Review Centre: Swing Bands

"Thank you so much for playing at our wedding. The music was fantastic and all the swing band members were wonderful. Everyone commented on how amazing you were. We will definitely be recommending you in the future. Many thanks."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

" I am proud that the Rick Holland - Evan Dobbins Little Big Band calls Tala Vera cantina home once a month. Rick is a consummate professional as well as a top tier musician. His Band comprises the best players Rochester has to offer. Such talent coupled with an amazing book of swing and traditional jazz, presents a special evening of music every time they play at Tala Vera. Bernard Matthews, Owner of Tala Vera, Rochester, NY I have had the pleasure to do some arranging and writing for Rick's groups and I have to say that his groups are always chocked full of the best musicians around. It's a pleasure to have music played with precision and integrity - no matter what the style or genre. I would highly recommend any or Rick's groups for a jazz or commercial setting. Jim Martin, Grand Rapids, MI We had the pleasure of having the USO-10 piece play at our wedding in May 2017. From the minute we met Rick Holland and heard the band play we knew they were the band for us. It was a pleasure to work with Rick, who was so professional and helpful in many ways especially song choices from everything to cocktail music, our entrance song, first dance, parent dances to our exit song. The dance floor was never empty. We are thrilled with the USO and look forward to hearing them again in the near future!! Thank you for making our wedding so special! Maureen and Mark Deckman Sometimes it all just falls into place. The setting, the situation, the scene, the tone -- everything is going your way. That describes last night for me. And at the heart of this mid-week Xanadu was the Rick Holland Uptown Orchestra, a modest, brass-centric outfit led by the trumpet-blowing Holland that swung with equal parts effervescence and laid-back cool at Lovin Cup. And come to find out, five of his Hollands regular guys were sidelined, and the holes on the bandstand were plugged with subs --- hired music muscle like Po’ Boy Erik Jacobs on the slide trombone. By the time the Orchestra heaped on a helping of Count Basie, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I dragged my mom out in the cold for this show and she was thrilled when they stomped on the Savoy. Holland led the affair with a relaxed air, coaxing more than conducting under his porkpie lid. He went around the bandstand numerous times so every cat there got his fair shake, including pianist extraordinaire Bill Dobbins. This is one sweet band, yes, yes. Frank De Blase, Roch City News With all the hype going to Wynton Marsalis, you might not guess that there are other, lesser-known, straight-ahead trumpet players out there who are consistently ripping the hide off the ball. This, Rick Holland's auspicious debut, is an impressive effort. The trumpeter leads his quartet, backed by a solid Michigan-based rhythm section: pianist Terry Lower, bassist Ed Fedewwa, and drummer Larry Ochiltree, through a fiery trail of originals and standards, interspersed with some fine balladry. Holland's sensitive ear translates to some tight arrangements and a well-organized program. On flugelhorn, he boasts a rich, full tone that purrs with warmth. On the faster tunes, he steams. This is the kind of jazz that feels just right on a wintry day, with the fireplace in full throttle, and the feet resting on a cushion: it hits the spot perfectly, drenched with emotional power and skillful fortitude. Steve Loewy, All Music Guide You get the feeling from Holland’s recordings, that Holland and his compatriots are not only talented musicians, but fully formed human beings with wit, style and elegance---folks whom you would enjoy sharing a fine dinner and stimulating conversation. Bill Barton, Green Mountain Jazz Messenger "Rick brought his quartet and the little big band to our wedding and reception. He was wonderful to work with, being both receptive to our requests and knowing where to fill in the gaps with his expertise. Not to mention I could call him anytime, and he worked around our schedule. They played a tasteful mix of songs great for just listening to and a few that got everyone up on the dance floor. In the end, everyone was raving about how great the band was. We couldn't be happier!" P.S. Lindsey was amazing, the two comments I heard most were "Wow, they are great!" and "That girl can sing!" Sam and Ellie Carrell I hired Rick Holland Productions for my wedding and I thank my lucky stars I did. They were just an absolute solid band. I live in Toronto so the 10 piece band crossed the border for my wedding - our wedding coordinator said she'd never heard a band that good over her decade long career. I like to think I'm a genius for finding them ?? Kian K., Toronto, ON, CA From the bride: "The music was wonderful! We could not have asked for a better band. Our guests were really impressed; the Uptown Society Orchestra really made our reception special.” From the groom: "What a professional group. Their exceptional musicianship brought a real element of class to the party. There is nothing like the sound of a live band, and this group made our reception better than we could have hoped for.” From the father of the bride: (Dennis Nowicki): "The band was fantastic -- they really exceeded our expectations." Anders Dahlberg and Stacy Nowicki, Wedding at the Chicago Art Museum The Uptown Society Orchestra may have had six members, but it sounded as if it had twice as many as members blew triumphantly throughout New Years' eve night. (Front page Kalamazoo Gazette, regarding the New Years Eve Festival 2004, Kalamazoo, Michigan) Bill Wood, Arts and Entertainment critic, Kalamazoo Gazette Amazing! Rick Holland Productions worked seamlessly with our wedding, where we had three separate "performances" that were adpated to by Rick's use of different members of the Little Big Band. We had a cocktail reception where a trio played, then a brass quartet accompanied our Wedding ceremony. After our guests were transported by horse-drawn carriage to a lake side reception site, the Little Little Big Band got things started and the full Little Big Band played the night away to the extreme pleasure of our entire party. They even let Joe Robinson jam with them in the chill of the autumn, fire-lit evening! Thank You so much Rick! Matthew Cooper, Bradford, PA Rick brought his quartet and the little big band to our wedding and reception. He was wonderful to work with, being both receptive to our requests and knowing where to fill in the gaps with his expertise. Not to mention I could call him anytime, and he worked around our schedule. They played a tasteful mix of songs great for just listening to and a few that got everyone up on the dance floor. In the end, everyone was raving about how great the band was. Lindsey Holland was amazing, the two comments I heard most were "Wow, they are great!" and "That girl can sing!"We couldn't be happier! Sam and Ellie Carrell When we heard the Uptown Society perform at a New Year's Eve concert we knew that we wanted them to play at our wedding. They had the perfect blend of jazz, swing and romantic ballads. They are excellent musicians and we were thrilled to find that they were available for our wedding. Our guests were thrilled that we hired them; we received so many compliments. Uptown Society provided a wonderful 'soundtrack' for our storybook wedding. Eric and Kim von Oeyen, Battle Creek, MI Rick Holland and his band played our wedding on August 28, 2010. Rick could not have been more accommodating to my husband and my wants and needs for music at the wedding. We communicated through email, over the phone, and met with each other once to go over the details. Rick was very thorough and always set our minds at ease. During our ceremony, his quartet played us up the aisle with a romantic song and down the aisle with ''Fireworks'' which set the mood for the festive evening to begin. The cocktail hour began immediately following the ceremony and Rick''s band did not miss a beat....the little big band entertained guests while they mingled and got a bite to eat. When the wedding party was ready to be announced, Rick took the microphone as we were all introduced. After the speeches were out of the way, Rick and the band let loose! With a full band and two singers, a male and a female, we partied for the next four hours! The guests were dancing, singing, and truly having a great time as did we! The band definitely made the night! The songs were exactly what we requested and the sound quality was superb. I would gladly book Rick and his band for another occasion as well as recommend them. Thanks again Rick! Erin and Mike Victor, New York"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"‘Thank you so much to Chris who performed at my birthday party. Such a wonderful performer and great singer. He performed all of the songs I requested and nothing was too much trouble. By the end of the night everyone was up dancing and I received many compliments about Chris. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him for another event – he really was brilliant!' "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you for such a beautiful performance yesterday at the funeral Sarah. The family were so very pleased."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for coming at such short notice. You absolutely smashed it and went down a storm. Cheers"

