Review Centre: 1940s Era Musicians & Bands

"Before seeing this show I had heard many rumours about Harmonica Lewinsky, whose background was shrouded in mystery, although I believe he learned his harmonica skills in the Deep South in the deltas of Harrow on the Hill under the tutelage of Blind Les Battersby. But, it was a very different character to the one I expected who performed at the posh Victoria pub in Highgate! Mr Lewinsky, looking like a cross between a rabbi and one-half of Chas 'n Dave (I'm not sure which half) appeared in cloth cap and braces and presented a highly original selection of songs, some of which rarely see the light of day. There were no predictable “Brown Eyed Girls” or “Mustang Sally’s” here: instead - a veritable feast of the unexpected - as we witnessed one man, his guitar and his trusty harps. When was the last time you heard a pub act kick off his set with Chas 'n Dave's “The Sideboard Song” and follow it with the Theme to “Top Cat” and then offerings of cheery, chirpy Cockney ditties including “Waiting At The Church,” “Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner”, “Show Me The Way To Go Home” and Tommy Steele's “What A Mouth”? I’m guessing the answer to that question is ‘rarely’ (if ever) but the fun didn't stop there. Mr Harmonica Man is a really great entertainer and demonstrated, with great finesse, his harmonica technique on - wait for it - the Shadows' “Apache”! It was quite a feat playing the melody on the harp while strumming his guitar. ‘Harmy’, as he is known to his close friends (or 'Self-Harmy‘ to others) also tackled in the first half the theme to "The Flintstones"; Elvis Costello's catchy “Watching The Detectives” and the Cockney knees-up “I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of Coconuts”. Harmy was back in terrific Pearly King form for the second half starting with “Any Old Iron” followed by a touch of the Formbys with “Leaning On A Lamppost” after which he did a ‘Donegan’ with a riotous version of “My Old Man's A Dustman” complete with enthusiastic audience participation. Mr Lewinsky has a great sense of humour, which he constantly shares with the Victoria regulars. "Here's another Cockney classic sung by a Welsh man", quipped Harmy before diving into “Delilah.” Other gems included the theme tune to ‘Match Of The Day’ (played on two harmonicas); a very funny and risque interpretation of Mike Jerome's “Sling Yer Hook”; a great version of the Small Faces' mod anthem “Lazy Sunday”; and a yahoo rendition of the old country favourite “Riders In The Sky”. After many encores Mr Lewinsky packed away his cap and braces and headed off to the Deep South (of London) for some pie and mash. The Victoria would do well to snap up Harmy for some more gigs before he hop-foots it down the Strand for a residency at the Old Bull and Bush!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you Euro Café Duo! Your romantic and charming jazzy Parisian and Italian inspired music really set the stage for our Soirée Salus event, held recently at the French Embassy in Ottawa. Andrea’s vocals were beautiful and together your collaboration filled the room with such a warm and inviting ambiance. We really can’t say enough how much your music was such a hit with Salus organizers and all our guests in attendance. Thank you again!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"“The men gave us an unforgettable jazzy afternoon - Clear approach regarding the orchestra setup, repertoire, costs, and point of contact - Musicians are of North Sea Jazz level, but unlike there, they really know how to capture the party atmosphere - Success guaranteed”"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We were over the moon with Dinner Jazz Duo - their choice of songs and their skill on their instruments was first class. We were able to enjoy our wedding breakfast as the guys played away in the corner - it was beautiful! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Rating 6/6 : Brilliant Anna nightingale The Nags Head, Sunningdale on Sunday 25 April 2021 Lovely afternoon with the brilliant Anna Nightingale Thank you xx Professional from start to finish Knew what the audience wanted Thoroughly enjoyed by all Wendy, Tuesday 27 April 2021"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"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 "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Who ever says 'they don't write 'em like they used to' should take a listen to Pugsley Buzzard's latest album Wooden Kimono. Buzzard is a bewitching songwriter and storyteller often combining groove laden or playful tunes with dark lyrics. Showing off his renowned blues - jazz piano style and infectious raspy vocals, Pugsley is complemented on this album by a top band of horns and down and dirty guitar, that makes for hot listening. ". Megan Rowe, Rhythms Magazine."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just wanted to say thank you again for playing at our party last weekend. We had an absolutely fantastic time - everyone said how much they enjoyed your music (it definitely helped to make the evening a special one). (10 / 10) "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Saturday December 14 we went to the Christmas concert of the Marcia Bamberg Swing Quartet in the old pumping station in Heerhugowaard. Great, atmospheric evening with top musicians and the beautiful, lived-in voice of Marcia Bamberg. Gipsy Jazz, the way you like to hear it. Amazing how Christmas hits and French chansons were arranged in the swinging style of Django Reinhardt. We can expect a lot from this Quartet! Recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"It was just perfect Thank you for your performance at our wedding. With your wonderful music, you created exactly the atmosphere we had envisioned for our celebratory reception. It was just perfect. We had a fantastic evening. We received many positive reactions from our guests about the enjoyable evening, which is also a compliment to you. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Better than our idols You only turn 65 once, so that called for a party with 65 guests, excellent catering, and live jazz music with a singer (Willem). Our preference was for the crooner style of Michael Bublé and Dennis van Aartsen, but this band was even better than our idols and exceeded our expectations: wonderful music, super professional, with friendly band members. It turned into a fantastic party with compliments about the music from all guests, young and old. We look back on it with great pleasure! "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"You guys went down a storm and everyone loved you! Thank you again for an amazing evening of entertainment. Your guys were brilliant!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We hired "Dupa Trio" to play at my parents 30 Anniversary party WOW what a band ! I cant stress enough how much I recommend them "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thank you so much for making Andrew's day extra special (family and friends are still saying how wonderful your voice is !) We and our family and friends had such a great time, all said it was a very special day. Everything was just perfect"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

" We received thousand compliments for the choice of band from our guests, Nalìs were wonderful. From the first meeting Annalisa made us feel as if she were only following our wedding, available whenever we had questions, a truly professional, delicate and delightful person. The songs were all beautiful, masterfully performed, they helped us with the music of the ceremony, then they covered the aperitif and after dinner. They prepared two songs especially for us, for the first dance and for the cutting of the cake. We danced between dinner and cutting the cake, even my 85 and 95 year old grandmothers jumped on the floor for a dance! Thanks guys, it was perfect!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: