About Chas Ambler

Chas plays piano, drums, vibes, harmonium and sings, writes and arranges songs and instrumental music. Chas has performed and/or recorded with Don Weller, Lol Coxhill, Jamie Muir, Boris the Rock Band, Your Dad, Johnny Rondo Combo, Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts, Johnny G, John Spencer's Louts,7:84 Theatre Co, Natural Theatre Co and Trees.

He has been a gigging musician all his life and has worked in all forms of music - pop, jazz, R&B, ska, folk, country, light music and theatre.

He is currently working with a number of bands - Slick Serenaders (on vibes), Guns of Navarone ska band (Keys and arranger/composer), Stuff Like That soul band (keys), Greg Morgan (drums), Archie & Bohannon New Orleans piano duo (drums), Band from Uncle modern jazz band (drums), Bill Lloyd (harmonium), Shel & the Crownies (keys), More Music Morecambe (accompanist) as well as working solo.

Chas worked for a number of theatre companies - 7:84 England and Scotland as musician and contributing composer, Natural Theatre(Bath), Dramarama, Prompt Copy, Puppet Tree as musician/actor.

He has worked as a composer for Peter Brooks (of Impact theatre), Cleveland Theatre Company, Glory What Glory TC, British Events & 7:84 and others.

He has also helped found a couple of housing co-ops and been involved in the organisation of countless festivals - Glastonbury, Walcot Beano/Nation(Bath), Barsham Fair, Rougham Tree Fair, Northern Alternatives, Glastonbury Green Gathering, Big Green Gathering, Northern Green Gathering, Sunrise, Glasson Music Festival etc. He is currently working with Medical Welfare at festivals, representing them at multi-agency meetings.

Chas was brought up in a family of musicians, his father being a pro violinist (or fiddler, as he defined it) (see My Dad) and mother a soprano and entertainer. On his father's side his grandfather was a pro  pianist, grandmother a singer and his great-grandfather ran a touring melodrama company (from at least the 1840s). On his mother's side his grandmother was a commedienne, Gwen Adeler, great-uncle a pianist/bandleader, Edgar Adeler (the man who discovered Al Bowlly), and great-grandfather Edwin Adeler an impresario (Adeler & Sutton), journalist and performer - and the person responsible for the first revival of music hall in the 30's.