Review Centre: Wedding Musicians

"It was incredible!!! They are phenomenal musicians and they really made the event memorable for all of us! It was the perfect entertainment for all the guests to break the ice with festive music. I recommend it wholeheartedly! "

Reply by Italian Band: Folk, Swing & Tarantella
Being chosen by a talented musician like you fills us with joy and satisfaction! Honored to have made your party so special! W GLI SPOSI!! ❤️

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Charlie Jennison's debut album for Maine's Invisible Music Records is a smooth piece of work. "Smooth" not in the sense of the saccharine stuff served up by contemporary jazz players, but smooth as in classy unpretentiousness in the playing. Jennison is an alumnus of the Do'ah Wild Music Ensemble, a New Hampshire group which recorded for Global Pacific label. He has since gravitated to jazz having recorded with singers Kathleen Kolman and Leila Percy, among others. Jennison has also worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry and Buddy DeFranco and is on the faculty of New Hampshire's Phillips Exeter Academy. Forsaking standard material for his first album, the play list is made up of ten Jennison originals all in various tempi and style, but which start getting repetitious along the way as ideas get thin. Some of the better pieces include "To You, From Me" which features Jennison on alto with some exciting drum breaks by Ken Clark. Another piece spotlighting Jennison's alto, which sounds like Phil Woods when Woods is in a mellow mood, is the lovely ballad "Georgie," with "My Anne" rivaling "Georgie" for sheer musical attractiveness. The tenor takes over on "Watch Your Step" with Jennison showing some incredible dexterity with daring fingering technique. There's a nice blues with a funky piano solo by Jim Butka and good bass strumming from John Hunter on "Amanda's Blues." Jennison brings out his soprano on "Rain in My Coffee" which has a light Latin beat with more good piano from Jim Butka. But virtually all tunes on this session take the same course. There's an introduction establishing the basic melody structure, followed by some technically compelling fingering after which there's a return to the melody. No matter how good the instrumentalist is —and Jennison is very good—unless the original material is superior, it's not going to hold one's attention for a whole sitting. And that is the case here. I have heard Jennison on other albums and he handles standard stuff very well. It would have behooved him to have put a couple of those on this CD. This would have strengthened the credibility of the original material."

Reply by Charlie Jennison Quartet
I appreciate Dave Nathan's willingness to review my flagship release and also recognize his candor in suggesting that the original material I wrote could have been strengthened by including some standard tunes as well. I would like to note that, in more than one instance, I used the framework of a jazz standard as the foundation for a new composition. For example, on the track, "To You, From Me," I employed the chord progression to Cole Porter's "You Do Something To Me." My tune, "Amanda's Blues" is also just a variation of a standard minor blues. With a lifetime of experience playing, I now recognize his observation of "virtually all tunes on this session take the same course," to be spot on. This was, after all, my first (and only) excursion into the realm of recorded jazz, and as a young player, I still had a lot to learn about crafting the presentation of material in a more interesting way. Now that I am getting close to 80 years old, I have decided to create another album of original material with the same players, kind of like a bookend to wrap up a successful career teaching and playing (although not recording). Look for a release sometime in 2026!

Rating: 8 / 10 Share this review:

"Booked Emeli for a performance and wow, didn't she deliver! Highly recommended. Got some more dates in the calendar to get her back as my clients are demanding to see her."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Looking for creative drum and percussion input from an exceptional and unique drummer - here it is. I've worked with Terl in many different settings and genres. Highly recommended. Simon and Steve Nelson."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We recently held a small, intimate destination wedding, and choosing Patrik to be part of our big day was one of the best decisions we made. We were initially drawn to him for his talent on the guitar and his incredible musical range - he can truly play anything, and he does it with style, heart, and skill. From the beginning, Patrik was warm, enthusiastic, and incredibly professional. Throughout the planning process, he was responsive, approachable, and genuinely excited about being part of our celebration. It made working with him an absolute breeze. On the wedding day, the music was nothing short of incredible. My partner and I had chosen two special songs for key moments - one of which isn’t typically performed acoustically, so we weren’t quite sure how it would translate. But the version that Patrik and vocalist Sarah composed was stunning. As soon as they began playing, I could feel the tears welling up. It was beautiful, emotional, and captured exactly what we had hoped for. Patrik also played during our cocktail hour and dinner, and the vibes were strong. The song selection, paired with his sheer talent, created such a fun and joyful atmosphere. It wasn’t long before everyone was singing, dancing, and completely immersed in the celebration. I honestly can't rave about Patrik enough. His talent and energy are a solid 15/10. If flying him back to Australia for every future celebration was an option, we’d do it in a heartbeat! Patrik truly elevated our event. He helped create unforgettable moments and added so much heart to the day. We’re so grateful to him and Sarah for making our wedding day even more magical. Thank you!! "

Reply by Patrik Roncolato
That's so kind, thank you Stacey and Harvey from the bottom of my heart! Hope we meet again :)

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Oleg is such an incredible saxophonist he played wonderfully at our wedding, really got the party started and our guests absolutely loved him! Thanks again for making our day as special as it was xxx"

Reply by Oleg Sax
You’re very welcome! Thank you kindly for your review.

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Nate and Grace were the best!!! so calm, friendly, approachable, patient and was exactly what we were wanting. Nates voice was amazing. He incorporated all ages right down to music for my 5yr old grand daughter. Nothing was a hassle - they both have a great vibe. Would highly recommend - our crowd was definietely pleased with multuple compliments throughout the evening from our guests....thanks"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Kwanele is young and very talented musician. I am a huge fan of his work 🥰💃🏻"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A huge thank you to Tony for a great night on the occasion of my husband's 60th birthday! You were the consummate professional, setting up early, playing exactly what we wanted and sounding wonderful! We would highly recommend you for all kinds of events! xxx"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Η μπάντα Ixeis Afixeis προσφέρει μια μοναδική μουσική εμπειρία, γεμάτη αυθεντικότητα και πάθος. Με το πλούσιο ρεπερτόριό τους, που περιλαμβάνει λαϊκά, ρεμπέτικα και παραδοσιακά ελληνικά τραγούδια, ξέρουν να κλέβουν την παράσταση σε κάθε εκδήλωση. Η ζωντανή τους παρουσία και η εκρηκτική ενέργεια που μεταφέρουν στο κοινό κάνουν κάθε στιγμή αξέχαστη. Ιδανική επιλογή για κάθε γιορτή που θέλει να αναδείξει την ελληνική μουσική κουλτούρα!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great Saxophonist, Dr. Saxy is such an interactive guy and there’s been multiple times I see him walking around while playing and interacting with everyone present. Truly a great experience, if you ever get the chance to see him perform you should!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much Lucinda for singing at my sisters 40th birthday. You have an amazing voice, great selection of songs, very kind to talk too and patient. I highly recommend you and will be getting you again. ❤️"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Great entertainment ! Great performer ! Everyone enjoyed Ian !! He was fast to reply on short notice .. thanks Ian!!!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Five star rating for Ukulele player Bruddah Vince Bruddah played at my mother's memorial service the other day and he was absolutely superb. Besides arriving an hour before the start, he was willing to make some additions to songs to play the night before. But most importantly, the playing was superb, clear, and with his amplifier equipment was highly professional. His playing and singing of the Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World medley along with others such as Beautiful Kauai, Aloha 'Oe and other traditional Hawaiian songs was top notch. I cannot recommend anyone more highly as Bruddah to play at an event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Hi Natalya, Thank you so much for your fantastic performance at our Wedding in Le Meridien Hotel in Mayfair last Saturday! Our guests kept telling us how great the String Quartet is! We all loved all the music you played which really matched our wedding theme! You are also very flexible in accommodating most of the songs we would like you to play! I hope you all had a great time too!​ This is the second time you have performed for us and you never fail to awe us! You are all elegant and beautiful with very nice personalities! We would definitely recommend you to anyone we know! The positive comments and praises we got from our guests assured us that we did the right choice in choosing you to share your beautiful repertoire. Thank you very much again for your great performance! We all enjoyed it!​ I'll ask my guests to leave great reviews on you as well!​ God bless, Mark and Vanessa"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: