Meet the Band

Monty’s Maggot brings together some of the best known players on the English dance music scene with some newer faces.  Monty's Maggot features the driving fiddles of Flos Headford and Taz Tarry, the percussive guitar of Keith Holloway, Jeremy Tozer's melodeon with bite and bounce, and Vicky Benjamin, Heather White and Rachel Williams on baritone and tenor saxes to round out and add depth to the sound.

 

Vicky Benjamin first came across folk music working with primary school children alongside established folk musicians Luke Daniels and John Dipper.  Vicky studied saxophone at the University of Leeds with Richard Ingham and Carl Raven, and at the University of North Texas with Sarah Roberts.  

Vicky teaches woodwind and cello for Berkshire Maestros and freelances from home in Newbury. Vicky played Principal Alto Sax with the National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain and most recently in the SaxFamily; she records for Saxtet Publications.

 

 

Flos Headford has played fiddle in the Old Swan Band for over thirty years, was a founder member of the Mellstock Band and is a founder member of Monty’s Maggot as well.

He’s one of the great exponents of traditional English music, with musical roots going back to his time with Gloucester Old Spot Morris. He lives in both Shropshire and Gloucestershire but not at the same time! He has played at all the major festivals and winter ceilidh series and designed and taught many fiddle workshops.

 

 

Keith Holloway plays guitar and melodeon in Monty's Maggot.  Keith has played bass with ‘Random’ for more years than he wishes to remember; he played mandolin and melodeon with Phungus, guitars and mandolin (and sang) with Wayland Smithy, and he plays melodeon with Didcot Junction.  

In his spare time Keith plays bass with the blues band Beggars Belief, plays banjo and rides motorbikes; he lives in Abingdon.

 

 

Taz Tarry has developed his own fiddle style based on Southern English traditional fiddle styles, but with others in the mix. He formed the English String Band in 2011, in which he plays with Flos and others of the best traditional English-style string players.

Before that he was with the well-respected Grand Union dance band for many years. Taz has played at many national festivals and ceilidh series, and he has also given numerous workshops on fiddle playing.  Taz lives in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

 

 

 Jeremy Tozer had the initial idea to start the band. Jerry is a native of Devon and is known there for his love of English dance tunes.  Jerry plays melodeon and also dances with Exeter-based Great Western Morris.

He is currently living in Stoke Row in the North East (in Oxfordshire which is NE of Exeter!) while he plans how to finance his long-desired cider orchard and press. He has performed at many festivals, organizes instrumental workshops, and assists with folk festival organization in the summer.

 

 

Heather White has been playing tenor sax and whistles in bands ever since she was invited to play along with Jack’s Maggot at the village ceilidh when she was 14.  She also plays baritone and soprano sax, and clarinet. 

Her varied musical life has included orchestras, swing bands, morris, and Euro folk band Muscadin. Heather may currently be seen whistling in ceilidhs around Oxfordshire with Mouse & Trousers, and playing tenor sax with swing/blues/covers band, the Titanic House Band.  Heather lives in Oxford.

 

Rachel Williams is the latest recruit to the band.  She's a multi-instrumentalist and music teacher running the school choir, orchestra and folk group, and organising school concerts and shows.  By accident, Rachel got dragged to the Cambridge Folk Festival and a new love of folk music began.  Not long after the bug for morris dancing took over, followed by the purchase of a melodeon.  Assimilation into the folk scene was now complete.  However, delving into the murky world of jazz brought her to the Baritone Sax.  Now both can combine!  

 

 

White Horse Festival Ceilidh