Drummer Pete Cater is on a mission and a single-handed one at that - to keep big band music alive and kicking.

In recent years the broadcast media has relegated the huge sounds of more than a dozen musicians coming together to the backdrop of X-Factor contestants' ballad singing or the career move of choice for faded pop stars.

Drummer and band leader Cater will not let it go that way though and this Saturday brings his own band of 15 music makers to Fairfield Halls with the task of recreating the legendary sounds of drummer Buddy Rich.

The concert will contain virtually all the best-remembered and most frequently requested items from Rich’s repertoire, a rare opportunity to hear it played live as it was intended to sound.

Expect to hear West Side Story, Love for Sale, Norwegian Wood and much more of the unforgettable music made famous by arguably the most successful big band of the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Cater has been a leader of his own big band since he was a teenager and been with his current group since 1995, recording three internationally acclaimed CDs.

A Very Special Tribute to Buddy Rich, Fairfield Halls, April 17, 7.45pm, £15. Call 020 8688 9291 or visit fairfield.co.uk.