Available to book from POA. For an accurate quote please make an enquiry.
The Ben Robertson Trio is three guys who love great songs and can't help but make them swing. Ben Robertson (vocals and guitar), Donald MacLennan (violin and vocals) and Andy Connolly (bass ) roam freely across the musical map — the Great American Songbook, classic pop, country, Latin, show tunes, and a few curveballs thrown in for good measure — and somehow it all hangs together beautifully.
Ben and Andy are former members of the award-winning gypsy jazz band Swingology, which from 2006 to 2015 delighted Nova Scotia audiences with their interpretation of the music of Django Reinhardt and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Donald is a Cape Breton violinist, singer, and composer whose music spans from traditional folk to international jazz.
Together, they are just three friends who know how to make a classic tune feel brand new and make every room swing.
= areas covered (up to 70 miles)After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Are You Lonesome Tonight?
As Time Goes By
Autumn Leaves
Bei Mir Bist Du Schön
Big Time Woman
Blue Bossa
Blue Skies
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime
C’est is bon
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You
Careless Whisper
Coal Tattoo
Comes Love
Coquette (DONALD)
Cry Me a River
Deep Water
Do I Love You?
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
Don’t Fence Me In
Don’t Stop
Every Breath You Take
Exactly Like You
Fools Rush In
Frim Fram Sauce
Garden in the Rain
Get Out and Get Under the Moon
Gimme Gimme Gimme
Goin' Away Party
Guilty
Hey There
How Deep is the Ocean
I Can See Clearly Now
I Love You
I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight
I'm Confessin'
I'm Through with Love
If I Had You
Island in the Sun
Jamaica Farewell
Japanese Sandman
L-O-V-E
Lady Be Good
Lady of Spain
Let's Misbehave
Lightning Express
Louisiana Fairytale
Love Is Here to Stay
Love Me
Love Potion Number 9
Lover Come Back To Me
Lulu's Back in Town
Mambo Italiano
Maybe She'll Write Me, Maybe She'll Phone Me
Mean to Me
Mexican Divorce
Minnie the Mermaid
Misty
Mountain of Love
My Romance
My Walking Stick
Night and Day
On a Slow Boat to China
Out of Nowhere
Paparazzi
Pennies from Heaven
Pinball Wizard
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Quando, Quando, Quando
Red Red Wine
Save the Last Dance for Me
Secret Agent Man
Secret Love
Sheik of Araby
Smoke on the Water
Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise
Something Stupid
South of the Border
Spanish Is the Loving Tongue
Stranger in Paradise
Sugar (That Sugar Baby of Mine)
Take a Number from One to Ten
Taking A Chance On Love
That Certain Party
The End of the World
The Gypsy
The Nearness of You
This Dream of You
Tryin' to Get to You
Under Paris Skies
Wanna Go Back Again Blues
What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?
When I Take My Sugar To Tea
When Payday Rolls Around
When Somebody Thinks You're Wonderful
Where or When
White Sport Coat
World Without Love
Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
You and the Night and the Music
You Don't Know Me
You Never Can Tell
You'd Be Surprised
You're Sixteen
You've Got To See Your Papa Ev'ry Night
Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart
COUNTRY / WESTERN SWING
Cherokee Maiden
Deep Water
El Paso
Four Walls
Hobo's Meditation
I Haven’t Seen Mary in Years
Misery
Mother, the Queen of My Heart
New San Antonio Rose
Oh Lonesome Me
She’s Gone, Gone, Gone
Sugar Moon
Time Changes Everything / Right or Wrong (DONALD)
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
When Payday Rolls Around
Yearning
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Al di là
Amapola
Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schön
Bésame Mucho
Parla più piano (Love Theme from The Godfather)
Ti amerò
Una Notte a Napoli
INSTRUMENTALS
Avalon
Big Sandy River
Black Orpheus
Blue Bossa
Django’s Castle
Djangology
Jardin d'hiver
Je suis seul ce soir
Jerusalem Ridge
Little Red Wing
Lulu Swing
Rose Room
MOVIE/TV THEMES
Al di là
Amada Mia
Andy Griffith Theme
As Time Goes By
Back in the Saddle Again / Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Bei Dir War Es Immer So Schön
Black Orpheus
Days of Wine and Roses
Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend
Don’t Fence Me In
Falling in Love Again
Hey There
If I Only Had a Brain (DONALD)
Love Theme from The Godfather
Lara’s Theme (Dr. Zhivago)
Over the Rainbow
Puttin’ On the Ritz
Rubber Ducky
Secret Agent Man
(The) Shadow of Your Smile
Singin’ in the Rain
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Spiderman
Suicide Is Painless
TV Theme Medley
Viva Las Vegas
When I Fall in Love
Where or When
We requite at least two power sockets and up to three parking spaces.
We need an exact location and load-in requirements. We also need to be advised if setup and sound check needs to be completed a certain time before the performance starts.
We provide our own sound equipment.
Yes, we can play appropriate intermission music from Apple Music.
Bent Ridge Winery, wonderful venue and audience.
All there of us have played multiple times at the Halifax Jazz Festival with prior bands.
We have all played for decades in various ensembles in multiple styles - jazz, gypsy jazz, bluegrass, country, and Cape Breton.
We usually arrive at least an hour before the performance, earlier for unfamiliar venues. We normally play two or three 45 minute sets.
We're happy to perform outside but would much prefer to be in a shady or enclosed area, and of course would need a nearby power supply.
We have an extensive repertoire list with songs from a variety of genres, which we would be happy to share with a client. We normally create our own sets but would welcome client input.
Some testimonials:
"It's always a pleasure to have Ben Robertson and his trio perform at Bent Ridge Winery! Our easy-listening audiences adore his music, and we book him regularly due to popular demand."
"The mellow music filled the room beautifully, and guests left in a delightful mood."
"Be it solo or accompanied, Ben's music makes magic. "
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Wedding
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1920s Music
1930s Music
1940s Music
1950s Music
1960s Music
Swing