Review Centre: Wedding Musicians

"Jools composed and remotely recorded violin sections for 3 of my tracks: Just For a Day; Roman 7; Boneyard. The tracks have an American influence but would fall under the indie genre. Essentially, the remit for Jools was to 'bulk them out' with strings. Although I had not actually met Jools in person (and still haven't), he was extremely responsive when communicating via email and therefore didn't need to meet. Before agreeing, he encouraged me to listen to his back catalogue - I was impressed with the breadth and depth of genres that Jools had worked with and I was pleased to learn he had worked with a couple of acquaintances of mine- namely The Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and Chris Tye. Listening to his work, I was impressed by his knack around texturising songs- in my experience, strings can sometimes feel isolated from the rest of the instrumentation and I am aware that some string players find this aspect of composition challenging. Throughout the process, Jools ensured he had a secure understanding around my expectations. This brought about discussion around dynamics, chord progression technique (tremolo, tied sections etc). Although he was happy to read from transcript, I felt that his take on composition would be much better than mine, so he kindly agreed to compose the parts himself. After recording the first version, he sent me recordings via YouTube- he even went to the trouble of including a running text commentary of his thoughts within the video itself. This meant that I could give better feedback and bounce off his ideas. I was especially amazed by the turnaround (3 days to complete the process) as I had not set any deadlines or ball-park timeframes. Jools' playing is technically perfect and he has an exceptional ear for harmony and dynamics. e.g. He knew not to play for the sake of playing, and when to build to crescendo. He was able to add a range of chords, hooks and new melodies to the song. In Boneyard, the melody in the instrumental chorus ended up becoming the dominant hook- this was totally unplanned. Much like his violin playing, the overall recording quality was very professional. If you are looking for an outstanding string player who is both technical and visionary, Jools would be my number one recommendation."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Love it, we need more soul like this in today's music "

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"I booked Benga for my festival, and they nailed it, It was a great group of musicians and a great band! Noam was very easy to communicate with also"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Captain Star Band really set the mood for our wedding. The guests all raved about the music. We danced the night away under the stars to our favorite hits. They really made everything come together, and the night was a success because the music was so amazing ! "

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"The Cheers performed at our Christmas party, they arrived on time, were very organised and gave a great performance. Particularly liked their version of American boy! Would certainly recommend them to anyone requiring a band at their event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Spectacular!!! An enormous thank you for performing for us at our wedding . You pitched everything perfectly and was very well received.I loved every moment and had so many compliments about you! ! We will definitely recommend you. Thanks again! Jenny and Lefteris❤️"

Reply by Smooth Mood Project
Thank you Jenny & Lefteris for your kind words! Glad to be part of all those special moments and wish to you a happy prosperous life together! Vasia & John Smooth Mood Project Music For Your Finest Events

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"I have had the privilege of attending some of the events put on by Richard one in particular was the proms he organised the event encouraged helpers to decorate the venue did master of ceremonies arranged the music and wonderfully played the music and soon had us all involved and engaged in a most memorable night. On a personal note Richard has had lots of life setbacks, having some health impairment, the things he does can only be an inspiration to others. he gives it his all and wont give up. But for me its his music which is his forte. Gifted and doesn't realise how talented he is. Keep on making those wonderful moments and sharing them with us Thanks and Bless you. "

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"Thank you so much for coming. The playing was outstanding and it meant a huge amount to me & my family and friends. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Amazing performer, super professional and friendly. People at our event asked for Thomas' details as they were looking to book for their events this year. The set list was superb and we will definitely get in touch for any parties we have in the future. Please book, you will not be disappointed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fantatic musician, made our wedding ceremony magical! We were very late to start the ceremony but she played to entertain our guests while they were waiting. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Your playing throughout the time you were with us really set the beautiful tone for the day and your choice of "what to play when" was perfect. Furthermore your professionalism and being so helpful as we made our plans prior to our Big Day just made everything so easy for us Thank you again - and we look forward to seeing and hearing you play again soon ! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"JBMAC performed at our wedding after they performed at a work summer event I attended. Once I saw them at the work event I knew they would be perfect for the wedding! They played and sang tune after tune and you could not get the guests (and ourselves) off the dancefloor! I had several guests say how incredible the band were and some asking for details on where to hire them in the future! They were very accommodating in getting the setup done early in the day before guests arrived which we really appreciated. Would definitely recommend for any event if you love a good party!"

Reply by Jbmac
It was so awesome getting to party with you again! And thank you for choosing us to provide the party for your special day.

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"As a jazz singer, Vanessa is right up there with the best of them."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Amazing performance. 2 wonderful ladies playing wonderful music. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"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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