4 October: Gallery Bar Special-The Buckstone Trio

The Buckstone Trio – Cool Jazz for any Occasion!

 In The Beginning:

The Buckstone Trio was created when Martin Roberts and Simon Keates met and started chatting while waiting for a takeaway outside the Drake Manor Inn in Buckland Monachorum during the second Covid lockdown. A mutual interest in Jazz was discovered and the idea of forming a band was discussed. To date we had Martin on Keyboard and Simon (who is also a classical French horn player) on drums and we just needed a bass.

Six months later, after spreading the word, we met Mark – a potential double bass player. Mark (a classical player) had little knowledge of Jazz or improvisation and found himself on a steep learning curve but as he has a great musical ear, he soon picked it up – and started to enjoy himself!

We start gigging and the Trio grows:

Our first gig was at the old Chapel in Buckland Monachorum which is where we rehearse but we needed a name. Martin lives in Buckland and Simon and Mark are based in nearby Crapstone. So, we decided on The Buckstone Trio … (a village name combination that is usable!)

Our next gig was for the Crapstone Street party celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee from which some people booked us for future gigs including specific events such as a wedding alongside other private parties.

Jane attended our first gig and asked if she could sing with us. She does a great job and so is appointed as the vocalist for when we require one! We also sometimes invite guest instrumentalists to join us to bring extra colour into our performances, so we are now occasionally The Buckstone Trio plus Jane & Guests!

The Trio with and without the guests, start to receive more bookings in ever wider locations. Some venues even request repeat performances as they were so enjoyable the first time. The Trio have now played in most of the local villages and extended out to Tavistock and Plymouth including the Plymouth Jazz Club. We are now receiving regular bookings and our reputation grows accordingly.

Why Cool Jazz?

The Buckstone Trio do not adhere to any specific genre of Jazz but like to play music that people of all ages can relate to, preferably in a relaxed atmosphere where they can talk, drink, dance and have a good time. We aim to play “accessible” jazz that anyone can relate to without compromising the ethos of Jazz! We have some supporters (fans?) that have attended virtually all our gigs, frequently with their whole family and they keep coming back for more.

We perform music from all genres including Trad/Swing/Bebop/Funk/Pop and Folk giving them a jazz feel while playing tunes that many people recognise. Our primary goal is that all our performances have great rhythms while being memorable with a sense of fun giving our audiences a wonderful time.