Review Centre: Pianists

"A brilliant experience! Sue was very quick to respond to organisational queries prior to the event. As musicians, Sue and Lloyd were first-class, and fitted in perfectly with the professional, yet relaxed, atmosphere of the launch."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for a thrilling performance, Gabriel. There is no doubt that your mastery of piano and keyboard is imminent. While I can barely play piano, I do listen as I did when I was last in Sydney. That you have come so far, with such a large repertoire of both classical and South American masterworks, is not presented in what is a grouping of informal music. May I commend you on the interesting variations of intonation that you are able to express. Your technique is enviable. I am unfortunately not an expert in critique. What may help you as you press on to a rating of 102 out of 95, are some observations. That the Kwai is good is undoubted, and even with the Beale that you played upstairs in Allans, before Allans closed, the Pitt Street store, compared against the longer Yamaha Grand that you also played, in any of these, the higher octaves can sound a bit thin against the richness of the lower and middle registers. There were moments in My Way, when I sensed the thinness of the upper octaves. I thought also that as you had to reach so far, you had in fact more time than you think, to add more tone and meaning. I thought that you were a bit rushed at that point of the performance. You have all the skill necessary. Just take a little more time, particularly on your first right hand move into the upper octaves, to let the jazz notes fall like a sprinkling of rain. They are short notes and to fit them into strict time with such a large move up the keyboard, seems for a moment to squeeze the time you think you have to execute several high notes. Elsewhere in the several performance pieces, you extract a richness also in the higher octave notes. Well done. That the piece New York has syncopation and time changes is challenging. Your performed well. I do seem to think that you may benefit by understanding or viewing performances of tap dancers dancing to the piece. It is a difficult idiom, and not one I used to adore. So if we have experienced the dance moves, we may then relate better to the changes. Still very good playing. I so much enjoyed your performances. "

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Brilliant musicians - a truly beautiful evening! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had the pleasure of having the wonderful Gail play the piano during our Wedding cocktail reception. Gail played absolutely beautifully and our guests mentioned that she was the perfect addition. Her repertoire of songs was endless and she was prepared to learn any song that we had requested. From the moment we booked Gail, she was polite, friendly and professional. We would definitely recommend Gail at your wedding or any event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We booked Jon Hickman for our wedding party. Jon was lovely and easy to deal with. He was always contactable and responded quickly. He discussed what we wanted and followed this including learning a couple of new songs which we wanted. Everyone at our wedding commented on the piano player and on the ambience he created on the terrace where he was playing. Thanks so much to Jon, he was fab and exactly what we wanted for our event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We just want to say a huge thank you for playing at our wedding on Thursday. You played beautifully and I can’t even begin to say how much I appreciated you taking the time to learn all our preferred music. All our guests commented on how great you were! My only regret is we didn’t have time to say thanks in person. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We are so excited about Stan's talent that we are literally writing this review on our honeymoon. We asked Stan to play during a drinks reception for our wedding at Luttrellstown Castle. Stan was nothing but professional during the planning process - he touched base frequently to make sure we were confident the day would go smoothly and was flexible with meetings as we were planning from overseas. When I asked Stan to change the timing for our event, he had no problem doing so. Stan has an enormous repertoire of music that he offered us to choose from; we selected some songs from his list, but also asked him to play some that were meaningful to us that he did not know. He did so with no problem at all - from classical to pop, Stan's talent covered everything we wanted to hear and more. As an amateur piano player myself, I was stunned at Stan's talent and ability to play songs that would be quite difficult for myself perfectly and with such ease. Many of our guests were in a different area of the castle, but I insisted on staying near the piano to hear the music! We coordinated an entrance to Claire de Lune and Stan worked with our coordinators to time everything properly, as well. After the event, Stan even reached out to give us some recommendations for our honeymoon in Ireland, catering them to some of the things we had already discussed with him. A true professional and AMAZING pianist - if you are considering hiring someone, don't hesitate a second longer. Even if you aren't considering hiring a pianist, you will be more than pleased if you change your mind and hire Stan to play your event. Thanks a million for making this so memorable, Stan. We appreciate it!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Musicista molto gentile e disponibile. Mia moglie ed io siamo stati molto felici di ingaggiarlo."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The evening was absolutely smooth thanks to the positive vibes this band added."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I cannot begin to describe how much we loved Mikus and his performance at our wedding! I hired him as a surprise to my groom and we loved every minute of his music! He was so communicative and helpful the days leading up to my wedding and worked to coordinate with the other vendors too! He engaged the guests at our wedding and traveled between tables to play for everyone and make them laugh or smile! He also played the piano at our wedding and was an excellent and professional musician! If you are looking for a way to make your wedding memorable we recommend you hire him right away! There were so many friends and family who took videos and who told us how much they loved the live music! Thank you again for the incredible memories and music!! So many recognizable songs we will cherish forever"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I hired Dave for a private party. Dave's piano performance was truly special! His selection of Coldplay and Billy Joel songs showed off his amazing talent. The emotion he puts into each song really connected with my family and friends.What impressed me most was how he can play just about anything, making each song sound both familiar and fresh. A highlight of the night was when he invited my sister to sing along - a wonderful moment that got everyone involved. If you love great piano music played with heart and skill, Dave is THE guy. He has a perfect mix of technical talent and genuine passion that made my party special. Highly recommend"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was exactly how I envisioned it: a wonderful program with a nice mix of Christmas songs, jazz classics and classical. You flawlessly sensed what our guests liked."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Kenny Kirby [2021] - Playin' The Cracks (Selected Tracks) [Philly Fillet Records] I came across this artist via DJ Melismo's (aka Mats Olofsson) latest podcast in which he played "Someday We'll All Be Free" (and what a version!), so decided to check out the rest of the album Kenny Kirby's name may not be well known but he has been performing for over forty years with top acts such as Van Morrison, Charlie Grace, Sly & The Family Stone, Delfonics, Three Degrees, Major Harris, Billy Paul, Intruders, Blue Notes, Soul Survivors and was conductor for The Tymes. He is a piano player from Birmingham, AL, and released, what looks like, his debut album "Playin' The Cracks" in April. It is mainly covers, smooth jazz, some instrumentals and some quite MOR tunes, but three tracks did get my attention. I'm fairly sure it's not Kenny singing as some of the vocals are female. No one else is credited on the album, so I'm guessing they are unnamed guest vocalists on the vocal tracks. The three tracks are a cover of Donny Hathaway's "Someday We'll All Be Free", "Some Things Never Change" and "Ultimate Lover" a song written by Linda Creed and Dennis Matkosky."

Reply by JUST FRIENDS Entertainment
Thanks for your gracious kind words on my CD! Best, Kenny 🎹 https://kenkirby.wixsite.com/piano

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Black Marcs played for us at our Jubilee picnic on 4th June 2022 in Tollerton village. From beginning to end Mark was genuinely very friendly, helpful, easy going and professional to deal with. The band played a wide range of crowd pleasers suitable for all ages and everyone enjoyed their music. I highly recommend them as a live band for any event - you won't be disappointed."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great pianist! He played Morricone and other beautiful music, all was magic "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: