Review Centre: Vintage Bands

"Thanks for your superb performance at our wedding Luke. Our guests were raving about you’ll night. You made the reception the most wonderful night and we’ll be along to a concert soon."

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"Thank you for arranging Martin to play during our wedding lunch. He was superb and added a very special touch to the day. We would have no hesitation in recommending him to others. "

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"Thank you to The Three Tones for providing the wonderful music at our San Valentino event last night!"

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"Perfect music for our event and complete professionalism from Martin. Will definitely contact you again."

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"We have a lot of musicians and performers come to Denville, but you really stand out head and shoulders above the rest with your entire set. The costumes, the bunting, the choreographed moves, the interaction... We couldn’t have hoped or asked for more. An absolute joy and delight! There is so much power in music and these girls really do bring the magic."

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"Our family and friends LOVED you guys. Thank you for being so professional, calm and happy on what was such a special day for us. You’re a fantastic duo — keep playing often and loudly!"

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"booking swing gitan was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! the guys played during the drinks reception and I dare say it was one of the highlights of the day. Elliot was very professional throughout the booking process, which was quick and simple I've been a Django and manuche jazz music fan for a long time and seen some excellent players in Paris and Berlin and these guys were some of the best. HIGHLY recommended "

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"Thank you girls for making my birthday so special, everyone thought you were amazing."

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"A great addition to our event. Very friendly and helpful perfect for the audience."

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"Absolutely fantastic, played the reception at our wedding and really made the day very special! Thank you so much :) "

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"We could not have asked for anyone or anything better than Rose! Her vocals were incredible and her performances added a real sense of magic to our wedding. Rose was so professional, accommodating, kind and of course insanely talented. I would recommend Rose without hesitation to anyone looking for a singer at their event. You won’t be disappointed! …. Rose - thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I can’t even begin to explain how much you added to our wedding day!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Deep Down Brass were incredible for our corporate Oktoberfest party. They were insanely flexible pre-event and on the night they blew us away. They had the perfect mix of German songs and covers and were able to really get the crowd up on the tables. Would HIGHLY recommend them!!"

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"Sara has sung in our club many times - and I hope she will many more times. Lovely voice, perfect attitude."

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"The evening went superbly well and the quintet were absolutely great, we all really enjoyed the music and Debbie’s great singing and warmth shown towards my father. Great job and many thanks from everyone."

Reply by Essential Swing
Thanks Doug, a lovely evening! Adam & co / Essential Swing

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: