Review Centre: Vintage Bands

"We had the amazing Ruby in the building on our special Valentine’s Day celebration, we had lots of fun, and just generally had a lovely time. Thank you Ruby you got us and the residents up singing and dancing! "

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"Just wanted to say, it was wonderful to have you playing at our lunch last week and thanks again for being so flexible! "

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"I cannot thank you enough for all your hard work that you put into the festival. You were all magnificent, music was fabulous, photos stunning, all the help before and during the day."

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"We were lucky enough to see this wonderful band on the 27th March 2008. A combination of brilliant musicians and stunning arrangements left us wanting more at the end of a magical evening."

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"Really good players, great sound and fantastic songs!"

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"Thank you so much for performing at our charity event, your vocals gave me goosebumps…everyone was moved by you!In addition, you helped us plan and organise our night with such efficiency, allowing me to enjoy it!"

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"What a wonderful evening! Huge thanks to Harry for your amazing music -gypsy jazz with a contemporary feel. Many of our friends have since commented on how much they enjoyed the music If you need your party to go with a swing grab yourself some Cinnamon Jazz! "

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"We are so pleased we had you at our wedding...LEGEND!"

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"Can I say a massive thank you to you for all your efforts on Saturday night. The music was superb and many of our guests have commented on the quality and originality of the music. It suited everyone of all ages and everyone was up dancing which was exactly what we were hoping for. The whole experience was great, from the ease of booking to your response to my questions, thank you. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you and will certainly look to book you for any future family celebrations."

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"Having you at our party was absolutely perfect!!! You are a truly WONDERFUL singer and I’ll book you as often as I can, even if just for an excuse for me to hear you sing!"

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"Great service with personal touch & expert advice!"

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"Francesca wowed a jazz loving crowd at our charity fundraiser in North London. Her sultry vocals put her unique stamp on standards like ‘All of me’ and ‘My funny Valentine’ and she also introduced us to her own prodigious song-writing talent with tracks from her recently released album “Devil’s Door”.  A very special evening."

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"REVIEW OF OUR LATEST CD ALBUM IN JAZZ JOURNAL Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead: Everybody Loves A Boogie The entertaining British jump-jive revival band ploughs the familiar furrow, offering cheeky covers and originals with occasional solos By Hugh Rainey -13 October 2023437 Formed in 1984, this UK group plays jump-jive in a bright and breezy, entertaining style, blended with R&B and vintage rock and roll, and seasoned with light-hearted humour. Leader Kit Packham sings confidently in appropriate style on every track bar one, and contributes alto and tenor to the backing throughout. Packham also composed and wrote the lyrics for eight of the tracks and alternative lyrics for some cheeky adaptations of standards – My Swingin’ Valentine (an upbeat treatment of My Funny Valentine, which surprisingly works quite well) and the very funny Basingstoke (to the melody of Baby Face) and Buy A CD (with appropriate uninhibited bathos to My Way). On the whole, the originals work well for the genre. Love Me, Love My Saxophone and I Dig Potatoes have amusing lyrics somewhat reminiscent of Louis Jordan and Slim Gaillard in style. Enjoyable versions of Don’t Get Around Much Any More, Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby and My Swingin’ Valentine, come closest to straightforward jazz treatment with some worthwhile brief solos and touches of arrangement. The tracks come from sessions in 2009, 2017 and 2023, mainly as six or seven piece lineups it seems, but with changing personnels. Though studio recorded, the CD comes across as cheery live entertainment – for dancers, rather than perhaps for close, serious listening. But it’s certainly good fun, with some inventive fresh material, and a sense of humour to give a welcome lift to your spirits in these troubled times. Discography Everybody Loves A Boogie; Don’t Clap On The First Beat Of The Bar; Old Rock “n” Roll Songs Never Die; Don’t Get Around Much Any More; Love Me, Love My Saxophone; Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby; Route 66; Alley Club Blues; As Time Goes By; Alright, OK, You Win; Lockdown Chase; My Swingin’ Valentine; I Dig Potatoes; Basingstoke; Buy A CD; We Had A Real Good Time/We’ll Meet Again (53.52) Collectively: Kit Packham (v, ts, as, bar, cl); Nick Tomalin, Perry White (p); John O’Reilly (g); Steve Knight (g, ts, bj); Alex Keen, Ollie Blanchflower (b); Derek Gayle, Kenrick Rowe (d); Simon Da Silva (t); Tracey Mendham (ts, cl). UK, 2009, 2017, 2023 (No further details.) Pelican records PEL CD 523 "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"What a fabulous performance you and your colleagues gave us yesterday evening! To say the event was a success is a massive understatement. The number of people who came up to me afterwards saying how much they enjoyed the show, well I lost count. A huge thank you to Fabrizio, Alessandro, Emanuela, Richard and, of course, Hetty for an outstanding evening of Italian music and song. Italy remains one of my favourite countries in Europe having been fortunate to visit Rome, Florence, Venice, Lake Garda and Verona and your songs brought back many happy memories for my wife and myself and I'm sure many of our guests also. Several people have already asked us "when are we going to re-book Hetty & The Jazzato Band" and "you really must re-book Hetty & The Jazzato Band" which give you some idea of how well you were received. Yours is the second only act in the history of the Maturians to receive a standing ovation at the end of the show. That speaks for itself!"

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"Amy Bone... A true professional with an amazing unique voice, We held a charity Hollywood Ball and Amy's voice and band was just perfect for the night, great choice of songs which really got everyone dancing. We had amazing feedback about our evening and many comments about our choice of live music... Amy Bone, really lovely to work with someone so pleasant and polite, thank you we would definitely use her again......"

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