Review Centre: Swing Bands

"We had the pleasure of hiring the Hot Club du Nax for our event, and they completely exceeded our expectations! From the first note, they brought so much energy and joy — people couldn’t stop dancing and smiling. Their sound is authentic, their timing impeccable, and they really know how to engage with the crowd. If you're looking to add a unique and vibrant touch to your party, look no further. Highly recommended!"

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"We chose Marmitas Band for our wedding on the recommendation of our close friends who had them perform at their wedding in Greece. After seeing the magic they brought to that special day , the incredible energy, the non-stop smiles on the dance floor, and the unforgettable musical experience , we knew we had to have them for our wedding! From the first note to the last dance, they made our wedding truly unforgettable. Thank you Marmitas for making our celebration so special!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Fabulous Jazz Trio! Wonderful playing, in the spirit of New Orleans. Young and old enjoyed them, it was easy to book through Gig Salad, Simon was very quik to respond and came up with great suggestions to make our event memorable. We would rused them again. Thanks Johan, Classical Movements."

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"we had great night with your great trio nastazio we hope to see you again round all the best !"

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"Thank you so much for an amazing musical display; you and your Great Gatsby band were the icing on the cake! Everyone loved you and thought you were fantastic. Mark and I and the kids want to thank you all for the wonderful music and atmosphere you created on the night. The event would not have been the same without you. Just made the party start with a bang and we could not have been happier. I can’t thank you enough and would highly recommend you. You were all brilliant."

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"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:

"Wonderful We certainly couldn’t have chosen a better band for our wedding. Both the cocktail reception and the party were a real success! It was exactly what we wanted! They’re brilliant! Thank you so much for making our wedding a magical and fun day!! Thank you, David, for your warmth and good vibes!!!"

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"We booked the Brian White quartet for our wedding in June and they were absolutely brilliant! All our guests commented on how great the band were and they played a great mix of music in the two sets, which really got the party going. They were happy to accommodate any special requests we had, including playing in a slightly unusual venue in our case. Dealing with Brian was a pleasure from start to finish and everything was handled very professionally. I highly recommend Brian and his band for any event."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It starts with hum, then a toe-tap and before you know it you are singing along to the tunes that you know so well. But what’s better, a night with the La Dolce Vita Swing Collective introduces you to new arrangements of those popular songs with an Italian-esque twist – as well as showcasing a selection that won’t be so familiar. The five-piece swing/jazz band – featuring piano, bass, sax, drums and vocals with those specially designed new arrangements – pays homage to likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and other Rat Pack favourites. Vocalist Tony Delicata put together the band with a collection of musicians from Edinburgh and Blairgowrie whose previous talents range from West End musicals to The Jools Holland Band. Tony’s powerful vocals on the likes of ‘I’ve got you under my skin’ and ‘Nice and Easy’ starting to carry the audience. ‘Come Prima’ and ‘O Sole Mio’ gave us the first real feel of the Italian influence. But it was after the interval that the Collective – and the audience – found their stride. The timeless – and age-less – appeal of the Rat Park tunes soon had the crowd moving from humming along and a foot-tapping, to full on sing-a-long mode as the band ripped through classics such as ‘Come fly with me’, ‘King of the Road’, ‘That’s Amore’ and ‘Volare’. By the time of the closing numbers of the near two-hour long show, ‘La Dolce Vita’ and (of course) ’New York New York’, the crowd was sold. It really does show that it does mean a thing, when it does have that swing. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was an amazing party and this guy made my day!!! His performance was so excited ,professional and all my guests were very happy!"

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"È stato fantastico lavorare con Kevin. La performance è stata splendida e ci ha aiutato molto nella scelta delle canzoni per rendere il nostro matrimonio a Venezia un'esperienza davvero memorabile. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We hired this band for our event and they were absolutely incredible. Their music was energetic, talented, and truly elevated the whole experience. The price was fair, their communication was excellent, and they were extremely attentive to every detail. Everyone at the event enjoyed their performance. Highly recommended!"

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" „Tolle Performance, unkomplizierte Abstimmung, freundliches Gesamtmanagement: Jederzeit möchten wir Lina Peters wieder buchen.“"

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"We just wanted to get in touch again to thank you guys for the wonderful show you put on for our wedding on Saturday night! Everyone had such a great time, and absolutely loved your performance. You were a real highlight and we can't thank you enough"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Everyone kept asking who they were. Truly talented musicians!"

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