Interview: Ian Clarkson and THE JIVE ACES Bring Swing to NYC's Green Room 42
The UK’s number one Jive and Swing band will appear at the NYC hotspot for one night only on April 2
Got the blues? Well, step right up, because The Jive Aces are bringing their swingin' show to town on April 2nd! When these cats burst onto the stage in their signature yellow suits, you’ll be tapping your feet and grinning like a fool before you know it. This is more than just a show — it’s a proper good time packed with the hottest music from sizzling swing to the raucous roots of rock 'n' roll, that’ll leave you buzzing.
For 30 years they've have been taking their infectious tunes to over 40 countries and continuously proving why they are the UK’s No.1 jive and swing band. They effortlessly transition from smooth-as-butter ballads to rip-roaring rhythm & blues. They’ve played for the Queen, packed out the Royal Albert Hall, and made history as the first band to get to the Britain’s Got Talent finals. With 250 gigs a year, they’ve got a knack for turning any crowd into a dancing, cheering frenzy.
Read a conversation below with their lead singer, Ian Clarkson (pictured above).
What are you most looking forward to about your show at the Green Room 42?
Well this would be our first time playing at the Green Room 42, so that’s exciting! We hear it’s a great supper club where Broadway celebrities come to hang out. So we hope some of them will be there and become fans of the bands! We simply LOVE New York! So any good excuse to be there is always the perfect excuse! We hope that it will become a regular place for us to do a stop-by when we come for our yearly US tour! We have done our own West End theatre show in London so we look forward to giving our regards to Broadway!
Can you tell us a little about what appearing on Britain’s Got Talent had done for your career?
I think most experiences in this business help you grow if you have the right outlook. Simon Cowell loved us and we put him in a “good mood” on a day when he had been getting bored until our audition, so being well known for making Simon smile has definitely helped. As well as the great exposure it introduced us to a lot of new areas and people, and of course we played for her majesty The Queen! It opened up a window for the whole country to see us an hear our music. But also one of the most successful things we have found is our music videos. We enjoy making them and it is a way to use the modern internet medium to reach people all over the world who otherwise might never have heard our style of music and they have lead us to travel to many distant cities and foreign lands.
How did you put this new show together?
We have a huge repertoire of songs. We select songs we like, that are high energy or are great classics everyone loves. We then try those songs with live audiences and pick the best of the lot. We are basing our show on our latest album “Keeping the Show On the Road”, which has our number one Heritage Chart single “La Vie En Rose” and our signature song “Bring Me Sunshine,” which got us to fame. So we chose the songs that are fun, have great energy and emotion and mainly that will make people happy.
What have you been filing your time with lately?
A lot!! Just before starting our US tour, less than a week ago, we were filming for a pilot TV show with the grandson of Bing Crosby, Phil Crosby, then drove to Paris where we played at the famous Caveau De La Huchette jazz club (featured in the La La Land movie), playing there into the early Parisian hours, doing all the preparations for our upcoming album “Good Rocking Tonight, The Roots of the King” - oooooh I know, right! - and of course preparing our one month US tour! That has filled our calendars!
What else is up next for you?
We are also preparing another TV pilot for a Christmas show. So we are learning new holiday songs in March [laughs]! Releasing the new “Good Rocking Tonight” album mentioned above. And then we are also working on a new album, a Christmas/holiday one and a new type of vintage sound we have christened “uke-a-billy” which are rock ‘n’ roll songs but instead of a big huge guitar features ukulele and a roots blue grass feel to them (based on a few social media “reels” we did that went viral too).
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Yes, if anyone would like to know what we sound like and need to ditch the blues, then should check out our four million views and award-winning music video “Bring Me Sunshine.” We know that we can reach anyone who is having a miserable time and cheer them up! (Even Simon Cowell, haha!) We live to entertain and to bring joy to the world. If you are feeling blue, we challenge you to not break into a smile or tap your feet!
Learn more about the group at jiveaces.org
Find tickets to the Jive Aces on April 2 at NYC’s Green Room 42 on their website here
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