Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"Los Gitanos Kings played for us recently at our summer colleague get-together in the hotel’s courtyard garden. The weather was kind and Los Gitanos Kings added to the summery feel of the occasion through their choice of repertoire and their willingness to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Their performance garnered a lot of positive comments and I recommend them without hesitation. Thank you Chris and his colleagues. "

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Celebrated our wedding 2 weeks ago and The Wayfarers were recommended to us and we absolutely want to recommend them to everyone looking. Such great music, created the best atmosphere and people still talking about what a fun wedding it was now. We want to do it all again. THANK YOU!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you very much Eric, we have genuinely enjoyed your music and should other events be organised I'll definetly recommend you!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You will not regret booking It Takes 2 for your wedding party or other celebration. Kelly's communication was excellent from the start. The pair are highly professional and skilled musicians. Our guests were dancing from start to finish. We can't thank them enough for providing great entertainment for our wedding celebration!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We hired Jazz Eclipse for our wedding in Italy. They drove all the way with all their equipment. Thanks so much guys for making our day so perfect. They learnt our first dance song especially and played it so well. They light up the room and make any night so much fun. Everyone got involved and danced the night away. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants amazing music, people and the wow factor!! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for your performance, you guys were great. We had Latina Festivale performing at the Lion & Unicorn recently and the music that they provided was perfect for a Saturday afternoon! The staff were dancing and the customers were impressed with the energy that they created. Thanks for the fun and great atmosphere, we definitely would like to see you guys again. Love from The Lions & Unicorns."

Reply by Latina Festivale
Hi Szilvi That’s perfect, thanks so much! I too hope we can come again and play for you sometime soon. Best wishes Rory x

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked these guys to play at our wedding in York. The set was out of this world, absolutely everybody commented on what a phenomenal performance they gave. Everything was planned fantastically, not only did they travel all the way to our venue, but they checked in with us constantly beforehand. They really give it their all during any performance, but you can tell the passion they have for playing as it massively comes across. I would highly recommend these guys, it was one of the best decisions we made with regard to booking things for our wedding!! Such a unique band, it really blew our guests away!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just to say thank you so much for playing such beautiful calming music for our wedding day. We had a small wedding but really had a fantastic day and everyone commented on your beautiful music. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was a pleasure to work with the Chrysler Quartet at our annual business event, your range of repertoire was extremely impressive and I’ve had nothing but praise from all the guests and staff. Will definitely be recommending you for the next one! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely superb. Arrived ahead of time and played absolutely beautifully. Could not recommend highly enough! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I have seen a few tribute bands in my day but I admit that The Fab 5 really did impress me! First of all, let me say that The Fab 5 are not your average Beatles tribute band – no costumes, no wigs (well, the bass player was sporting one) and they didn’t play just the most well-known Beatles songs. Musically, that was so nice and refreshing. This is a band that plays Beatles songs because they like, no, LOVE, Beatles songs – no gimmicks, no tricks – just pure, unadulterated fun."

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:

"I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing you perform on several occasions in the Alps, so I was beyond excited to have you at my 21st. My mates were shocked when you appeared and couldn’t believe it! One friend had spotted you in the boat beforehand - but was told he was nuts by others and forgot about it! Thanks for being such a great sport, hiding at the venue and playing along with the surprise reveal. As always, your set was incredible, and letting me play your guitar was a particularly memorable moment despite me being somewhat inebriated... It was the perfect end to an unforgettable night. Thank you so much!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Saw your show at Kings Lynn last night, to say we were pleasantly surprised would be putting it mildly. purchased your CD so can listen again and again, thanks for a great evening."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Blue Suede Shoes gave an outstanding performance at our engagement party and were instrumental in creating the great atmosphere enjoyed by all. Their professionalism was displayed throughout and we had endless feedback from our guests on how good they sounded. Everyone was impressed by them. They compliment each other perfectly and we have of course requested them to play at our wedding later this year!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: