Review Centre: 1930s Era Musicians & Bands

"The Prickly Pair Jazz Duo was perfect for our corporate event. We were looking for background music during our pre-dinner reception as well as background music for dinner. The music--and volume of the music-was perfect. In addition, we started our program at 8:00 p.m. during which time they had to "break down" their equipment. They were so quiet doing that, I forgot they were even there!!! "

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"I booked Camino Sonoro to play at a garden party for my wife’s birthday, and couldn’t have made a better choice. They played some gorgeous Latin American jazz, interspersed with swing classics, and the sound was perfect for a laid-back summer afternoon. Roland’s smooth saxophone is an excellent foil for Hetty’s flexible but beautifully expressive vocals. Miguel holds it all together, unobtrusively and elegantly, on guitar. The three band members were lovely people to work with, and I’d confidently recommend them for social events of this kind."

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"Annelise is a superb singer & tailored herself totally to our needs."

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"Thank you so much for singing so beautifully. EVERYONE loved you and you were the talk of the party! That your voice is just heavenly!... Big thank you! Hugs. Isia"

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"Saxophones, a rhythm section and vocals, swinging like crazy – that’s the aptly named FIVE STAR SWING ! As saxophone section in any band, they would take some beating. Beautiful tones and well-rehearsed by their leader, Chris Smith (Jnr), who has the singular talent of playing the trumpet with his right hand and the piano with his left at one and the same time ! He also happens to be a very experienced music writer having learnt his trade with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and Glenn Miller’s Brother, Herb. Add to the fact that he can also well handle a vocal, as can his wife, lead alto Simone Smith and tenor man Stephen Davies, who’s clarinet playing on “Sing, Sing, Sing” was superb – and it will give you some idea of the breadth of talent in this line-up. This is a band crying out to be danced to and it wasn’t long before the jivers took to the dance floor. Five Star Swing –a “must” for every dance club in the country."

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"Thank you for coming, it was wonderful listening to you. One of the ladies in the kitchen thought it was a CD playing as you are so good!! We do have some event ideas in the pipeline for this year which you would be first choice"

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"we invited Dupa Trio for our annual celebration of the Gememnta Amsterdam, WOW, what a cool band! a super unique approach to the boring and run-over-the-mile jazz band, they have so much character and their singer is amazing! if you can see them play or even book their performance, do it! such a cool band "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"Brian White Quartet played for Durrell at the EAZA Directors day in the beautiful globe room at Maritime House. The icebreaker event was a huge success and guests from all around the world were thoroughly entertained by Brian and his charismatic band. They are incredibly talented, extremely professional and a delight to work with. I will not hesitate to book them again for further Durrell events. Thank you Brian for making the evening so special. "

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"An absolutely fantastic evening at Southsea Beach Cafe! We couldn't have wished for more perfect music to accompany our Beaujolais Evening."

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"Thank you so much Matthew. Honestly everyone was raving about the band. Honestly in that room it was just incredible. Truly was. Thank you xx"

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"Loved the music guys! Thanks for helping to make it a special day. "

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"Gruppo pazzesco! Sono ragazzi giovani ma con un grande talento!!!!"

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" All Music Review Thom Jurek The title of this set is an apt one. While much of the music presented by the Rick Holland-Evan Dobbins Little Big Band, it hearkens back -- in terms of its sophistication, confidence and outright jazz literacy, not nostalgically -- to an era when progressive jazz, and big bands (this one numbering 10 pieces) flourished on the scene. This is one sophisticated outfit. Featuring the arrangement and compositional skills of Brent Wallarab, Jim Martin, Bill Dobbins and Kerry Strayer, this band struts out the tradition and make some joyous, complex, and elegant music that reflects its own unique identity. The résumés of all these players are impressive and reflected in the confidence of the date. It opens with "SUNY-Triangle," a Martin composition that works its artful sleight-of-hand over Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Triste." Martin uses the rhythmically complex samba and drapes some tough, knotty twists and turns over it. The intro is a beautiful and raucous wake-up call, while the head of the tune, with its staggered entrances and exits -- including some fine soloing by John Viavattine on tenor and John Nyerges on piano -- give this tune a unique identity. "Creature Comfort" is a beautiful mid-tempo ballad by Wallarab with edgeless yet multi-dimensional dissonances written into its harmonics. It swings beautifully and includes a fine, punchy solo by tenorman Glenn Cashman. Besides the originals, there are some fine readings here as well. There's Wallarab's arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy" that's a thoroughly modern exercise losing none of Ellington's humor or rhythmic complexity. Likewise, Gerry Mulligan's haunting, wee-hours, "Night Lights," is given expert treatment here by Strayer, and Dean Keller's baritone saxophone playing combines Mulligan's sense of lyric and Ben Webster's sense of time. In Time's Shadow reveals that innovation need not sacrifice accessibility or swing. It is convincing evidence that the big band form is alive, well and full of surprises."

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"So glad we booked these guys, so talented and added the perfect background music for our reception. Sorry I wasn’t able to say thank you in person! As you can imagine it was a crazy day! Thank you all so much "

Rating: 10 / 10 Share this review:

"The Uptown Society Orchestra may have had six members, but it sounded as if it had twice as many as members blew triumphantly throughout New Years' eve night. (Front page Kalamazoo Gazette, regarding the New Years Eve Festival 2004, Kalamazoo, Michigan) Bill Wood, Arts and Entertainment critic, Kalamazoo Gazette"

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