Alex Mendham (born 13 September 1989 in
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, England) is an English singer, saxophonist, and bandleader. He is best known as the founder and leader of
Alex Mendham & His Orchestra.
Founding his orchestra in 2010, Mendham, who has been described as ''a very classic British gentleman with a flawless and sophisticated attire'', has risen to become Britain's premier bandleader recreating the glamorous, romantic music of the 1920s and 1930s by replicating the authentic aura of every song using careful arrangements and instruments from the era. Performing in elegant attire from the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
era, Alex and his Orchestra performed as the house band at London's luxurious Savoy Hotel, is frequently featured on BBC Radio and appeared on stage to sell out audiences in the UK, Europe and USA. He has been featured on the BBC and in journals including Forbes.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic that devastated the livelihoods of musicians, Mendham signed to
Decca Records for a project celebrating the career of
Dame Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...
, entitled ''Keep Smiling Through'' and recorded his uplifting compilation of hot jazz standards and romantic songs, ''Puttin' on the Ritz''.
Discography
* ''Whistling in the Dark'' (2013)
* ''Jazznocracy'' (2015)
* ''
On With The Show'' (2017)
*Puttin' on the Ritz (2020)
Mendham launched a
Kickstarter Campaign to fund his 2020 album exceeding his £7,000 goal with £11,120 pledged by 158 backers. Recording of the album and a series of concerts aboard
Cunard
Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...
's
Queen Mary 2
RMS ''Queen Mary 2'' (also referred to as the ''QM2'') is a British transatlantic ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of Cunard Line since succeeding ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' in 2004. As of 2022, ''Queen Mary 2'' is the only ocean liner ...
on a transatlantic crossing to New York City was interrupted by the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic. However, when lock down restrictions were temporarily eased in the UK, Mendham succeeded in assembling the orchestra and recording the album.
References
External links
Alex Mendham & His Orchestra's home page*https://vimeo.com/alexmendhamorchestra
*https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07h6qlg
*https://syncopatedtimes.com/alex-mendham-and-the-classic-british-dance-band/
1989 births
Living people
Big band bandleaders
English male singers
English jazz saxophonists
{{England-musician-stub