Chris is Musical Director of Hunstanton Concert Band and Centre Stage Swing Band. Chris’ love of the eccentric and idiosyncratic meant that when he came across the serpent, he had to have one, and his interest in early music and folk music in turn led to him reviving the King’s Lynn Waites.
The traditional title of Chief Waite does not in any way imply the remotest musical superiority, but was used for whichever member of the original Lynn
Waites was responsible for financial dealings with the Town Council, and therefore reflects Chris’ position as the band’s manager.
Chris designs and manages websites for arts organisations and, with his friend Dr James Merryweather, he founded The International Guild of Town Pipers, of which he is a life member and trustee, and created The Waits Website to accumulate and disseminate knowledge of the history of Waits and to promote the growing number of revival bands of Waits and their European equivalents.
Chris and his daughter Lizzie also perform as a Renaissance or Georgian duo. See www.wyldesnoyse.co.uk for details.
Before studying music at Durham University, Elizabeth took an active part in the music scene in West Norfolk. She was leader of West Norfolk Jubilee Youth Orchestra for three years, and played clarinet in Springwood High School Concert Band. She has also been a member of the Norfolk Symphony Orchestra, and has played in various other ensembles.
She is particularly interested in composition, and was commissioned by Norfolk County Council to write a suite of music for the King's Lynn Waites, for use in their civic duties. She has also arranged several Renaissance popular tunes for the Waites, and has been commissioned to compose pieces for private individuals, arrange piano scores, and compose incidental music for a professional drama company.
Having met her partner, Erik, whilst crewing on a Dutch tall ship, she moved to the Netherlands, where she continued to pursue both her musical and her seafaring careers, and forged links with our friends, the Stadspijpers van ’s-Hertogenbosch.
Returning weith Erik to this country, she is now a full-time professional early musician and music teacher, based in Essex, but is maintaining her links with both the Netherlands and West Norfolk. She is a member of the York Waits, and the Early Music ensemble Blondel, as well as running her own band of Waits in Colchester. Elizabeth and her father Chris also perform as a Renaissance or Georgian duo. See www.wyldesnoyse.co.uk for details.
Lured into the world of early music by Lizzie, Erik now takes care of the bass line of the King's Lynn Waites. He has recently started business as a shawm and chalumeau maker. See The Shawm Shop for his instruments and accessories, and for Lizzie's reeds and rommelpots!
Carl is the "new boy". An accomplished lutenist, he has taken to the soprano shawm with enthusiasm, and performed with the Waites for the first time on Heritage Day 2016. His musicality and his sense of humour are going to be great assets to the band.
Traditionally, Waites didn't have drummers. However, most towns had a town drummer, whose duties included giving the alarm in times of crisis, and drawing attention to the public proclamation of official announcements. There are many references to the Town Drummer accompanying the Waites in procession, and we are now fortunate to have our own Town Drummer in the person of Jayne Gutteridge. Jayne plays alto sax with the Hunstanton Concert Band and baritone sax with Centre Stage Swing Band, and percussion is a relatively new departure for her, but she's already bringing an exciting vitality to the sound of King's Lynn Waites. She also plays percussion with Wyldes Noyse.