Reply by Shadow Sax
This review was sent by social media so there was no system for a numeric rating.

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"James Anthony at The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. James did a fantastic job at our outdoor concert on August 10, 2013. My God, If you are looking for a Sinatra tribute show, we here at the Nation D-Day Memorial would highly recommend James Anthony. There can't possibly be anyone who could be better than James. He is truly a professional and we look forward to having him back. Good luck to him as he has a bright future ahead. Keith Campbell National D-Day Memorial"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I had this band play at my wedding the other Saturday and they were amazing! Even though we just had the 3 piece band (2 guitars and bass) they sounded amazing and everyone loved them! Fitted perfectly with our venue and relaxed style of wedding. The guys were superb and very professional and I didn't have to worry about them at all. I even got time to stand there and appreciate them for awhile :) Would highly recommend these guys!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We had the pleasure of Rich singing last night at my Dad’s 80th party. What a voice and he played a great selection of songs which everyone loved. He made the atmosphere amazing and everyone was dancing, or foot tapping! If you are looking for the wow factor , this guy has it all. We will definitely book him again. Thanks Rich, you put a smile on many faces, and I’m sure everyone is still humming those tunes this morning 😊"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Amazing musicians, totally professionals! Gave a wonderful touch to our wedding day! 10/10 recommended!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Shadow Sax was very professional in all aspects and a brilliant part of our wedding. The performance was outstanding and the feedback from our wedding guests was wonderful - they really loved the playlist and it added a very special touch to our special day - thank you so much - we would highly recommend Shadow Sax to you and it is very easy to book through *****. Note: This review was provided via a different system's site which rates out of 5, and had a 5 star rating i.e. 5 out of 5"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A-MAZING! Thomas was the perfect person for our booking. We had SO many compliments about him playing…and the videos look insane! Sadly we were pulled in every direction so didn’t get to experience but can’t WAIT for our videography back. Thomas was very flexible as I needed to move things round. Nothing was too much trouble for him. It was due to be bad weather so he was set up but when the weather picked up and the sun came out he literally picked everything up and moved out for us without me even having to ask! Perfect perfect 😍 [Note: this review was provided via another site with a score of 5 out of 5 stars]"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Trio carico di passione che riesce a coinvolgere il pubblico trasmettendo il proprio entusiasmo. Vivamente consigliato per una piacevole serata jazz. Anna"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for playing at our wedding. We had an amazing night and all the guests commented on how fabulous you were."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"As soon as the band started, just about every wedding guest was on the dance floor for the rest of the night. Their great music and charm brought so much energy to the party and made for an unforgettable night of dancing. The "Original" Moonlighters were wonderful to work with: very professional, personable and flexible during COVID-19. I cannot recommend them enough - they truly made our wedding night and people are still asking about "the amazing band" we had!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was a pleasure to have Brian and Tim play at our office open event. They set the mood just right and it helped the evening to be the huge success that it was. It was a really easy booking process and our minds were put at rest with their communication and they are very good value. I would strongly recommend the Duo and wouldn’t hesitate to re-book for future events. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: