About Us

Sauce City Jazz is a traditional “Dixieland” Jazz Band that plays in and around Worcestershire and the Midlands. We play at a wide range of events including:

- Private: Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays, Barbecues and even Funerals!

- Public: Jazz Evenings, Dances, Summer Park events, Jazz Festivals and “Jazz in the Church” evenings.

Sauce City Jazz was formed in 1992 in Claines, Worcestershire by a group of friends who got together to welcome a local soldier home from the Gulf War. A fun evening soon evolved into a six piece jazz band, now approaching its thirtieth year.

Our line up is Trumpet, Trombone, Clarinet, Banjo, String Bass and Drums, playing acoustically or amplified as the occasion demands. Listen to our music here.

Our numbers include a wide range of traditional and popular jazz classics, which will lend a real party atmosphere to special events!

Most events and parties can be given a unique party feel with a Jazz Band.

Meet our regular band members here.

Meet the Band members

Geoff Sansome (Leader: Trumpet & Vocals)

Geoff is an agriculturalist and farmer by profession. He started paying the cornet at the age of 11. When he first brought it home he was banished to the Cowshed for practice. As a student, he became the Principal Cornet of Droitwich Youth Band and Principal Trumpet of Worcestershire Youth Orchestra. He was a finalist in the Choirboy of the Year in 1975. He continued playing with the University Orchestra at Bangor, whilst studying agriculture, and met his wife in an Orchestra pit. He then played Soprano Cornet with the Telford Town Band and the Cottenham Silver Band. In 1992 he was reluctantly persuaded to join together with a group of friends to play in a local pub and that was the beginning of Geoff’s journey away from scores and the beginning of Sauce City Jazz. He is the last original member from 1992. Geoff has gigged with street jazz bands in Paris, St Petersburg, Kyiv and Sofia.

David “Woody” Wood (Clarinet, Saxes & Vocals)

Dave’s parents bought him a clarinet when he was 11 and I had lessons for four years at the Watford school of music. He then discovered girls so the clarinet was put to one side. In the late 60's Dave went to college and met a guitar player so the clarinet came out and they spent every holiday busking round the main towns of Europe. The clarinet then went back in the cupboard until Dave took early retirement at 50. He then started to jam with jazz musicians and joined an established band. Dave has been with Sauce City about four years and has his own five-piece band.

Geoff Goodwin (Trombone)

Geoff began playing double bass in his brother’s Skiffle Group, The Severn Valley Skiffle Kings ,in the late fifties,. Having endured piano lessons for a few years and hated the experience he nevertheless found that some knowledge of notation came in handy. The trombone was beyond his financial reach and an interval of a few years passed before he was able via the good old hire purchase system to get his hands on a second-hand instrument. This was followed by some time banished to the attic rooms in the thankfully very large Georgian house that he was born and raised in. Geoff, at times, feels that never having received any tuition on the chosen instrument has left him without the range and ability to fulfil the role demanded by some engagements. In spite of this he has been continuously playing with many of the bands in the area.

Vic Partridge (Banjo & Guitar)

Vic was born into a musical family, father playing trumpet, mother playing the piano. Vic took up the guitar at the age of eight followed shortly after by the banjo.

His guitar studies took him up to diploma level ALCM which led him to teach in schools and adult education evening classes. He also did long stints as a restaurant guitarist.

He has been very active on the South Wales and the West Country jazz scene throughout his 40-year career. Vic was a member of the Riverside Jazz band and the Beachcombers appearing at many jazz festivals including Brecon, Bude, Keswick and Upton.

He has also dipped his toe into the brass band world appearing at the National Finals twice (not on banjo!).

Highlights of his career include playing with Harry Gold, Kenny Baker and the Platters. He has also accompanied Terry Lightfoot and Tommy Burton at jazz festivals and toured with Alan Elsdon.

Vic claims his main influence to be Freddie Green, guitarist with the Count Basie Orchestra.

John Edgar (Single Eb Sousaphone]

John is a retired headteacher from Cumbria. He started playing the Sousaphone in his 20's after finding a seriously abused ex-military one in an Army Surplus Store. He played in various 'scratch-up' jazz bands in Croydon during the 1960's - about which he remembers little! A lull occurred in his Jazz career during the '70's for development of his teaching career in Cumbria. He was asked to play brass bass in the Appleby Town Band where it attained the heights, in the brass band competition world, of 12th, in Div. four! A move to Carlisle heard him playing bass in a couple of Jazz Bands. A final move to Pershore in 2013 gave him the opportunity to join the Sauce City Band.

Dave Andrews (Drums)

Having graduated from his mother`s saucepans and lids at an early age, Dave`s first encounter with real drums was in the Worcester Air Training Corps Band. At this time Skiffle and Ken Colyer were all the rage and Dave was bitten. Unable to find a place in a Trad band, he joined a local skiffle group and also cut his teeth on strict tempo playing in various small combos and eventually the Premiers Dance Orchestra. He had also been depping with the Caer Argo Jazzband (later to become the Perdido Street Jazz band). His break eventually came as the original drummer in the newly formed Georgia Jazz band and at about the same time took over the drum seat in Norman Thatcher`s New Orleans Jazz Band staying with both for many years . A veteran of a number of other outfits now also unfortunately lost in the mists of time, Dave now also has the drum seat with New Orleans Bump.