Review Centre: Jazz Bands

"Victoria and her guitarist were sensational and understood exactly what entertainment we were looking for for our Corporate event for our senior leaders. We delighted in listening to them perform and they really brought something special to the evening"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just returned from the show at Stamford this evening 22 Nov. Outstanding musical ability, total enthusiasm and hard work, which produced a sound which defied any attempt to keep your hands or feet from moving! They love their music and it showed. It was an superb evening and I will be back."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Oscar and his band were outstanding. So many guests commented on the excellence of the band! The music for our 1920s themed event was played with verve and with true talent and enjoyment. In addition to producing wonderful, toetapping music, the band were superbly responsive and flexible, adapting their set to our timing and to the moods and tempo of the guests. I highly recommend the Misophone Collective for any event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The event went very well thank you. The guests all thoroughly enjoyed themselves and The Dixie Strollers did a fine job of creating atmosphere - thank you."

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:

"Just wanted to say a huge "Thank you" for a terrific night! You were absolutely fantastic! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Amy was an incredible addition to our wedding. She sang our first dance and it made my day. I would highly recommend her, we had so many compliments as a result of Amy’s performance so everybody book her for your wedding you will not be disappointed !!! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Gemma played at our wedding and was absolutely fantastic. The music provided a lovely ambiance to our reception, and it was great that she was able to tailor her music to suit our selected genre. We would highly recommend her, thank you Gemma!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi LFS. Thank you so much for performing last night. Everyone loved the music and it really added to the event. A"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked The Kindred Collective for our Wedding Anniversary and they were AMAZING! Thank you so much you really made it special. Would recommend to anyone looking for live music. These guys (and lady) are some of the best musicians I've seen in a long time."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"While I’m here, a quick word of thanks for Trip for Biscuits. The music at our wedding at Maunsel House was amazing as was the energy from the band. We have received so many compliments from our guests and everyone had a great time (as you can see from the videos now posted on the website!!!)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We just wanted to say again how much we enjoyed having you at our wedding. We thought the three of you were spectacular!! Many many thanks."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Outstanding. The musicians were brilliant. They worked with my slightly megalomaniac style of specifying loads of tunes and even learned one specially for me. Great sound , great organisation , flexible , terrific jackets and I particularly appreciated the double bass. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"These guys were excellent - an absolute pleasure to have shared part of the day with them and their music was perfect for the event - thank you so, so much!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had the most amazing and magical day. It was overwhelming to be surrounded by people who we love and who had all gone to huge effort to celebrate with us especially so close to Christmas. You all made the day amazing! There are so many people to thank for all of their help on the lead up, on the day and afterwards. Thanks to SoulNFunk, for being a fabulous band and getting everyone dancing Xx"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: