Dennis Rollins

Dennis Rollins (born 1964) is an English jazz trombonist, the founder and bandleader of BadBone and Co.

Dennis Rollins
Rollins in concert, 17 April 2008
Background information
Birth nameDennis George Rollins
Born1964
OriginDoncaster, England
GenresJazz, pop, jazz-funk
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader, record producer
InstrumentsTrombone
Years activec. 1984 - present
LabelsMotéma Music
Associated actsBadBone and Co, Boneyard
Websitehttp://www.dennisrollins.com/ Dennis Rollins.com

Early life and career

Dennis George Rollins was born in Birmingham, England, of Jamaican parents, and raised in Bentley, Doncaster, where he attended Don Valley High School. When he was 14 years old, he joined The Doncaster Youth Jazz Association, with which he studied and performed for some years[1] before moving to London in 1987.

Rollins has recorded, performed, and toured with a host of musicians and bands in jazz and pop, including Courtney Pine,[2] and Maceo Parker,.[3]

In 1995 he formed his own jazz-funk band, Dee Roe, with which he performed at such venues as the Jazz Café, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, the London Forum, and Brixton Academy.

In 2000 he again formed a band, the quintet Dennis Rollins' BadBone and Co., launched at the Barbican Centre in March of that year, again specialising in funk-inflected jazz.

Rollins with trombone, 2008

In 2005 he formed Boneyard, an ensemble featuring 10 trombones, sousaphone (or "sousabone"), and drums; this band performed a series of live gigs throughout the U.K. that summer as well as a performance on BBC Radio 3. Boneyard featured the British jazz trombonists Barnaby Dickinson, Matt Colman, Julian Hepple, Andy Derrick, Kevin Holborough, Harry Brown, and Lee Hallam, with Andy Grappy on sousaphone.[4]

Current band members of Badbone&co are: Jay Phelps on trumpet, Johnny Heyes on guitars, Courtney Thomas on bass, Ross Stanley on keys and Jack Pollit on drums.

Rollins is an artist/clinician for Michael Rath Trombones.[5] His personal instrument is a yellow brass/nickel silver Rath R3.

In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours list Rollins was awarded an MBE for services to music.[6]

Recordings (as leader)
  • 2000: Wild & Free (E.P.)
  • 2001: BadBone
  • 2003: Make Your Move
  • 2006: Big Night Out

References
  1. Bowers, Jack (1 December 1999). "Have You Heard . . . The Doncaster Jazz Orchestra . . . and Friends: DYJA". All About Jazz. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  2. Astarita, Glenn. "BadBone: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  3. "Maceo Parker with his band, featuring Ben Rollins - Cheltenham Jazz Festival". Jazzwise. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  4. Derrick, Andy. "Boneyard". Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  5. "Dennis Rollins". rathtrombones. com. Michael Rath Trombones. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  6. "Jazz musicians recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours", Jazz FM, 10 June 2018.

Literature
  • John Chilton, Who's Who of British Jazz, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004, ISBN 0-8264-7234-6
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