Kit Packham

Kit Packham is the leader of 7-piece jive and swing band One Jump Ahead which he started in 1984. He also performs solo with backing tracks and in a duo format with either piano/keyboard or guitar. He has a nice line in humorous re-written lyrics to jazz standards from the Great American Songbook and a good collection of his own material, much of which also has wry humour. Kit sang lead vocals and played harmonica with a rock'n'roll band in his teens, and with a similar outfit at college, taking up the sax soon afterwards and playing with a progressive rock band and a couple of rhythm & blues bands. He then spent several years with a doo-wop style rock'n'roll band, an AOR band and a New Wave band before playing in Baghdad, Iraq, with a showband for 3 months. He joined another rock'n'roll band for a year on his return and began playing with a big band around this time. In 1984 he formed his own band but continued to play with a big band and other "pick-up" gigs. He joined cult band "Wolfie Witcher's Brew" a couple of years later, staying with them until they split up after a decade or so, and continuing to gig with his own band alongside. Over the years Kit has also played with Frankie Ford, Screaming Lord Sutch, Ray Davies, Otis Grand, Ray Gelato, Barb Jungr, The Guvnors, Dr JJ’s blues Band, Doc Cox (aka Ivor Biggun), Wee Willie Harris, Heinz, Billie Davies and Johnny Legend amongst many others. He has also been an occasional music journalist, Musicians Union activist, community radio DJ and an enthusiastic jive dancer.