Jaymz Bee and the Royal Jelly Orchestra is a Canadian
lounge music
Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The rang ...
and jazz band formed in Toronto. This group of about a dozen musicians, led by Bee (whose real name is James Doyle) released eight albums of cover versions of well-known songs, reinterpreted for performance in cocktail lounges.
History
The band was formed by Jaymz Bee (current host of "Jazz in the City" on CJRT-FM), following the breakup of
The Look People
Look People was a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1985 in Toronto.Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, '' Have Not Been the Same: The Can-Rock Renaissance 1985-1995''. ECW Press. . They were known as "outlandishly quirky", a ...
, and were quickly offered a spot on Molly Johnson's
Kumbaya Festival
The Kumbaya Festival was an annual Canadian music and arts festival in the 1990s.
The band's best known album was 1997's ''Cocktail: Shakin' and Stirred'', released by BMG. It featured lounge interpretations of classic Canadian rock songs, ranging from
Rush
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* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with tw ...
. Some of the vocalists featured on the disc were Tim Tamashiro, Frank Nevada, John Alcorn, Roger Clown,
Big Rude Jake
Andrew Jacob Hiebert (1 March 1963 – 16 June 2022), known professionally as Big Rude Jake, was a Canadian songwriter, singer, musician, and bandleader based in Toronto. The original "Swing Punk", he was associated with the neo-swing trend of t ...
Jono Grant
Jonothan Jonas Grant (born September 13, 1969) is a Canadian composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who was nominated for a Genie award for "Achievement in Music/Original Score" on his first film score ''Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang ( ...
on piano and guitar,
Great Bob Scott
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on drums,
George Koller
George Koller (born December 9, 1958) is a Canadian bassist who has played free jazz, folk music, world music, and world fusion.
Career
Koller has worked with Bruce Cockburn, William Beauvais, Holly Cole, Peter Gabriel, Graeme Kirkland, Lore ...
on bass,
Sarah McElcheran
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious ...
on trumpet,
Jim Bish
Jim or JIM may refer to:
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* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
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on saxophone, flute and clarinet,
Richard Underhill
Richard Underhill is a Canadian jazz saxophonist. A founding member of the jazz fusion group The Shuffle Demons, he has toured Europe and Canada to critical acclaim for over 27 years. Underhill won a 2003 Juno Award for his jazz solo debut ''Tal ...
on alto and soprano sax and
Colleen Allen
Colleen is an Irish language name and is of Irish origin and a generic term for women or girls, from the Irish ''cailín'' 'girl/woman', the diminutive of '' caile'' 'woman, countrywoman'.
Although it originates in the Irish language, Colleen ...
on tenor sax and flute. A vast array of guest vocalists have also performed with the band, including
Tia Brazda
Tia Brazda is a Canadian singer and songwriter, known for performing jazz music that incorporates elements of swing, blues, rockabilly, soul, electro and pop. She has been recognized as a notable figure in the electro-swing movement, and has per ...
, Molly Johnson,
Kyree Vibrant
Kyree is a given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Kyree King
Kyree King (born July 9, 1994) is an American sprinter.
Career
King competed collegiately at Western Kentucky before transferring to Oregon his senior year. He was an All- ...
,
Monika Deol
Monika Deol is a Canadian television personality. She began as an entertainment reporter for Citytv in Toronto, Ontario, and later became a VJ for MuchMusic, hosting and co-producing ''Electric Circus'' from 1988 to 1996. Simultaneously, Deol w ...
, Ed the Sock, Moxy Früvous, Greg Keelor, Albert Schultz, Sophia Perlman, and Ralph Benmergui. Many singers, such as Michael Bublé, DK Ibomeka, Serafin LaRiviere, Sophie Milman, and Lyne Tremblay, have also gone on to do their own recordings and tours since guesting with the band. Vocalists include Julie Michels, Alex Pangman, Jef "Vegas" Farquharson, Mariève Herington, Heather Bambrick and Roger Clown.
The Royal Jelly Orchestra rarely perform for the public. For the most part, the band perform at charity galas, corporate events, awards shows and big budget private parties.
In 2002, Bee released the album ''Sub Urban'' under the name Jaymz Bee and the Deep Lounge Coalition. On vocals were Steve Anthony, Jef Farquharson,
Big Rude Jake
Andrew Jacob Hiebert (1 March 1963 – 16 June 2022), known professionally as Big Rude Jake, was a Canadian songwriter, singer, musician, and bandleader based in Toronto. The original "Swing Punk", he was associated with the neo-swing trend of t ...
, Peter Kent, Melissa McClelland, Clay Tyson and Dave Wall.
Discography
* ''Jaymz Bee and His Royal Jelly Orchestra'', Nepotism Records 1995
* ''Jaymz Bee! "The King Of Cocktail", split with Tim Tamashiro. BMG Special Projects for Smirnoff Vodka 1996.
* ''Cocktail: Shakin' and Stirred'', 1997
* ''A Christmas Cocktail'', 1997
* ''ClintEastWoodyAllenAlda'', Independent 1997. Re-released by Leisure Lab/BMG.
* ''We'll Be Right Back With More'', 1999
* ''Life of the Party'', 2000
* ''Sub Urban'', Jaymz Bee and the Deep Lounge Coalition, Oglio Records 2002
* ''Seriously Happy'', 2004
* ''Toronto Launch Pad'', 2006