Who are Splanky?
Splanky is an all-woman saxophone quartet based in Gloucestershire. We are seasoned musicians who play a diverse range of musical styles. Karen and Lee both play Soprano and Alto saxophones, Carolyn and Diane play Tenor and Baritone.
We are a group of friends who have come together through our shared love of the saxophone, not just four musicians who happen to play together. Our varied musical backgrounds encompass Jazz, Swing, Blues, Orchestral, Rock, Pop, Chamber Music, and Soul. Over the years our paths have crossed in various big bands but in 2023, for the first time, all four of us happened to play in the same section and Splanky was born!
As players, we blend the easy, swinging music of our shared big band history with a wide mix of contemporary and orchestral sensibilities and styles. Enthusiasm led to our first recording session before the band was even a year old, with more artistic projects being quietly planned behind the scenes.
We all relish being part of a quartet as no part has greater significance, no instrument more prestige. We have to be our own conductor and rhythm section, whilst conveying the melody and emotion of the piece.
The privilege of performing for an audience is something we all revel in. We create the perfect atmosphere for any occasion due to an extensive catalogue of music and of course, experience. When discussions arise regarding our repertoire we refer back to Rossini, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who have all been similarly quoted: “There are only two kinds of music; Good, and the other one…”
Karen Wray
It is now many decades since I began training as a classical pianist, winning a music scholarship and several competitions along the way., and later adding cello and clarinet as part of a formal music education. By age 12, I was leading the school sax quartet on soprano sax; and later that year, I also joined GYJO on tenor sax, playing professional level big band charts. I currently play jazz clarinet, soprano, alto and tenor at Diminished7 (trad); Glevum Big Band; and my own quartet
My enthusiasm for learning has never ended, and in 2018 I enrolled at Jazz School UK to study jazz language, theory and performance. Each month I attend workshops lead by some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians, including Nikki Iles, Dave O'Higgins and Alan Barnes to name but a few
Lee Shaw
I started playing saxophone at the age of 21- I just went out and bought a tenor and took it from there. I was given my first taste of playing big band music with GYJO (on tenor) and discovered that I liked improvisation more than reading. Nothing much has changed! Nine years later, an imminent round the world trip to Asia, Australia and America meant I traded my tenor for an alto to make life easier
I have sung and played saxophone in a number of bands and duos covering jazz standards through to pop and rock. I now play tenor in the Glevum Big Band and the birth of Splanky encouraged me to pick up the soprano to play alongside my alto. I love all three!
Diane Arthurs
At 13 I switched from bassoon to tenor saxophone and never looked back! Through the local Youth Jazz Orchestra my passion for big bands and jazz grew and I have continued to play tenor and baritone with various big bands along the way
I studied music education and taught full time for many years. I now split my time evenly between education and live performance with my own jazz duo, jazz quartet, guesting with tribute and funk bands and of course, my main focus, Splanky
Carolyn Folley
Starting with the oboe and the classical grade route through school I still very much enjoy the orchestral sound however, from playing in concert bands and listening to a wide variety of music, the big band sound got my attention and I soon took the plunge to move across to the saxophone and into jazz
I have played tenor sax for various local big bands through the years and to mix this up with the baritone as one quarter of Splanky has been an opportunity too good to miss. That beefy beast is my latest venture and playing with like-minded friends across a range of styles is both fun and continues that never ending journey of self improvement
All-Woman Saxophone Quartet