Review Centre: Swing Bands

"Wow! You were wonderful. We have had so many messages saying how excellent the evening was – so many people loved the band, and we can’t thank you enough. The music, as you know full well, is such an important part of the evening and we could not have hoped for anything better. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for singing so brilliantly at our wedding. All the guests can't stop commenting on how fantastic your voice is and how you really made the evening. Thanks also for DJing, you immediately knew the right songs to play and didn't talk like a lot of DJ's do. We really did have a perfect day.”"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I have had the great pleasure of experiencing the fabulous sound of Rouge Manuche on many occasions , including guest appearances from many Talented musicians, if you want to get your party or event into full swing, I highly recommend booking this superb Band , "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just wanted you to know how much I appreciate the amazing job you did on June 24th for my wedding. The jazz music was so wonderful and I have passed your name on to many people who were interested to know more. I would absolutely love to book you again if we have another special occasion!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The trio were perfect. Really nice guys, really nice tunes, very tight. So many compliments off everyone who came. Couldn't recommend more. Thanks<3 (10 / 10) Matthew Wilcock"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"On behalf of Hotel De France, I would like to extend our sincere gratitude for all your performances this summer. The entertainment was much appreciated by our guests and we received a great deal of positive feedback. It was a pleasure to have you working for us - thank you once again. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Your performance was perfect. Good response from the organization. Lots of good reactions from the audience. Thank you guys and see you soon. Rob"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"‘Everybody has commented on how well the party went and absolutely loved your singing - they all really praised you. I think you really made the night and you were so good with the kids I think they will talk about you for a long time.’ "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"There have been many jazz musicians – saxophonists John Coltrane and George Brooks to name a couple – who have been intrigued by the melodic and rhythmic complexities of Hindustani classical music. Saxophonist Rainer Pusch, how!ever, belongs to the rare breed of Western musicians who have been influenced by Carnatic music. The Carnatic connection came later, but jazz caught Pusch’s interest at an early age. As a 12-year-old learning the tenor sax, a “very bad teacher” scared him into quitting lessons and starting to jam with friends. “At the age of 14 I got into jazz,” he told us. “I heard the first album by [American free jazz saxophonist] Pharaoh Sanders and this album [Pharaoh’s First] kicked me in.” Pusch got completely hooked after his brother smuggled him into The Cave, a jazz club in Heidelberg. “They had jam sessions every Tuesday,” he said. “It was 1968, the time of free jazz, underground music and the hippie era. Heidelberg was the headquarters of the US army in Europe, and there were a lot of army clubs, where I found my first steady work.” Playing for Americans every Friday and Saturday was an ideal start. It was a stroke of luck that Pusch met his “first jazz guru”, saxophonist Pony Poindexter. “Pony Poindexter’s wife worked for the army and they were living in Mannheim at the time,” Pusch said. “Pony had already subbed for Charlie Parker in Billy Eckstine’s big band, recorded with [guitarist] Wes Montgomery, the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and many others.” Pusch started taking lessons from Poindexter and, after a while, they started performing together. Poindexter was instrumental, in helping Pusch further his jazz education by introducing him to other American musicians. “He knew everybody,” Pusch recalled. “Through him, I met Dexter Gordon. Art Blakey sat in with us when we played an outdoor gig.” Later, in 1977, Pusch stayed with Poindexter in New York, where he met the cream of the city’s jazz scene. “He invited Philly Joe Jones to stay for two weeks in our Lower East Side loft; I met Eddie Jefferson, Bob Berg, Junior Cook,” Pusch said. He also took lessons from George Coleman, who had briefly been part of Miles Davis’s band in the early ’60s. On his return to Germany, Pusch released his first album as leader of his own outfit. However, his connection to America persisted; he would return to earn a degree in jazz composition and arrangement from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, in 1983. Pusch’s first album Journey Agent, released in 1981, was an assimilation of the styles typical of hard bop and post-bop American musicians he had met during the past decade. On the album, his quartet, which included piano, double bass and drums, performed originals and a cover of “Mixing Pot” by Brazilian musician Hermeto Pascoal. Mostly mid-tempo numbers, the tunes ranged from the ballad-like “Scientific” and earthy “B-flat Blues” to funky, Latin-inflected “Mixing”. “I’m influenced by all the players I like to listen to,” Pusch said. “That’s the secret about jazz. It isn’t only music; it’s a philosophy of personal self-development built on tolerance and the art of living in the moment.” He has performed in a variety of formats: duo, trio, quartet and big bands. Pusch is also a composer and arranger who has scored symphonic pieces for films. Pusch’s first major Indian encounter was in the late-’90s, when he performed at the Avignon Theatre Festival in France. “It had a focus on India, and members of the Kalakshetra College of Dance and Music were performing,” he said. “I got in touch with them and decided to go to Chennai to study.” Pusch received a scholarship from ICCR and moved with his family to Chennai in 1996. He would remain there for more than two years, studying Carnatic vocal from S Rajaram and rhythms from V Selvaganesh. “I got into the movie business and performed for many music directors, inclu!ding AR Rahman,” he said. There have been Carnatic saxo!phonists, like Kadri Gopalnath, before him, but Pusch is probably the first Westerner to perform the traditional south Indian style on the sax. He has also arranged compositions by Thyagaraja, Mysore Vasudeva and others, using a rhythm section comprised of guitar, bass and drums. “We respect the raga, but put it in a harmonic frame,” he said. “It’s not the style, but the attitude of the musician that counts. The future of music, art and culture lies in a respectful, well-understood and lived fusion. Not in a commercial, fast food con-fusion.”"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Very good, our guests are happy with the music and the performance. The atmosphere was very fantastic!"

Reply by Gradalicious
Thanks again, and congratulations on such a successful evening.
Many thanks as well to the organizers of Taiwan Night and Stadthalle Düsseldorf!
Your efforts in creating such a vibrant and culturally rich event were truly appreciated — we look forward to many more like it in the future.

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Just wanted to say a big thank you to you and the rest of the band for helping to make my 60th party such a special occasion. You were fantastic and everyone was asking where I had found you and how good you were. Maybe we’ll do it all again when I’m 70."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Frankie and Pete were absolutely brilliant. They were such lovely people to have around on the day (very sweet and accommodating), and their music was really wonderful - just what we were hoping for. They are an incredibly talented pair and we would like to highly recommend them to others. Our guests thought they were fantastic too. All best wishes, Claire and Phil (10 / 10)"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Your performance was perfect. Good reactions from the organization. Lots of good reactions from the audience Thanks and see you soon Rob"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Wave Jazz Trio were fantastic! We hired the band for our wedding reception and they did an amazing job. They brought such a great energy and ambience to the atmosphere and were a delight to work with from start to finish. Very professional band to work with and extremely talented musicians. Highly recommended! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for last night. Everyone has said what a fantastic band you are. We all had a fabulous time and we have no hesitation in recommending you. I wanted authentic and I got it! Thanks for learning the Louis Jordan tune too. That made my night."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: