The musical Palmer family: Jason, Martin, Lewis and Ken.THREE generations of one musical Salisbury family are tuning up to perform big band jazz classics at a charity concert.

Brothers Lewis (18) and Jason Palmer (16) play the trombone and six-string bass guitar in Salisbury Big Band.

Their grandfather, Ken Palmer (77), is also a trombone player and their father, Martin Palmer, is the band's road manager.

They will all be taking part in the band's next concert, in aid of Save the Children.

Ken became a member of the Salisbury Big Band nearly four years ago and Lewis and Jason joined him last year. Jason and Lewis are also members of Salisbury Area Young Musicians.

Ken learned to play the trombone when he was nine and later played in the band of the Highland and Light Infantry for seven years from 1945.

He said: "I turned up to my first rehearsal aged seven, but was told I couldn't play the trombone because my arm wasn't long enough!"

He taught each of his grandsons to play brass instruments when they were about eight years old.

Jason is now at Salisbury College, studying music, and plays with local rock band Jayeffkay. Lewis is going to Bristol University in September and hopes to become a paramedic.

Ken said: "I hope they won't give it up - it's nice to carry on the tradition.

"My father and both my grandfathers were musicians and two of them played the trombone and one the tuba!"

The 16-piece Salisbury Big Band was founded in the late 1980s by a group of former military bandsmen.

The charity concert will be at the Blackledge Theatre, Godolphin School, Milford Hill, on Friday, April 30.

It will feature music by Glenn Miller and swing classics, as well as modern pop.

Tickets are £8 and are available from Ottakar's Bookshop, 9 New Canal Street, Salisbury.