James Rawlinson
James grew up in Bournemouth on the South Coast of England playing the clarinet aged 9 and quickly progressing to the saxophone at 11. Taught by local music legend Alan Melly he then attended Homefield School on a music scholarship, followed by another saxophone scholarship at The Royal Academy of Music. James then began a journey down a path to his real love, Jazz.
James can be seen performing with his dance band “The Red Fez Orchestra” which aims to recreate the sound of the 1920s and 30s dance bands. He is also a founding member of the Swing Unlimited Group, The Boogie Bumpers, The Regular Joes and organises workshops and courses with JazzSmart which he set up in 2010. JazzSmart has seen him working alongside sax legends such as Derek Nash, Andy Scott, Dave O’Higgins, Jay Metcalf, and many more.
As a passionate educator James also is the head of woodwind at Durlston Court School, Walhampton School and runs his own teaching studio in Bournemouth.
James plays: Yanagisawa TWO20 Tenor Saxophone