Review Centre: Jazz Bands

"Dear Jess and team, Can I just thank you once again for a superb performance on Friday for my father. It was absolutely perfect. It was great to meet you all and we appreciated you spending time with us following the event. Good luck for the future. Yours, Alison Alison Thomas "

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"We hired Richard and the Tzigauners jazz group for our wedding and they were absolutely amazing! So talented. They learned three songs for our ceremony which made it feel that much more unique and special. They also were very flexible and adaptable to timing and locations on the property (we set up in two locations). My only regret was not hearing them more! (Being a bride you get pulled away so often!) A huge thank you to the band!!!"

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"Was listening to them when I poped into town this morning. Such an uplifting mood"

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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 "

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"Close your eyes and he could be the real Frank Sinatra. No surprise that this amazing singer is to become a Frank Sinatra Tribute. It was a pleasure for Triple M radio to be there recording his set for future editions of Triple M Live Thursdays at 8pm... And you can hear the set in full on Christmas Day!"

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"Absolutely fantastic band. Really talented and my guests absolutely loved them"

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"Everyone enjoyed the music and song choices. My guests and I really enjoyed the performance, everyone thought it was a nice touch. Thanks for making my 40th birthday party memorable."

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"Jimmy was great. He was musically fantastic; his choice of songs established just the right atmosphere and everyone was dancing and having a great time. "

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"Hi Rory, I want to thank you and your band for playing at our Summer Party. We all appreciated really a lot your performance! Best regards, Stefano."

Reply by Rory
Hi Stefano & Marion, Thank you so much for having us - we really enjoyed meeting you and working with your event. Please do feel free to send a message to Sarah (Cc'd) if you need help with anything. Keep in touch! Thanks, warmest wishes Rory, Rea, Rob, Jon and Jo x

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"Thanks again guys - it's great you could play again for us. Nice mix of jazz and more popular songs which the younger guests could sing and dance to - excellent!"

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"Fleur sang at our wedding this month and she was awesome. She sang me down the aisle - Etta James' 'At Last' and it was absolutely perfect. It was a beautiful way to kick off our wedding and all of the guests commented about how amazing Fleur's voice is. After the ceremony Fleur played at our afternoon reception, accompanied by her brilliant pianist. It was a lovely atmosphere and lots of the guests were joining in with the songs. I loved every minute of it. Fleur's voice sends shivers down your spine and she sang some of my favourite tunes. She puts her own spin on the songs and this is why I wanted her to play at our wedding. I would highly recommend Fleur; she adds that little something different, perfect and unique."

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"We had a fantastic evening! Viviana is a great singer and her show was adorable. Our first jazz concert and definitely not our last! We look forward to seeing her again soon"

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"Just wanted to say thank you so much for the beautiful set last night, it was absolutely brilliant, everyone was totally immersed in the atmosphere, and your voice was so beautifully expressive. It was everything we could have asked for!"

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"How can I put it into words. This terrific band, Caravan Swing, rocked the wedding party. Exactly what we wanted - so so lucky! They really made our special day, tailoring their set to the occasion and even playing requests... of all sorts. Thank you guys!!!"

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"Swing Gitan were an excellent addition to our wedding day - great music and lots of fun. Everyone loved watching them and dancing on the night. They were very professional, punctual and polite throughout the process. Would highly recommend. Thank You! - Ali Boston - 30/9/17"

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