Review Centre: Latin / Salsa / Mariachi Bands

"A complimentary glass of bubbly is always a good sign as you step through the door. Or, in this case, as you step aboard. We were on the elegant Millennium Diamond, a handsome modern catamaran leaving from Westminster Pier for a jazz cruise of the Thames. Jazz and dinner. And bubbly. With Big Ben glowing in the mellow late evening light, we cast off (I think that’s the term). We were presented with a small safety lecture and a large plate of tapas. As we glided by the London Eye and under bridges, the boat’s resident jazz band began to play. They are Chi Jazz: Noel Jay on electric keyboards, Matt Tween on bass, Steve Grainger a disciple of Johnny Hodges with a penchant for sneaking cheeky little quotations from The Pink Panther into his solos on alto sax and John Clarke on drums. Debbie Cobbett was guest vocalist. And this is a crack quartet, as was made clear by their opening number A Foggy Day (In London Town) — a great tune, though you could hardly have chosen a less foggy day than this scorching, gorgeous summer occasion with sunlight striking through the panoramic windows. Grainger’s alto was in the lead, offering sweetly swaying, reverberant cadences. The stately skyline of London surged grandly past as the combo commenced I’ve Got You Under My Skin with Debbie Cobbett joining in on warm, mellow vocals. As Grainger’s sax played debonair, descending phrases with the setting sun glinted on the river waves and the Shard rearing gleaming against the sky it became clear we were in for a tremendously pleasant experience. Red double-decker buses rolled across Cannon Street Bridge and HMS Belfast hove into view as the band began A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, reinforcing their excellent choice of songs. Noel Jay provided a delicate drapery of keyboards and Grainger went down a spiral bebop staircase on his alto. Matt Tween’s warm bass rolled like the waves as Jay embarked on a discursive, detailed solo. Steve Grainger’s playing on Moon River was reflective and rhapsodic, coming at the tune from all angles with an echoing complexity of commentary. Noel Jay’s ringing keyboard solo excavated the melody from a solid body of improvisation while the steady cadence of John Clarke’s exemplary work on cymbals and brushes rooted the tune. The only way the band could have improved the evening’s music was by playing The Way You Look Tonight — which they proceeded to do. Jay performed a chiming, charging solo while Grainger’s alto scooted and soared above and John Clarke’s drumming skilfully kicked the number forward. This was bop adapted for the dinner hour, and none the worse for it. The sun descended in a benign hot blaze over Tower Bridge, the blue sky scribbled with white contrails as One Note Samba provided a showcase for soloists. Steve Grainger’s fluid sax purred with restraint as he skirted the tune and Noel Jay played bright raucous phrases and dancing long lines against the backdrop of Matt Tween’s big, ripe bass and John Clarke’s steady, constant shimmer of drums. I could also tell you about The Girl from Ipanema but I was too busy concentrating on my moist, flavoursome chicken breast in ratatouille — which is a pity, because both Grainger’s sax and Jay’s keyboards were at their best as I stuffed my mouth full of buttery mashed potato. With the riggings of the Cutty Sark floating above the dark trees and the nocturnal sweep of the city silhouetted against the last of the blue sky, it was clear that this was an unbeatable way to spend an evening. Great music, great food, great experience. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You were great and it went down really well with the guests!"

Reply by Rory
Great news re: Gaucho!

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for such an amazing evening just great, hope you got back safely regards Julie"

Reply by Rory
Hi Julie, you’re welcome! Just got home an hour ago. Hope you, Charlotte, Mark and family+friends enjoyed your party night and got plenty of rest and relaxation today. Time to unwind! ☺️

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

""I would like to say thanks to Rory for being with us on our wonderful day. With so many other things to worry about on the day it was reassuring to know that my guests where being looked after when they arrived by the sweet jazz music of Rory. I had several comments saying it was a nice surprise to be greeted by Rory when they arrived. Rory and the team was also very accommodating to myself and my wife as we were running a little late on the day and he stayed behind for an extra hour to make sure that we had a nice arrival when we stepped out of the car. It's my pleasure to give the short testimonial to Rory and the whole team who worked together to make our special day a little bit better. Thanks, Mr and Mrs Nwigwe"

Reply by Rory
Hello Andrew, Thank you for your feedback regarding Rory on 24/09/2016, which is perfect and much appreciated. I'm delighted to hear how well it went and we wish Mr and Mrs Nwigwe our sincerest congratulations and best wishes for the future. Warm regards, Claire Maillot

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I booked Rory to play at a Rotary Club of London event in 2019. He arrived in time, played as discussed and was an all round terrific success, liked by all the attendees."

