"Rick Holland’s music is certainly not radical or innovative, but is some of the best group playing in it’s genre of Jazz Bop. Robert D. Rusch, President of Cadence Records"
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
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"Absolutely one of the best performance bands in the region! All four of the lead vocalists were amazing, the band, perfect timing and of course the horns took it over the top!! I had the pleasure of working with them as a sound engineer and they were totally professional and great to work with." SJ Stanley Jackson Jackson Audio East "
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"Frank De Blase, Roch City News 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 "
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"We had the pleasure of hiring Rich on the 5th of August 2023 to sing solo at our wedding. This consisted of two sets of various songs all within the swing theme. We had the option to choose from an extensive song list to suit our special day. Rich sang to our guests as they arrived and followed on after the ceremony. Wow, what more can we say all our guests during the time of the performance really enjoyed listening to Rich sing. Most of all in our opinion he was great. If you were to compare his prices for what he does, both myself and my husband would highly recommend having Rich to sing at any event you may be hosting. Our guests ranged from teenagers to the elderly and each and every one of them were either singing along or tapping along to Rich as he sang. If we'd of had Rich singing at night, 100% our guests would of been up and dancing. Taken from Google, verified. "
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"Just wanted to say a huge ‘thank you’ for a great night on Saturday at Kate and Matt’s wedding. We had a fantastic evening and all of the guests enjoyed it. The acoustics in the National Railway Museum were very good. Would not hesitate in recommending your Yorkshire swing band in the future."
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"‘Just wanted to say thanks for last night, your performance was amazing and we've heard nothing but great things from everyone!’ "
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"”Thank you to The Midtown Horns who sounded great and broke the all time attendance record for the Southborough Summer Concert Series!” Sarah Cassell, Director of The Southborough Summer Concert Series "
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"TRILBY Scott Yanow, author of ten books including The Jazz Singers, Trumpet Kings, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76 The Rick Holland-Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, which is based in Rochester, New York, was founded in 2005. Co-led by flugelhornist Holland and trombonist Dobbins, the 11 piece group has the sound of a big band despite having eight instead of the usual 11 or 12 horns. Its musicianship is top-notch, soloists are impeccable, and arrangements are both colorful and swinging. The 11 songs heard on Trilby consist of four standards, three originals by harmonica great Hendrik Meurkens, and a song apiece by Kerry Strayer, Hal Crook, Brent Wallarab and pianist Bill Dobbins. The father of Evan Dobbins, Bill Dobbins is the best known musician in the band, contributed six of the arrangements, and is a key soloist on five songs. But enough of the statistics. The Little Big Band swings hard and puts plenty of spirit into each performance. The opener, Benny Golson's “Stablemates,” has fine solos from Holland and the Phil Woods-inspired altoist Doug Stone, with the two battling it out near the tune's finish. Meurkens' “Slidin'” has an arrangement by Bill Dobbins that in its use of restrained tone colors is worthy of Thad Jones. A heated jam on “The Eternal Triangle” gives Holland and tenor-saxophonist Mike Pendowski an opportunity to jam, trade-off and interact with each other. Holland, Doug Stone (this time on clarinet) and trombonist Nick Finzer play lyrically on the melodic “Second Waltz.” David Baron's bass is featured prominently on “The Cottage,” a haunting tune particularly worthy of several listens. “Trilby,” a lengthy exploration of the chord structure of “Alone Together,” has some excellent hard bop flugelhorn from Holland, adventurous soprano from Stone and a memorable spot for Bill Dobbins' piano. Trombonist Dobbins, Pendowski and drummer Rich Thompson are not only well featured on “Fused” but at one point they play as a pianoless bassless trio. Rick Holland is heard at his best on the ballad “My Darling Darlene” and a jazz waltz version of “While We're Young.” David Baron is naturally in the spotlight during bassist Oscar Pettiford's “Tricotism” (along with Nick Finzer and Bill Dobbins) before Trilby closes with its most intense performance on “Rich's Call.” Throughout Trilby, the Rick Holland-Evan Dobbins Little Big Band plays on the level of most better-known ensembles, performing music that is inventive, full of life and fun. Their CD is highly recommended."
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"We had a fantastic night, Dave Octave was welcoming entertaining and sang effortlessly. My guess all enjoyed his renditions. Thanks again"
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"Thank you so much for playing at our wedding. We had an amazing night and all the guests commented on how fabulous you were."
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"Dan Olivo Band provided fantastic entertainment, music and PA hosting duties for our non-profit fundraising event in April of 2019. Were very communicative throughout the planning process, and very accommodating when we suddenly experienced a downpour and had to completely adjust our staging. Highly recommended, and we'll definitely use them again in the future!"
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"Music was great the energy was excellent they kept everyone on their feet all evening! Very professional can’t say enough about the horns and vocals. Would definitely recommend them for any type of function can’t wait to go hear them again!!"
Reply by Ten Most Wanted Band
Thank you, Todd! See you around campus! 😃
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"Wow wow wow! These guys were absolutely incredible! Words can’t describe! We hired the NQBB for our wedding back in October and we think it was the best wedding decision we made! Will was super through all stages of the process, from enquiries before booking, through to set list selections and sorting out logistics, he was so friendly, with excellent communication and always had time to answer our queries. On the day itself they arrived in plenty of time to set up and you could tell the guests were getting excited for what was to come. It was what we were most looking forward to about the day and it more than exceeded our expectations! What was wonderful was seeing everyone dancing - all the generations. They are such amazing performers and so engaging getting all on the dance floor involved! Our guests are still raving about ‘THE band’ and rightly so! Thank you so much NQBB, you most certainly made the day!"
Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:
"Your talent and energy truly elevated the atmosphere, the feedback we received from both customers and partners has been very positive. It was a pleasure to work with you and your performances played a key role in making our Christmas events memorable for everyone involved. We hope to have the opportunity to work with you again in the future."
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"I have seen them play twice at Leeds Jazz Club. They bring so much life to their music! I hope to see them again."
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