Review Centre: Wedding Bands

"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:

"Book The Woolers and your party dance floor will be crowded. I wanted a band to fill the dance floor at my retirement party and The Woolers exceeded my expectations. Great musicians playing a wide range of music that suited the mixed crowd and resulted in a fantastic evening with loads of compliments for the band from my friends and family. As well as playing great music they are a lovely group of guys and totally organised in their communication and booking processes. Highly recommended. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Oh my goodness you were amazing thank you so much! You made our day even more special. Honestly can’t thank you enough!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Enigma, Many thanks for Saturday night, everyone loved the band (the range and the style of songs) We cannot thank you enough."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Wow these ladies are a pleasure to work with. They could not do enough to make my event special. When they performed, they were outstanding and the crowd loved them. I highly recommend and would work with them again. Thank you so much."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Soul75 were absolutely incredible for our wedding! Both the singers and the band are so amazing at what they do and they really did blow us away. We’ve had so many guests say that they were the best band that they’ve ever seen at a wedding! The DJ Spotify DJ service that followed was also great and kept the party going right the way through the night!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for making our wedding so wonderful. All of our guests commented all night about how amazing the band were! You were the icing on the cake :) Kelly & Claire Price "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We went to whitby to eat at the board inn serenity were playing there that evening we had a great evening with music from all years. They are a very talented duo and a must to see if you can. I will definitely make the effort to see them again. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Soiree fitted the bill in every sense. For our event we wanted to create a setting where our guests could enjoy the music without it being too overpowering. The combination of the live Trumpet and DJ incorporated all tastes and genres, resulting in an ambient atmosphere that made the event very special. Their performance throughout the evening ranged from more chilled styles to more groovy songs and this flexibility was something many guests commented on. As well as multiple genres James and Jake were more than willing to take requests on demand, with no request being too much hassle. Overall, we would highly recommend Soiree and can’t wait for our next event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Jess was incredible from beginning to end - she made the booking process so easy, was very responsive and made things straightforward; on the day itself she arrived promptly and was relaxed setting up, dressed stylishly; when it came to the performance she was absolutely excellent, exactly what I had hoped for and couldn't have asked for better. I could not recommend Jess more highly! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi! We just want to say the biggest thank you for playing at our Wedding on Friday at Didsbury House Hotel. You have been so professional throughout, we were very impressed that you’d contacted the venue months in advance to get organised Everyone thought you were brilliant and all of the guests were raving about how good you were (and us too of course!) Thanks again 🥰 Danielle & Hugh"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I asked Matthew to learn a song to sing as I walked down the aisle on my wedding day. He was absolutely amazing and all the guests kept commenting how fabulous he was! I’d highly recommend him and you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much for making my wedding day extra special! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Eugene was waiting for us with the drums set up when we arrived at The Spa. We could not praise them enough, they played just the right music at the correct time and as we had to be inside played quietly so that we could all chat whilst having drinks. We had many people come up to us saying how much they enjoyed their performance and I have to say that we would not have any hesitation in recommending them to others."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We hired Fresh Grooves for our wedding recently, thanks to the fantastic music and atmosphere they created, everyone had an absolute blast! Booking, selecting playlists and communication has been excellent, quick and easy throughout. They are certainly crowd pleasers and kept everyone singing and dancing all night. We would highly recommend them to anyone looking for excellent live music from a genuinely enthusiastic team."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A big thank you to you and your fellow musicians in the It's No' Reel Scottish Ceilidh Band for making our retirement ceilidh a really memorable night. We were so pleased that we chose you, thanks really to your excellent website. You were thoroughly professional in your approach and from our first e-mail communications we got a sense of reassurance - even although we had never heard you play live. We were also pleased that we chose to have a second fiddle - that gave such a wonderful sound. A friend & I were putting finishing touches to things in the foyer while you were tuning up. You then started to play, we looked at each other, both gave a spontaneous 'thumbs up' and big smiles - we knew then that it was going to be a great night! We know from our friends and family that they all did have a great night and you were the most talked about part of the whole evening. I just wish we could do it all again so we could get more time to sit and listen to your music - it all went by in a bit of a blur for Greg & I. Apart from comments on your professionalism, the quality of your playing and the fact that you got the sound level just right - many people told us how much they enjoyed listening to what you played between the dance tunes. We did not need the disco playlist after all! I just hope that we are able to hear you play live again! Thanks once more to you all, you made our special night even more special. We would recommend you to anyone looking for a band for a special event - we could not have asked for more. Thank goodness you were free on the 27th!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: