Review Centre: 1930s Era Musicians & Bands

"It was such a delight to have the wonderful Keziah perform for us at The George Payne as part of out VE Day Commemorations, and suffice to say, we were all absolutely blown away! To say Keziah understood the assignment would be a drastic understatement. From her fabulous vintage style dress to her timeless hair and make-up, Keziah knew exactly how to immerse her audience in the most effortless and professional way. All of this is second to her stunning voice, which captivated staff and customers alike. While we chose to work with Keziah for our 1940s theme, we are keen to have her back for another performance in the future. Thank you Keziah, we look forward to having you again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Absolutely LOVED performance. They were able to include the sentimental songs I requested for the anniversary party which created the perfect atmosphere Euro Café Duo! Highly recommend! They were very easy to communicate with, very accommodating of our event’s needs and I loved their performance. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Brilliant! Vintage Ruby sung at my Nans 90th Birthday Party, brilliant voice and took my Nan on a journey with the song choices through the years. She also prepared and sang some of my Nans favourite songs. Throughout the performance Vintage Ruby engaged with the crowd and really made my Nan feel special. Would highly recommend!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Gerard was fantastic, playing violin for us for our guests when they arrived at our wedding and when we walked down the aisle. He learnt the specific songs we requested and was very professional."

Rating: 9 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much! Everyone loved you and your band and I really appreciated the way you just seamlessly fitted in with our plans! The music really was just ripping and really set the tone for the whole evening! Young and old thought it was spot on. I would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We hold our event at Lightwoods park house, in Birmingham each June and October. This is the third year Vanessa has performed for us. She is a true professional. , in every respect. Her voice is like velvet, Yet so strong and powerful. She is a real gem."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you all so much. You were great and really added to our day. We wanted an authentic vintage jazz band for our wedding and Dr Jazz were perfect. You got everyone singing along to all the classics. The management at our venue said you were the best band they’d ever had. Really made our day go with a swing."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Even on a murky February morning (2005), the first performance in July of our new commission doesn’t seem too far away. Jane Roper tells us about the composer and the composition: Howard’s way If you ever get a chance to talk to Howard Haigh about composing, take it. He has a huge range of experience, good insights into the creative process, and he communicates his enthusiasm for his work so well, I guarantee you will be both enthralled and inspired. And now he's working for us! I thought you might like to read a bit of background to his career and to his current commission. Although Howard is happily settled up north in Lancaster he trained near us; a BA Performing Arts/Music at Middlesex Polytechnic was followed by a Masters in Music/Composition at the University of London. He studied composition with Brian Dennis and David Bedford; had tutorials with Michael Finissy, George Benjamin and John Cage, and studied flamenco guitar with Paco Pena, Juan Serrano, Manuel Granados and Titi Losada. We think of him principally as a Spanish guitarist, but he also studied mandolin, keyboards, percussion, harmonica and vocal techniques. He has written for most instrumental combinations, from solo guitar, small ensembles and string quartets to bands, girls’ choirs, large choruses, electronic scores and computer music. Howard combines composing with teaching throughout the north west. He has taught guitar at Lancaster University since 2000. He is a member of the English National Ballet's Education and Community Unit, and is engaged in outreach projects in schools throughout England. The nature of this work may range from musical accompanist to residencies in which he composes an original score for a short performance. He has done similar work for Ballet Rambert and the Royal Ballet. His work has been performed at the Barbican, the Royal Festival Hall, Sadler's Wells (for the Queen) and the Purcell Room; and at festivals in Edinburgh, Brighton, Cheltenham and WOMAD. One of his great strengths is his ability to collaborate with people from a wide range of performing disciplines. I've found out that as well as working closely with singers, dancers, and actors, he has also worked with jugglers, comedians, strippers, a skiffle group, film makers and performance artists. No problem working with us then. And then add a massive list of theatre companies, musicals, community projects and commissions and it's no wonder he's always out when I call. In the 1980's Howard composed some extraordinary pieces using unusual instruments. Body Music used claps, stamps, clicks and slaps. This was followed by Kitchen Music. I bet you didn't know that Alan Titchmarsh played the saucepan in this on Pebble Mill. There was also a pre-Prom show on Radio 3 featuring unusual percussion prior to Evelyn Glennie's performance. But by the late '80s his explorations were focusing on vocal writing. Crouch End Festival Chorus gave him an exciting opportunity when they commissioned him in 1990. I heard them perform Saeta again in the Barbican last January. It was sensational. I can't even remember what the second half standard-repertoire piece was; I was still high on Howard's piece and wanted them to sing it again. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We and everyone else had a fantastic time and a lot of people said how your band was one of the highlights of the day, so thank you very much!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"I would highly recommend Jo and Barney they both performed an amazing tribute at my dad's funeral in August could not have wished for anyone else to have done it... Everybody commented how amazing they did and how amazing Jo voice was singing the 2 songs we chose"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks for such a brilliant night. Fantastic show!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"we invited the incredible "Dupa Trio" to play at our new year's eve party for our lawyer firm, "GRO" the music that they played was perfect for the event, the crowd loved them. Have to say, that compared to the amazing value that they bring as a band, their fee is really fair and reasonable! looking forward to book them again in 2023 Erik"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Our community had a Royal visitor to open our community centre and for the Event we decided to hire Laura & her jazz band . Highly professional musicians of the highest calibre . Their musicianship, Laura’s amazing voice - it was all totally perfect . "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Well done Saxyordon kept everyone happy , from young to old is there anthing you can't play , well worth the money great job 👏 "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you very much for playing at Julia and Peter’s wedding on Saturday evening. Your “line up” looked terrific and the sound and beat excellent for dancing of which I did quite a lot. Please thank all the musicians – you all made a fantastic day perfect."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: