about the band
The Bob Cutting Big Band, formerly known as the Harold Elmey Big Band is Oxford’s longest established Big Band. We’re led by our musical director and local big band legend, Bob Cutting.
The band features the standard line-up of trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm. We are often joined by one or more of our amazing singers, Karen Wymbs, Marion Nicolosi and Ella Thompson.
We put on a number of concerts through the year around Oxford. We are also available for hire and regularly play at festivals, parties and corporate events.
what we play
Our repertoire consists mainly of standard big band arrangements. It includes numbers from such well known bands as Count Basie, Ted Heath and Glen Miller, as well as also those of more recent composers and arrangers. You can listen to some of our music on SoundCloud.
Bob cutting
Bob Cutting started his career in the world of brass bands and joined the 3rd Dragoon Guards Band, training at the famous Royal Military School of Music (Kneller Hall) in 1960-61. Leaving the Army in 1964 he worked in photography and joined the well-known “Morris Motors Brass Band” working under such notables as Sir Harry Mortimer, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Imogen Holst and many other eminent conductors of the time.
Leaving behind the world of brass bands in 1972, Bob joined the Eddie Curtis Orchestra. Working, recording and touring as lead trumpet/soloist with The John Miller Orchestra and before that the Herb Miller Orchestra. This was the beginning of a professional career in performing and teaching in most genres of music, and has been the mainstay of his musical career. There have been other notable freelance ventures with various bands and shows – Swings the Thing, Debbie Curtis Radio Big Band, The Joe Loss Orchestra, The Ray McVay Orchestra and The Glenn Miller UK band being a few to note.
Teaching has seen him as a peripatetic brass teacher at St Edwards School (Oxford), Oxford High School, St Helens and St Katharine’s School (Abingdon), Moulsford Prep School and many others, plus a busy teaching practice of his own. The Bob Cutting Big Band is his latest venture in a busy, musical life.