Review Centre: Bands & Ensembles

"A complimentary glass of bubbly is always a good sign as you step through the door. Or, in this case, as you step aboard. We were on the elegant Millennium Diamond, a handsome modern catamaran leaving from Westminster Pier for a jazz cruise of the Thames. Jazz and dinner. And bubbly. With Big Ben glowing in the mellow late evening light, we cast off (I think that’s the term). We were presented with a small safety lecture and a large plate of tapas. As we glided by the London Eye and under bridges, the boat’s resident jazz band began to play. They are Chi Jazz: Noel Jay on electric keyboards, Matt Tween on bass, Steve Grainger a disciple of Johnny Hodges with a penchant for sneaking cheeky little quotations from The Pink Panther into his solos on alto sax and John Clarke on drums. Debbie Cobbett was guest vocalist. And this is a crack quartet, as was made clear by their opening number A Foggy Day (In London Town) — a great tune, though you could hardly have chosen a less foggy day than this scorching, gorgeous summer occasion with sunlight striking through the panoramic windows. Grainger’s alto was in the lead, offering sweetly swaying, reverberant cadences. The stately skyline of London surged grandly past as the combo commenced I’ve Got You Under My Skin with Debbie Cobbett joining in on warm, mellow vocals. As Grainger’s sax played debonair, descending phrases with the setting sun glinted on the river waves and the Shard rearing gleaming against the sky it became clear we were in for a tremendously pleasant experience. Red double-decker buses rolled across Cannon Street Bridge and HMS Belfast hove into view as the band began A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, reinforcing their excellent choice of songs. Noel Jay provided a delicate drapery of keyboards and Grainger went down a spiral bebop staircase on his alto. Matt Tween’s warm bass rolled like the waves as Jay embarked on a discursive, detailed solo. Steve Grainger’s playing on Moon River was reflective and rhapsodic, coming at the tune from all angles with an echoing complexity of commentary. Noel Jay’s ringing keyboard solo excavated the melody from a solid body of improvisation while the steady cadence of John Clarke’s exemplary work on cymbals and brushes rooted the tune. The only way the band could have improved the evening’s music was by playing The Way You Look Tonight — which they proceeded to do. Jay performed a chiming, charging solo while Grainger’s alto scooted and soared above and John Clarke’s drumming skilfully kicked the number forward. This was bop adapted for the dinner hour, and none the worse for it. The sun descended in a benign hot blaze over Tower Bridge, the blue sky scribbled with white contrails as One Note Samba provided a showcase for soloists. Steve Grainger’s fluid sax purred with restraint as he skirted the tune and Noel Jay played bright raucous phrases and dancing long lines against the backdrop of Matt Tween’s big, ripe bass and John Clarke’s steady, constant shimmer of drums. I could also tell you about The Girl from Ipanema but I was too busy concentrating on my moist, flavoursome chicken breast in ratatouille — which is a pity, because both Grainger’s sax and Jay’s keyboards were at their best as I stuffed my mouth full of buttery mashed potato. With the riggings of the Cutty Sark floating above the dark trees and the nocturnal sweep of the city silhouetted against the last of the blue sky, it was clear that this was an unbeatable way to spend an evening. Great music, great food, great experience. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: Report this review

"We were lucky enough to book Das Brass for our wedding. We wanted something unique for our wedding and asked if they would mind performing as we left the church after our ceremony. Das Brass then led a procession of our guests to the venue and even performed on the boat we had booked to get us there. They really were brilliant and got everyone singing along. One of the main highlights of our day and would 100% recommend booking! The guests raved about them all day!"

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"Highly recommend to anyone looking for an awesome band. You did an amazing job helping to keep our dance floor full! We had so many brilliant comments."

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"Dear Gav, We just want to say a big thank you for playing at our wedding ! We and the guests had a fantastic time and you guys were great! Thank you again :) Best wishes, Ruby and Rory "

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"Everyone really appreciated the music, a perfect selection of Jazz for the occasion."

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"The VIP Formula were really brilliant, they know how to get the crowd involved while enjoying themselves. Our guests had great fun and many of them commented on how good the three musicians were. They arrived on time, and they were thoroughly professional and polite. We loved their repertoire. They sang in Spanish but also in English, which was great. They played very well-known pop classics in their own style. Their show is perfect for weddings and all types of parties. I would recommend them to anyone. Our memories are lovely. Thank you very much! "

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"Many thanks for providing the music last night - your band was on top form, many people commented highly favourably about you, well done."

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"Just to let you know what a fab evening we had with Stevie - he is an excellent act which i could tell from the you tube clip and i would definitely recommend him for any party thanks so much. "

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"Every letter I have received thanking me for my party mentions the music - a talented and versatile band creating just the right sound for the occasion. Sarah-Jane is quite delightful to work with and her attention to detail is perfect."

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"We just wanted to say thank you so so so much for Thursday. You were amazing in every single way - everyone said how classy the music was. Thank you for being part of our special day. We had the BEST day ever - it's true what everyone says!! We are so sorry we didn't even get to say hi to you. We felt so rude, but just so busy with photos. We regret not saying thank you as you were both incredible!!! "

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"You guys are really fantastic! Thank you so much for your wonderful playing! "

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"Hi Richard, Many thanks for playing at our wedding. We really enjoyed the ceilidh and we have had many overwhelming positive comments about the band and the caller! Thank you for contributing to our special day. Best wishes, Mr and Mrs Burton. "

Reply by Two Left Feet
It was a pleasure to play for you. Many congratulations once again.

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"We absolutely loved having Baby's Band at our Medical Students Charity Gala!! They entertained our audience throughout our lovely evening with a combo of much-loved classics and newer pop songs. Olivia was very good to communicate with throughout the whole process, very understanding and responsive!"

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"We had the pleasure of having South West Bands at our wedding. They are superb. Organised, reliable and most importantly got the party started and kept the dance floor full."

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"I wanted to thank you for providing the music and entertainment for our Annual Awards Party. You made the night. It was great to see everyone up dancing from the moment you started. My colleagues have been congratulating me on my choice all week!  For my part, you were 100% professional and delivered on every count. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Elephants in the Room."

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