Last updated: 7 hours ago
<a href="spotify:artist:4oIjUDUGJcQpzLjOSP4j5b" data-name="The Zoo Community Jazz Band">The Zoo Community Jazz Band</a> is the alter-ego of Pete Briley. Briley is best known as the man behind the banjo, lap steel and pedal steel in <a href="spotify:artist:1sK37GLciGGUDoENgqN3X3" data-name="The Outlaw Orchestra">The Outlaw Orchestra</a> and as the songwriter behind country-folk duo <a href="spotify:artist:6U83aovTwdyFvX0wTinsBs" data-name="Hengistbury">Hengistbury</a>. As a session musician, he has performed on tracks by artists such as <a href="spotify:artist:6O603y0DnyzMMIKrqeSs88" data-name="Raphael & the Sexy Boys">Raphael & the Sexy Boys</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0vvvd21s4hC1oXSgw2EIvB" data-name="Chris Harvey">Chris Harvey</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5uCEjFC74buoG0qpHMjABW" data-name="Edmund Bagnell">Edmund Bagnell</a>.
But <a href="spotify:artist:4oIjUDUGJcQpzLjOSP4j5b" data-name="The Zoo Community Jazz Band">The Zoo Community Jazz Band</a> actually pre-dates all of these projects. Founded in 2011, ZCJB was originally a faceless, anonymous collective of musicians including pianist <a href="spotify:artist:5jEGjnI2WdRyJSUICQQIrK" data-name="Simeon Walker">Simeon Walker</a>, singer <a href="spotify:artist:2FD6j4z73kdHeNVc2EyAUl" data-name="Poppy Wilson">Poppy Wilson</a>, Simon Briley of <a href="spotify:artist:5plsbLK0qmYknJ5Bd05d2M" data-name="We Are Bandicoot">We Are Bandicoot</a> and produced by Graham Waller of <a href="spotify:artist:2wKAMNs3GBaOT4TlIYegCq" data-name="Strike Eagle">Strike Eagle</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:51JK9vg2VJYsfsdQoA5XU3" data-name="GlitterWølf">GlitterWølf</a>.
The collective’s first album, <a href="spotify:album:5p4nLFhnEyMNLytspaEI6p" data-name="Monsieur Chevalier">Monsieur Chevalier</a> was released in 2011 with the first single <a href="spotify:track:4qdfc95mMBza7L2kSlI9yb" data-name="Dark and Dirty Dancehalls">Dark and Dirty Dancehalls</a> featured on BBC Introducing and the second single <a href="spotify:track:4OiXLBYIH94oGuMQrQcmQO" data-name="Can't Hold It Down">Can't Hold It Down</a> landed a spot on the BBC 6 Music playlist in early 2012.
In the Spring of 2012, ZCJB began work on their second album <a href="spotify:album:2yj6LXduN9mZV1DxwHoKsl" data-name="Stories">Stories</a> starting in Kent before heading to Nashville for the finishing touches.
And then the band entered a hibernation that would last 8 years.
In 2020, as Covid forced the world into lockdown, Pete Briley dusted the Zoo Community Jazz Band off and released a series of new singles all performed and recorded by himself, including a synth wave cover of Dolly Parton’s <a href="spotify:album:33hSqATNbyxwLxottkPB9r" data-name="Jolene">Jolene</a> which was included in the <a href="spotify:playlist:22Fg9zAYz8XUerQWnVuMzz" data-name="Synthwave Covers">Synthwave Covers</a> playlist.
But <a href="spotify:artist:4oIjUDUGJcQpzLjOSP4j5b" data-name="The Zoo Community Jazz Band">The Zoo Community Jazz Band</a> actually pre-dates all of these projects. Founded in 2011, ZCJB was originally a faceless, anonymous collective of musicians including pianist <a href="spotify:artist:5jEGjnI2WdRyJSUICQQIrK" data-name="Simeon Walker">Simeon Walker</a>, singer <a href="spotify:artist:2FD6j4z73kdHeNVc2EyAUl" data-name="Poppy Wilson">Poppy Wilson</a>, Simon Briley of <a href="spotify:artist:5plsbLK0qmYknJ5Bd05d2M" data-name="We Are Bandicoot">We Are Bandicoot</a> and produced by Graham Waller of <a href="spotify:artist:2wKAMNs3GBaOT4TlIYegCq" data-name="Strike Eagle">Strike Eagle</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:51JK9vg2VJYsfsdQoA5XU3" data-name="GlitterWølf">GlitterWølf</a>.
The collective’s first album, <a href="spotify:album:5p4nLFhnEyMNLytspaEI6p" data-name="Monsieur Chevalier">Monsieur Chevalier</a> was released in 2011 with the first single <a href="spotify:track:4qdfc95mMBza7L2kSlI9yb" data-name="Dark and Dirty Dancehalls">Dark and Dirty Dancehalls</a> featured on BBC Introducing and the second single <a href="spotify:track:4OiXLBYIH94oGuMQrQcmQO" data-name="Can't Hold It Down">Can't Hold It Down</a> landed a spot on the BBC 6 Music playlist in early 2012.
In the Spring of 2012, ZCJB began work on their second album <a href="spotify:album:2yj6LXduN9mZV1DxwHoKsl" data-name="Stories">Stories</a> starting in Kent before heading to Nashville for the finishing touches.
And then the band entered a hibernation that would last 8 years.
In 2020, as Covid forced the world into lockdown, Pete Briley dusted the Zoo Community Jazz Band off and released a series of new singles all performed and recorded by himself, including a synth wave cover of Dolly Parton’s <a href="spotify:album:33hSqATNbyxwLxottkPB9r" data-name="Jolene">Jolene</a> which was included in the <a href="spotify:playlist:22Fg9zAYz8XUerQWnVuMzz" data-name="Synthwave Covers">Synthwave Covers</a> playlist.
