Small Ensembles
SBCB is not just about a 50 piece band - we also have 2 smaller groups regularly rehearsing and performing, and others that come together on an ad hoc basis. These groups are ideal for events where musical entertainment is needed, but where there may only be room for a few people on the stage. Please contact us if you would like to hire one of our groups for your event.
Sf Sax is a spin-off saxophone ensemble from SBCB, some of whose members have found the perfect excuse to play their alter ego instruments! More recently the group has added clarinets to the ensemble, bringing some different sounds to the music.
The group consists of Mike Truslove on alto sax and clarinet, Mandy King on alto and tenor sax, Ray Meads on baritone sax, and Louise Truslove on percussion and bass clarinet. The group's repertoire includes classical, jazz and swing, pop & rock, up-to-date contemporary music written especially for saxophone ensemble, and pieces arranged specifically for Sf Sax by the group.
They started rehearsing as a sextet in 2013, and since then have performed in various locations, including at SBCB concerts, on tour with the band in Belgium, busking in Wokingham as part of the Sunny Saturday performance, entertaining people at Mortimer Fun Day, and as a feature at four of Ashford Hill Church's recent annual musical soirées. In 2018 the group provided a full evening's concert "Lux et Cantus", at St Michael's Church in Blewbury where they explored a variety of musical styles with a journey looking at the way saxophone ensemble music has changed through the decades. As a quintet during the coronavirus lockdown they did distance recordings of some pieces, and performed in May 2022 for "An Evening with Sf Sax" at the new Ship Inn Arts Centre in Ashford Hill, raising funds to support the venue. Now playing together as a quartet, the group has a whole new set of music!
See their YouTube page for some videos of the group in action, including the lockdown videos, or follow them on Facebook to see more about them and their forthcoming events.
The group consists of Mike Truslove on alto sax and clarinet, Mandy King on alto and tenor sax, Ray Meads on baritone sax, and Louise Truslove on percussion and bass clarinet. The group's repertoire includes classical, jazz and swing, pop & rock, up-to-date contemporary music written especially for saxophone ensemble, and pieces arranged specifically for Sf Sax by the group.
They started rehearsing as a sextet in 2013, and since then have performed in various locations, including at SBCB concerts, on tour with the band in Belgium, busking in Wokingham as part of the Sunny Saturday performance, entertaining people at Mortimer Fun Day, and as a feature at four of Ashford Hill Church's recent annual musical soirées. In 2018 the group provided a full evening's concert "Lux et Cantus", at St Michael's Church in Blewbury where they explored a variety of musical styles with a journey looking at the way saxophone ensemble music has changed through the decades. As a quintet during the coronavirus lockdown they did distance recordings of some pieces, and performed in May 2022 for "An Evening with Sf Sax" at the new Ship Inn Arts Centre in Ashford Hill, raising funds to support the venue. Now playing together as a quartet, the group has a whole new set of music!
See their YouTube page for some videos of the group in action, including the lockdown videos, or follow them on Facebook to see more about them and their forthcoming events.
A group of musicians from SBCB formed a clarinet group called No Strings Attached, and have performed at the Thatcham Festival every year since 2018, as well as at various garden parties, in churches, and for a large Platinum Jubilee event last summer. The group has several Bb clarinets, Eb alto clarinet and up to two bass clarinets, depending on the piece being played. They rehearse once a fortnight on a Monday evening in the Old Bluecoat School in Thatcham, and enjoy playing an eclectic mix of music, from Baroque to The Beatles and beyond. They performed for the first time as part of a SBCB Concert in March 2023.
Players include Linda Davies, Helen Fasham, Sue Foyle, Fran Hallett, Anita Lee, Barbara Still and Glyn Thomas.
Players include Linda Davies, Helen Fasham, Sue Foyle, Fran Hallett, Anita Lee, Barbara Still and Glyn Thomas.