Reply by Rory
Hi Tim. That's ace! Thank you so much!

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for entertaining us at our office Christmas party! Everyone really enjoyed the music, it was good to get everyone dancing, and to have something a bit different as our entertainment! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"This is the second time we have booked B & The Hornets band and as with the first occasion they did not disappoint. Despite restricting them to a far smaller area than they are used to they rose to the occasion captivating everyone with their tunes. I had to intervene at the end to quell the tide of ‘Encore’ requests as I truly believe they’d still be here now! Thoroughly recommended! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Mambo Jamboree were excellent and helped make the evening of our wedding day very special indeed. Everybody enjoyed their music. They were punctual, very friendly and they sound fantastic. I would definitely recommend them to others. Tina and Tom Clark. (Wedding)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I booked Rory as a surprise for my partners 50th birthday party through [agency] in our local pub. He loves a sax player so I knew he would love it! We spoke before the event and made arrangements for Rory to arrive at the venue. There was a train strike so Rory kindly arrived extra earlier so not to be late. Rory played a set for 2 hours which was amazing a mix of different tunes. Everyone loved him including my partner who almost had a solo sax player playing to him!!! He is super talented and joined in with the guests who enjoyed his performance and have not stopped talking about it since! I would highly recommend Rory and thank him for making our event extra special!"

Reply by Rory
Hey Sacha, thank you for such a lovely review. I really appreciate it!

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I really enjoyed the show and the energy of the bands' performances. 4S-Events, October 2016"

Reply by Latina Festivale
Hello Timi, Thank you for your feedback regarding last night’s show. I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed the performances, and I will pass on your kind comments to the musicians. I look forward to working with you soon. Best Regards, Claire Maillot

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for your email and I just wanted to reply on behalf of the whole team to say thank you for your help in making the arrangements for Rory and the band to be with us for our event. Our feedback is hugely positive - Rory arrived in plenty of time and liaised with us about the best place to get set up. The music was fabulous and exactly what we were hoping for in terms of providing a relaxed atmosphere for guests. We received lots of positive feedback about the whole reception on the lawn, including the music, so thanks to Rory and the band for their contribution to our event's success. We would highly recommend them."

Reply by Rory
Hello Jackie, Thank you for your feedback for Rory on 03/07/2018 I'm delighted to hear that it went well, and I have passed on your kind comments to Rory. Meanwhile, and on behalf of Rory, I would like to once again thank you for the opportunity, and I send you our best wishes. Many thanks, Best Regards, Claire Maillot

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"If you do anything today, book Sounds of Brazil!!! We had them play at our wedding and they were out of this world. They got everyone dancing and are so so talented, we still have people who were at the wedding complimenting how amazing they are. We feel blessed to have come across them on last minute musicians. Just perfect. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so so much for performing at our wedding, it made the reception so special and many of our guests commented on how excellent your performance was. We were very pleased with Rory performing at our wedding. He was professional and easy to communicate with from the start, providing us with an incredible repertoire list for us to pick some of our favourite songs. Rory played these to a high standard on his saxophone with backing music, for the pleasure of our guests at the reception. This really added something extra special to our wedding reception, and many of our guests commented on his excellent performance. We would highly recommend Rory to anyone looking to hire a musician for weddings or similar events. We very much hope that we can use your services again in the future."

Reply by Rory
Hi Luke & Becca, Thank you so much for your feedback! I am delighted to hear that you were happy with the performance. I would like to once again thank you for the opportunity, and I send you my warmest wishes. Thanks, Rory

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Even better than we had hoped for our wedding drinks reception. Pop Goes The Samba played our favourite songs in their unique Brazilian way. Friendly & superbly professional, highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great job, and thank you also for your flexibility and patience with the changing brief! Hope to get some more bookings in for you soon."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: