Ben Crosland's All Star Band plays the Ray Davies songbook

In 2016 Ben Crosland released the critically acclaimed album The Ray Davies Songbook, a tribute to the Kinks iconic singer/composer Ray Davies, following a commission to create these imaginative jazz arrangements by the Marsden Jazz Festival.

Crosland began his musical education at the age of thirteen playing along to the Kinks’ singles on the Dansette in his bedroom. Fifty years on, he has discovered new subtleties and strengths in Ray Davies’ compositions and has assembled a quintet of international standing to record and perform these arrangements.

Strong grooves, a natural swing and strong, evocative melodies characterise Ray Davies’ songs which allows them to be beautifully reinterpreted in a more contemporary fashion. From straight-ahead swing through 8th feel grooves and ballads to reggae, Crosland and the band shine a new light on these classic songs. The album was nominated by respected jazz writer Brian Morton as one of his albums of the year in the Jazz Journal Critics’ Poll 2016. Following the success of the first album, the Quintet released a second Volume of the Ray Davies Songbook in 2019, also to significant critical acclaim. The Quintet has continued to tour the Songbook around the UK to universally enthusiastic audiences.