Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"An efficient approach throughout. Matt & Rachel were extremely professional, accommodating, and friendly."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"B & The Hornets band are a vibrant crew of experienced and charismatic musicians with a background ranging from R’n’B to Funk, Latin Jazz and Pop classics. They were exceptionally engaging with the crowd for all their performance; from the early dinner set where it was required to play at a conversational volume level throughout the second part of the night where everyone was feeling the more energetic grooves and melodies while singing along some classic rearranged in a modern and sophisticated style. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Brilliant performance enjoyed by all of our guests, Martin is very flexible and happy to throw in a few festive numbers too! An upbeat performance for the end of a Christmas stay. Will definitely book again in the future."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Suns Up were so chilled out and helpful leading up to our wedding day and on the day itself. They were amazing, sounded great and all of our guests loved them. We have had so many comments from guests saying how good they were and where did we find them. We are so grateful for the performance from them all. Thank you for helping contribute to our amazing day. Becky & Josh"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I cannot thank you enough for the evening, the band absolutely made it!!! Fantastic from start to finish, everyone commented on how good you were, got everyone up dancing and most importantly my dad (surprise birthday) was really impressed by your style and choice of songs!!! Would recommend to everyone! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"This group are a top. Inch of lads, not only in their music but also has time to share a laugh with us all. The music was fantastic and had people on their feet from start to finish. Good banter, would easily recommend to anyone looking for a band for a gig! Oh lads remember Nufc are the team to beat lol"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We cannot thank you enough for making our day so so magical. Your performance was enjoyed by all our guests aswell as Jon and I. 100% recommend you to anyone."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Sorry for the delay in writing, but i would like to say a massive THANK YOU for recommending 'Party Sounds' and arranging for them to play at our Silver Wedding Celebrations. They were everything I had hoped they would be, and more. I was impressed that Mark took the time and trouble to keep in touch with me by telephone rather than by email (which can get a bit messy) and to discuss our likes and dislikes about the music for the evening. They arrived on time at the golf club and we just left the rest to them. It was lovely to be able to put trust in their professionalism and knowledge of their clients preferences to play all evening. We had kept it a closely guarded secret from our guests that we were having a band, and they were really impressed and pleased with what they saw and heard. My one regret is that I was mixing and talking with our guests so much that I didn't really get to fully appreciate the band as I would if I were a guest at someone else's party! I am trying to talk my friends into doing the same, so that I can listen to them again. However, whenever I did draw breath, the sound was exactly like they were playing a CD version of the song - I had to keep checking that it was actually Mark and his colleagues who were really singing - and, oh boy , it most definitely was!! So thank you once again, and please feel free to use my words as recommendation to others. 'Party Sounds' would definitely be my first choice of music for any events in the future. I don't even think I would consider hiring a DJ ever again :)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share 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:

"Just wanted to say a massive Thank you for our performance yesterday - we have had wonderful feedback from everyone so will definitely be booking with you in the new year!! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dear Ben, I would like to say thank you for your contribution at the Hydon Hobble, everyone who attended enjoyed the music immensely. And are very grateful that you were able to take time out of your schedule to entertain us all. Once again Thank you! Tammy"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The artist was very good and delivered what we wanted."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Such a good gig! Can't wait to see them again! Highly recommend booking these guys!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Lucy was fantastic. Everyone at our party loved her. Would definitely use again and recommend."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Jenny played at our wedding ceremony, we can’t thank her enough. Her beautiful guitar playing made our service really special and our guests still talk about how talented she was. We loved the mix of classical music with her own arrangements of modern love songs. She was so lovely to work with, highly recommended. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: