The Traveling Janes
Led by celebrated Scottish-American jazz vocalist Ali Affleck, The Traveling Janes is an all-women international ensemble bringing the joyful roots of jazz and blues back to life. Formed in London, this unique band unites five award-winning musicians from four different countries—Scotland, the United States, Singapore, and Australia—to recreate the wild and irreverent sounds that fuelled the vaudeville tents and railroad tours of early 20th-century America.
This act isn’t a nostalgic pastiche but a vibrant, fact-steeped revival that honours the pioneering spirit of jazz and blues legends like Louis Armstrong, Ma Rainey, Jelly Roll Morton, and Sidney Bechet.
Taking their name from the bold women who worked on America’s railroads and vaudevillian shows—the band celebrates the daring, freewheeling music that evolved in the bustling, sometimes raucous, heart of the American South. Forget Gatsby glamour; this is the authentic story of America’s old-time popular music, a joyful and historically rich experience that brings 21st-century audiences the same exhilaration intended by its original creators.
Also joining Ali Affleck on vocals & washboard will be Katie Cavera (banjo/guitar) and Hannah Rose Dexter (bass) from the U.S, Amanda Lee (piano) from Singapore, and Aurélie Tropez from France (reeds).
These modern-day Traveling Janes, each with a distinguished reputation in the jazz and blues world, come together to deliver rapturous performances, reinterpreting powerful tunes that transformed jazz into a global phenomenon.
For those ready to journey back in time to America’s prohibition-era music hall scene, The Traveling Janes promise an unforgettable celebration of early jazz and blues—music that’s as alive, rebellious, and relevant today as it was a century ago.
