There is only one Ray Gelato!

Ray has been taking his special brand of swing, jazz and R&B music all over the world since 1988. This multi-talented singer, saxman, songwriter and band leader has appeared at festivals, clubs and concert stages from Brazil to New York City.

Gathering more fans with every passing year, Ray’s audience includes young children and grown up kids alike, for the simple reason that his joyful music lifts everyone who hears it – a unique gift indeed. Ray and his world class band, ‘The Giants’, deliver a high energy show that never fails to get a crowd on its feet. The Giants perform with the highest level of musicianship; the horn section being acclaimed as one of the finest in the business. Ray has been compared to such greats as Cab Calloway and Louis Prima. In fact, he’s been called ‘one of the last great jazz entertainers’!

The legendary ‘Godfather of Swing’ and his band have had an illustrious and very successful career, including a long-established residency at London’s world-famous Ronnie Scott’s, where the band appears every Christmas. This must-see event is always a sell-out. He has also performed for HM The Queen (twice), opened for Robbie Williams at the Albert Hall, and was chosen to play at Sir Paul McCartney’s wedding. A memorable highlight was performing at New York’s Lincoln Center, fronting an 18 piece big band and wowing an audience of 3,000.

Mr Gelato has 10 albums to his name. The Daily Telegraph gave his last release 5 stars, stating, “Not for nothing is Gelato known as ‘The Godfather of Swing’ – this album is a joyous delight.” His music has also been featured in a number of Hollywood movies such as ‘Inventing The Abbotts’, ‘No Reservations’ and ‘The Perfect Man’ and TV shows such as the HBO series ‘Hung’, and UK cooking show ‘The Hairy Bikers’.

Highlights of Ray’s impressive career include sell out shows at The Blue Note (Milan), the famous Blue Note Club in New York, and of course London’s Ronnie Scott’s where the Times’ Clive Davis wrote “Whether he is blowing a romantic Ben Webster-style ballad, or vamping it up on a huge toned, R&B fuelled Boulevard of Broken Dreams, the stylish, sharp-suited Gelato brings an unmistakable physical presence to the bandstand.

He is a larger than life character.” Most recently Ray and the band once again headlined at the Umbria Jazz Festival playing in the main arena to thousands of his long-standing Italian fans. Ray and the band have just released their first vinyl album entitled The Italian Collection. He also continues his seasonal residency at Ronnie Scott's which once again promises to be a sell out this year. Ray has produced, starred in and directed two videos. Both based around his original tunes ‘Get Off the Phone’ and ‘A Pizza You’, these have continued to gather You Tube followers and new fans.