Performer:

“After 10 years of learning the ropes with west country New Orleans style bands such as the Climax Jazz Band and the Happy Landings Jazz Band and a spell with the dixieland Teign Valley Stompers, Roger formed his first Armada Jazz Band in his late twenties. In 1977 at the age of 30 Roger turned professional with the Rod Mason Jazz Band, touring Europe extensively and appearing regularly on the BBC TV programme ‘Pebble Mill at One’.

There were also TV appearances on Dutch, German and Yugoslavian TV and several LPS of the band were released.

After three years on the road, Roger left to concentrate on his young family and reformed his Armada Jazz Band. With an unfortunate shortage of trumpet players and with a growing interest in the great American Songbook, Roger opportunistically formed his first Quartet in the mainstream mode with trombone lead. This venture was to make more demands on his technical ability, and in the fullness of time steadily improved his command of the instrument to a high level.

It was by public demand that he was to reform his Armada Jazz Band once again in 1992 when complete with a new band bus and a full date sheet the band hit the jazz club and festival circuit enjoying great popularity nationwide. When trumpeter John Shillito asked to join the band and Ken Rennison joined on soprano sax, Roger felt he had the best frontline in the country. A succession of superb CD releases won favour with the press and with BBC radio 2 presenter Humphrey Lyttelton, who was extremely complementary about the band and referring to Roger as ‘world-class’.

All good things must come to an end, and so it is that the sad demise of key personnel in the Armada and sister band Roger’s Cornish Armada led to the unavoidable dissolution of both bands and signalled the end of an era.

A fresh challenge presented itself to Roger to form a new band. After some teething troubles this has evolved into Roger Marks’ Fiesta 5, a new-look line-up and a fresh repertoire firmly rooted in the traditional jazz idiom which produces a lively up beat and exhilarating fiesta of jazz, great fun for the audience and the band alike.”