Review Centre: Jazz Bands

"Wonderful duo - Jess has a lovely voice and Nick plays instrumentals excellently. we highly recommend them."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Luke was very professional we will certainly look to book him another time."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The ultra-stylish Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead band is now 30 years old. For this Sunday afternoon gig at the award-winning Hideaway, they performed a rollicking set of songs ranging from 1940s and 1950s jump/jive, R&B and classic rock ‘n’ roll, to jazz standards and originals, featuring the band’s core seven-piece line-up: Bandleader and composer, Kit Packham on saxophones and lead vocal, Steve Knight on guitar, Perry White on piano, Alex Keen on double bass, Kenrick Rowe on drums, Tracey Mendham on saxophones and vocals, and Simon Da Silva on trumpet and flugelhorn. Striking in a blue pinstripe suit and fedora, Packham resembled Frank Sinatra, and he introduced numbers in a clear and informative way. They opened with one of the band’s original tunes, ‘Swing It’, which immediately propelled people to the dance floor. The band’s perky theme tune, ‘One Jump Ahead’, contained one of Packham’s signature, impactful abrupt endings and deadpan Knight added even more colour to the act by performing a nose flute solo on The Blues Brothers classic, ‘Minnie the Moocher’. White nailed a stunning boogie-woogie piano solo punctuated by thrillingly deep bass notes from Mendham on baritone saxophone on ‘Choo Choo Ch’Boogie’, and they even managed to squeeze in a world premiere featuring Vera Lynn’s World War II song, ‘We’ll Meet Again’: Loosely named ‘The Last Song Of The Set’, it cleverly welded an old song onto a new one. Eventually the two tunes overlapped, bringing the gig to an impressive end. The time flew; a sure sign that Kit Packham’s One Jump Ahead with its thoroughly well-written arrangements and heartfelt blend of comedy and music, had done a fine job of bringing this classy joint to life."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Kolarides Jazz Duo were absolutely perfect for our event. They arrived in plenty of time and were efficient and polite. Despite the heat, they played for a full three hours with a very short break and the music was absolutely spot on. Many of our guests asked about them and I would highly recommend Martin and Henry to anyone for a similar event. Thank you for making our Golden Wedding celebration a memorable occasion."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Helena and the band were brilliant Super sounds and songs and Helena has a wonderful voice We were all up and dancing for the second set Additionally, Helena took a great interest and level of care before our event to ensure everything went smoothly We will want them to come and play again for sure! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks so much to everyone in Love for Sale for coming and playing at the Myddleton Road Market yesterday. You are the best! See you soon. X"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I can whole heartily recommend Jade for any performance position. Her performance is always first class. Her tone and interpretation of the music is just breath taking and she’s incredibly easy to deal with when organising her involvement in an event or show. She’s incredibly organised and always 100% prepared. I’ve booked many musicians who present themselves as ‘professional’ to a booking client - only to be largely disappointed by most of them. Whether it’s their performance, readiness or their communication, very few I would consider to be true professionals. Jade is the perfect musical colleague and I would be chasing her for a resident position in any show I manage before all others. Book Jade - you will not be disappointed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"oel and Ben were perfect for our corporate rebranding reception. Many of our guests commented on their music, they created the right atmosphere by adapting their repertoire for the venue and the mood in the room. I would recommend Joel and Ben for any corporate event or any other event you want to make special. Thanks guys!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you all so much! It was absolutely amazing - special thanks for learning “only fools rush in” haha! Many thanks"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Latina Carnivale has definitely got that magic ingredient – the one that makes or breaks a Latin band. I’m sure you know what I mean. Anyone who dances salsa and the like knows that some bands play very well technically, but they just haven’t got it – the magic ingredient that forces you to move your body, to forget everything and get out there on the floor."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"On the business and organising side, I have to say that MIB offer tremendous value for money, backed by the highest levels of professionalism and heaps of clear and concise communication. It was great to run an event where such a key element was not on the worry list. The guys were so up for it and on top of their game that several people asked if it was ‘our usual band’, thinking that we must have worked together before! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Many thanks for playing at our party and especially for arriving so early to set up before they closed the roads for the carnival, (I hadn't planned for that!) Your friendly, engaging and professional manner made the arrangements easy. We all loved the music, and the great playlist, and you pitched just right, a small venue but people could still have a chat. Please pass my thanks to Bella, you both helped make for a very memorable and happy evening "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"More important than anything, Martin is a spectacular musician who really added a lot to our special event with his music alone. It also helps that he's a thoroughly nice guy and was a pleasure to work with. We would definitely hire him again. 10/10, no question."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dinner Jazz were absolutely fantastic. They created a wonderful vibe for our outdoor summer birthday party. One of the guests is a jazz singer at Uni and they encouraged her to sing a couple of numbers with them, which made for a wonderful moment. They are great musicians and conducted themselves very professionally throughout. Would highly recommend."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your band's magnificent performance at the Savoy. It was a pleasure dealing with you in the lead up to the event as there was very little to worry about due to good communication and your professional approach. The feedback obtained from the guests, which were in excess of 350 was that last years annual Ball was without doubt the best ever! Our Society will be using you for this years Savoy event and I would gladly recommend your services. again, thank you for your lively performance and I very much look forward to the next opportunity to see you. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: