Professor Nohair
and the Wiglifters

Professor Nohair & The Wiglifters History

 

Professor Nohair (aka Simon Palmer) is a sensational fast fingered, hot Boogie Woogie piano player from South London.

 

He started playing Boogie Woogie in 1977 when he was sixteen and heavily influenced by the playing styles of great  piano players such as  Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, Ramsey Lewis, Gene Harris and Meade Lux Lewis, he  developed and perfected his own blend of Boogie Woogie and Blues.

 

Between 1985-1995 he played piano in the Jivin Instructors; a 9 piece Rockin, Rhythm n Blues, Jump Jive, early Soul good time dance band who  played extensively throughout London, the U.K, and Europe delivering their blend of 50’s and 60’s dance music to the club, pub, and college circuits as well as supporting  a whole string of major names at larger venues.

 

In 1990 Professor Nohair decided to form his own trio and with Double bass and drums a rip roaring Boogie Woogie Trio came into being. Professor Nohair and the Wiglifters played a series of hot  residencies in local jazz bars and an extensive array of gigs around London and the South East as well  as touring distant parts of Europe.

 

Since the late nineties the Professor has added a blend of jazz to his piano style and with the flying fingers of Tom Allen on Double bass and the imfamous Andre St Clair Dyer on Drums  the Wiglifters have become a seriously swinging piano trio.

 

They ventured to the Alps every year between 1988 and 2010 for winter tours of the ski resorts using Chamonix as a base but touring around many resorts in the French and Swiss  Alps performing a series of hot residencies and apres ski sessions here there and everywhere and made many friends.

 

Back in England they have performed at many festivals like The Glastonbury festival, The Canterbury Festival, the Bath Fringe festival, the Hope festival and The Cheltenham food festival.

 

They are based in London and always perform in local jazz bars but also can often be found touring the West country in places like Bath, Bristol and Stroud where they have some regular haunts and regularly return.

 

If you like hot fingered Boogie Woogie piano and you like your jazz to swing contact Professor Nohair and the Wiglifters for a barnstormin night you will never forget!