Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"The Fireflies (and Ian) especially were amazing - recruited for our Enterprise Awards Event, they pulled out all the stops. From start to finish including set up they were so good at communicating as well as the band itself. Since the event on Saturday there has been nothing but praise about the band! Thank you for being so amazing and making sure the music was good for all in attendance! You are all awesome! Massive shout out to Ian for making our event so special!"

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"So many guests told us how good they were. Professional, relaxed, and just made everything feel special."

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"Thank you so much for performing at our wedding, I cannot thank you enough everybody cannot stop talking about how amazing you were. Your communication with your manager the whole way through the booking process was second to none as well. Thank you for making our day so special x "

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"Hi Molly, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and the other musicians for playing at our wedding last Friday. You were brilliant and made all my dreams come true with the music! "

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"I just wanted to say big thank you to Olly. He was incredible at our wedding. I couldn't have wished for anything better. He is a very talented young man. All our guests were very impressed. I would definitely consider hiring him in the future for any events. "

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"Beautiful... it was amazing. Very pleased with the performance. Made it very magical and extra wonderful. Thank you so much xxxx"

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"Thank you for organising the music, Lady Monica was fabulous"

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"Art Gecko played at our Yorkshire wedding in mid June. We asked them if they could play outside if the weather was good and the guys were very happy to do so! They delivered amazing two sets and our guests absolutely loved it. They got the vibe spot on and carefully curated song choices to match our guests’ energy. They were the perfect choice for our wedding and we’d recommend them to anyone! Thanks so much for your input & making our day truly special. "

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"I was looking for a band that would entertain all ages at my 'significant' birthday party and The Full Trunk Trio did just that. They played many old favourites as well as more contemporary numbers and changed the mood and tempo accordingly. The guys were really friendly and engaged the party goers throughout making sure we had the best of times. Many people complimented me on their performance and they can expect some more bookings soon. 5 stars!"

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"Massive thank you for the other night. You were a HUGE hit, every person commented on how great you guys were. (Even the Americans who only knew Wonderwall). I think you made James's night/year. Will make sure to recommend you to anyone we speak with!! "

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"Adam played at our wedding last weekend and was absolutely fantastic. From the initial contact up until the day of the wedding, his communication was excellent, always replying quickly and taking into account any requests we made. The set-up on the day was really professional and had a great set list to go along with his brilliant voice. He even had the non-country fans singing along! Another note I'd like to mention is that midway through his set my 85-year-old grandad requested some Hank Williams (not on the setlist) so whilst on a break Adam went away and learned one just for my grandad; Touches like this made our day extra special. We can’t thank you enough Adam and will defo be seeing you in a country bar somewhere down the road!”"

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"We booked 440 Quartet for our wedding to play at both the church ceremony and garden party reception in July 2017 and I can honestly say they were one of our favourite parts of the day. They were professional throughout, arrived in plenty of time and played the most stunning music! The playlist we provided in advance was interpreted beautifully and a number of guests commented on the day and since on how amazing they were. Could not recommend 440 Quartet highly enough, thank you so much for making our wedding that bit more special!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: Report this review

"One of the pleasures of writing for Jazz Views is having the opportunity to follow the progress of an artist with each new release. It has been my very great pleasure to follow Lush Jazz Band's progress over the last few years. Having reviewed Lauren’s debut album, in 2016 and the follow-up, five years later, it was with great interest that I listened to her third album. If you’re looking for continued growth and artistic development in a musician, then Lauren has certainly delivered. Earlier today, prior to writing this review, I listened again to all three albums back-to-back and was amazed at what I was hearing. Listening in such a concentrated way, I was struck by how consistent each of the albums is and how the vocalist’s progress is not taking place with gargantuan leaps but steadily, as we can see here, in a paced and sustainable development. One huge advantage for Lauren is retaining the services of pianist Liam Dunachie, who arranges much of the music, and the two have built a solid rapport that has resulted in a formidable partnership. With “Tide Rises,” Lauren Bush has found a perfect balance between the old and the new, with a couple of strong original compositions, a handful of standards, and some contemporary works that she has done a wonderful job of adapting to her voice. The album gets off to a stunning start with a brisk and swinging “Joy Spring.” The tricky lyrics are handled with great aplomb by Bush, and after a lovely solo from Dunachie, she gets in a nice scat chorus of her own. This is followed by the title track, one of two original compositions, in which Lauren has drawn inspiration for the lyrics from the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Played over an ethereal opening from Rhodes and guitar (and the only song to feature electric bass), the music evolves over a gentle tempo with an empowering delivery from Lauren. The other original, “Easy Does It,” has a relaxed, almost lazy tempo, and Lauren has written lyrics that add to the gospel flavor of the music. Versatility and variety being the name of the game, we are treated to a beautiful bossa nova written by Earl Okin titled “Madrugada,” and Joni Mitchell’s “Circle Game” is given a delightful treatment, with some exquisite playing from all. The music flows in a beguiling manner, and Mitchell’s lyrics are given a sensitive reading by the vocalist. Standards have been a constant inspiration for Lauren, and with the depth of maturity that she has gained in the last few years, I have witnessed her raise her game significantly. It is difficult to pick one over another. Her treatment of “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” is flawless and joyous, with a lovely scat solo too, and “Nobody Else But Me” has a charm all of its own. If proof is needed of Bush’s stature as a jazz vocalist, then take a listen to the ballad performance on “This Is Always.” A duet for voice and piano, this is a pure delight and even, dare I say it, surpasses the duo’s reading of “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most,” which was such a highlight of her last album, “Dream Away.” Closing with another contemporary tune, this time from the pop duo Yazoo, Lauren and Liam Dunachie cleverly recast Vince Clarke’s song, with Lauren giving the excellent Alison Moyet a run for her money. Another step forward for Lauren in a hugely enjoyable set that sees her setting the bar increasingly higher."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: Report this review

"Jimmy and the band played for us at our End of Year Meeting Event. Jimmy was great to communicate with, very responsive and helpful, nothing was too much trouble. They turned up ahead of schedule to set up. They absolutely got the party started and were thoroughly entertaining and a great time was had by all. Can't recommend them enough."

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"Wignoria played for our wedding from the guests arriving to the end of the wedding breakfast. They were fantastic, the music was amazing and played our requests for walking down the aisle as well. Would highly recommend them and they are very reasonably priced for 4 talented musicians."

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