Review Centre: Jazz Bands

"10/10! Jazz Connection delivered an unforgettable performance. Their musicianship was top-notch, with every note full of energy and precision. They seamlessly blended classic jazz with modern vibes, keeping the audience captivated from start to finish. The chemistry between the band members was palpable, and their improvisations were nothing short of brilliant. Highly recommended for anyone looking to experience the best in live jazz!"

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"Hiring this pianist for our outdoor wedding by the Portofino harbor was the best decision we made. The music filled the space perfectly, and the performance added so much elegance and emotion to our special day."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Igor and his keyboardist added a very special touch to our wedding’s cocktail hour and our guests loved the live music! Definitely recommend Igor for making your event that much more special!"

Reply by Ontario saxophonist Igor Babich
Thank you so much, Marie! Much appreciated.

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Thanks ever so much. We loved the music, as did all the guests."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Bonjour Jackson, Nous voulions vous remercier encore pour votre prestation qui a dépassé toutes nos espérances,nos invités ainsi que nous mêmes avons apprécié ce moment et surtout que mon épouse a été très émue. merci a vous et a la chanteuse qui avez animé avec beaucoup de classe ce début de soirée. Suite a notre mariage le 11 juin 2022,nous avons été enchanté par la prestation de Jackson sax. Isabelle et Christian. "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Excellent and professional Band , they were on time and followed the brief well."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"“Wonderfully atmospheric We asked the Jazz Centrale trio to play during the reception at our annual celebration for long-service awardees and retirees. Their music truly added an extra touch of atmosphere. They play brilliantly and have a wonderful repertoire. Definitely worth repeating!”"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Dimitris Bako Trio was excellent and very professional! Both days their music was perfect for our dinner during the Posidonia event in 2024. They brought two great singers as well, and made our stay wonderful! Thank you so much!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Wonderful musical company for our special birthday dinner! Jazzy tunes and international music well played by those three brilliant musicians! Thank you for the music 🎶"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Pedro was a true master! Our guests were blown away by his style and performance. 100/10 recommend for any event! 🙏🏼🙏🏼"

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:

"Incredible Live Music for Our Wedding! Jazz de Copas Quartet was the highlight of our wedding in Barcelona! Their elegant sound and smooth jazz set the perfect mood for our cocktail reception. Our guests, many of whom traveled from the U.S. and the U.K., were blown away by their talent. Highly recommended for anyone looking to add a touch of class to their event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"love how the track has become more concise and upbeat!!!! thank you so much!!! the ending's perfect!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We booked through this team for a private birthday party, and they were absolutely incredible! The musicians were professional, arrived early to set up, and created the perfect vibe all evening. Communication was clear and easy from start to finish — they really understood the atmosphere we wanted. Every guest commented on how amazing the music was. We’ll definitely be booking again for our next event!"

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"We invited the Jazz Centrale to our wedding. This was great. Good atmosphere and wonderful music. Communication runs very smoothly. In short: highly recommended."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review: