Review Centre: Swing Bands

"Every year we put on a spectacular event for our care awards and this year we had the pleasure of Wendy to provide the ambient music while our guests arrived.. She created the perfect atmosphere. Fabulous.. we will certainly have her back and can 100% recommend her. (10 / 10) Elaine Mellor CEO Westwood Homecare"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Very cool music, ideal for the occasion! Nice people, beautiful energy. Cudos!!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We came across the band Hot Wings quite by accident and we are incredibly happy about it. We couldn't have chosen a better musical accompaniment to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Schrack Technik. At an event for hundreds of people there was dancing, guests were having fun and the dance floor was empty at most during the breaks. The chosen repertoire was excellent, with both younger and older ages coming into their own, and the band was one of the first things guests praised after the celebration. The communication before the event was also great, quick, everything was fine-tuned at the joint meeting in the space, and there was not a single problem on the day of the celebration. Thank you for the amazing music at our party, it was a great experience for everyone!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Easy to get along with and created a great environment for our wedding reception. Guest were happy and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Swing at its absolute finest!! Thank you so much for helping make our wedding such a memorable occasion. Communication before, during and after was superb. Would highly recommend. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dennis and his band were amazing for our wedding band! They put so much time and effort into learning our songs and putting together a playlist our guests loved. People were dancing all night! Also Dennis, the band leader is great to work with and knowledgeable about music. Picking them for our wedding band was such a great decision. The music sounded so great all night long!"

Reply by Dennis Winge Ensemble
Maggie, thanks so much, we had a blast. Here's a video of the event: https://youtu.be/pO4dOSL0l4E

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We were so fortunate to have Rainer and his band perform at our wedding in France in September. Rainer was very easy to communicate with, and he turned our music preferences into an amazing musical celebration. Listening to him and his band perform was one of the highlights of the wedding for all of our guests! We cannot say enough about Rainer’s talent. Do not hesitate to book his services for your next event. Rainer and his band were some of the most talented musicians that we have ever heard. Thanks again Rainer! "

Reply by Rainer Pusch
Dear Hannah &Carlen, I hope your travel to Europe was nice and joyfull. Again, we had a lot of fun playing for you Rainer

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Annelise was perfect for our event, a welcoming drink on the terrace and an after dinner breakout. Really set the scene for a laid back enjoyable gathering. Annelise arrived on time set up with minimum fuss, was flexible and sang beautifully . Perfect."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just returned from the show at Stamford this evening 22 Nov. Outstanding musical ability, total enthusiasm and hard work, which produced a sound which defied any attempt to keep your hands or feet from moving! They love their music and it showed. It was an superb evening and I will be back."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Marie et son guitariste ont animé le cocktail de notre mariage avec brio. Nos invités et nous-mêmes sommes tombés sous le charme de la voix de Marie parfaitement accompagné. Son répertoire est riche et varié. Elle a su apporter à ce moment de l’élégance, de l’émotion, de la douceur. En résumé un duo exceptionnel."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Ottimi musicisti professionali e disponibili. Un gruppo capace di intrattenere in qualsiasi momento della situazione. grazie mille"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Just a line to thank you so much for your set at our party. You really were excellent. As people left and in the thank you notes so many people commented on what a great band you are and how much they enjoyed your music. Very professional and very talented."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"A massive thank you to Wendy for her marvellous contribution to our musical event...A first class musician with an unmatched work ethic. Matt Cremin. (10 / 10) Matt Cremin Cruise Director Princess Cruises"

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:

"We booked two people from this Italian band and were very happy with it! They played Italian classics that all our guests - even though no one was Italian - knew. They played at the end of dinner and during the dessert buffet. It was a very energetic performance and got all our guests on their feet, dancing and starting the party. We would definitely recommend booking this band for a wedding or other event. "

Reply by The Roaming Accordion – Italian Live Music
carissimi sposi your words fill us with joy! thanks for choosing us! it was a real pleasure!! Saluti dal'Italia W GLI SPOSI!!!!

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"James Anthony was amazing when he performed for the United States Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. He arrived early to rehearse with a 20 piece group of musicians and was a huge hit. The Congress Members and Senators were asking where I found him and we at the Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce absolutely recommend him. Due to popular demand, we brought him back the next year to perform for the US Senate for their annual gala."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: