Steve Banks joined in 1999 when Raph moved on, and Steno Vitale followed in Bill's footsteps in 2002 to form the current line-up.  Bill and Raph both continue to make occasional guest appearances with the band.