Review Centre: 1920s Era Musicians & Bands

"The Swing Quartet played wonderful music at the vernissage of my exhibition in De Breek in Oosthuizen. High quality. And especially for me, my favorite song from the Andrew sisters ' bei mir bist du shein' . Fantastic."

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"A belated and seasonal message of good cheer to say thank you so much for making our wedding so special. Everyone had a great evening and we have received lots of praise for you and the guys. From the bottom of our hearts a huge thank you for playing. It was super. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New year ! James and Kate x"

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"What an incredible musical journey that was. The talent displayed by these young musicians is astounding. They are well beyond their years. Their improvisational skills particularly blew me away. I can’t wait for their next performance! "

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"Saxophones, a rhythm section and vocals, swinging like crazy – that’s the aptly named FIVE STAR SWING ! As saxophone section in any band, they would take some beating. Beautiful tones and well-rehearsed by their leader, Chris Smith (Jnr), who has the singular talent of playing the trumpet with his right hand and the piano with his left at one and the same time ! He also happens to be a very experienced music writer having learnt his trade with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Glenn Miller’s Brother, Herb. Add to the fact that he can also well handle a vocal, as can his wife, lead alto Simone Smith and tenor man Stephen Davies, who’s clarinet playing on “Sing, Sing, Sing” was superb – and it will give you some idea of the breadth of talent in this line-up. This is a band crying out to be danced to and it wasn’t long before the jivers took to the dance floor. Five Star Swing –a “must” for every dance club in the country."

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"We just wanted to get in touch again to thank you guys for the wonderful show you put on for our wedding on Saturday night! Everyone had such a great time, and absolutely loved your performance. You were a real highlight and we can't thank you enough"

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"Ruby sang at our garden party on 7 July 2018 and was simply amazing. All the guests loved her and she really made the party atmosphere. We gave her a list of songs which she sang and added to judging the timing of the event and mood of the guests, and we were up dancing. I knew right away after speaking to her on the phone that she was the right person for us. She communicates with professionalism and warmth and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her for any event. Thank you so much Ruby for making our party memorable and special. "

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"I am delighted to recommend Vincent Cassotta of Enfield CT in pursuit of his grant application for the Louis Armstrong Tribute with a Jazz Quartet performing at the Eli Whitney Elementary School. My previous role as the PK-12 Music Coordinator for the Enfield Public School District has brought me in direct contact with the professional, innovative, creative, and artistic musician and retired teacher Mr. Vincent Cassotta. I have witnessed first-hand the impact and quality of his quality music instruction provided for his thirty-nine years of teaching tenure in our community. To have the opportunity to bring the genre of American Jazz Music as a tribute to the legend of Louis Armstrong with quality professional musicians under Mr. Cassotta’s organization is a blessing to the young minds and ears of our elementary students, especially at a time when music education in Enfield offers less opportunities. This past Spring I had the opportunity to guest speak at Mr. Cassotta’s retirement party celebrating his many years of service in music education. In that speech I spoke about multiple areas beyond the collegial and professional relationship Mr. Cassotta, and I achieved since 1999. These in my opinion provide strong evidence for the Enfield Cultural Council to support this mission of this application fiscally. One of the points shared was that Mr. Cassotta balanced his career of music education and professional trumpet performing with incredible success throughout his career. Aside from the technical, logistical and time management responsibilities from such an endeavor, he achieved this success with never letting go of the care demonstrated to his students, family members, school building staff, and his music professional colleagues. The fact that he desires to continue to expand the music opportunities to students in Enfield now in his retirement resting years is evidence of his dedication to this art form and willingness to always educate. Furthermore Mr. Cassotta’s wealth of experience professionally as a performing musician and student of the trumpet is stellar. In his education Mr. Cassotta studied trumpet with Rolf Smedvig of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Empire Brass Quintet, Jimm Maxwell a NYC Studio Musician, Roger Murtha of the Hartford Symphony and Hartt School of Music, and Dan Patrylak of the Eastman Brass Quintet and UCONN. To continue, Mr. Cassotta was a freelance performer with Frank Sinatra, Manhattan Transfer, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Vinton, Bob Hope, The Four Tops, Phil Woods, The Temptations, Sammy Davis Jr., Andy Williams, Franki Valli and the Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. Including numerous local and state pit orchestra’s and local well know jazz bands. He has also published works as a composer and arranger with KJOS music as well as multiple professional recordings. I strongly urge you to consider Mr. Cassotta’s application for this grant. Your support will help impact music education in Enfield and continue to make a meaningful impact on the lives of its students. Thank you for considering this recommendation. Sincerely, Mark F. Reppucci Jazz, Orchestra, Music Technology and Piano Teacher Enfield High School Write your tex"

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"Thoroughly enjoyable. Band were professional, energetic, and great value."

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"The Jelly Roll Jazz Band were such a special part of our wedding day! They played us up the aisle at the end of the ceremony, then stayed to perform during our outdoor drinks reception. They were fantastic to work with and sounded wonderful on the day – we absolutely loved having them there, and our guests said the same. Thank you to Michael and the band – we couldn't have been happier."

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"An unforgettable evening. The quartet created an elegant and intimate atmosphere that perfectly complemented our private dinner. Every guest commented on how exceptional the music was."

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"What incredible music! They were a perfect start to our conference mornings. They put a smile on people's faces as they entered the doors. Both are extremely talented and lovely to work with!"

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"The performance was absolutely outstanding. Everything was arranged professionally, and the music created a sophisticated atmosphere that perfectly matched our event. We received many compliments from our guests."

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"Thank you so much for your wonderful music and for making the afternoon so special. We all had the most amazing time, and your music was the perfect accompaniment to the day. Thanks again for everything - you were stars!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fleur and her fellow musician Hugh played a very generous hour and a half of music over two sessions, socialising in between and with the other guests. Their music is great and we got thanks and much positive feedback from Our friends. Generally Fleur performs jazz standards and blues, billie Holiday-Influence, , well punctuated with Latin American and bossa nova sounds from the charts, past and present. Her guitarist Hugh accompanies to a very high professional standard and treats the audience to the occasional virtuoso solo. Fully, highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I booked Hetty and her trio to play at a garden party for my wife’s birthday, and couldn’t have made a better choice. They played some gorgeous Latin American jazz, interspersed with swing classics, and the sound was perfect for a laid-back summer afternoon. Ronan's smooth saxophone is an excellent foil for Hetty’s flexible but beautifully expressive vocals. Miguel holds it all together, unobtrusively and elegantly, on guitar. They were lovely people to work with, and I’d confidently recommend them for social events of this kind."

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