live jazz band hire in Cheshire

Jazz band in Cheshire

Jazz band hire in the Cheshire area can best be covered by a national live music hire specialist rather than a local company using local bands. Most professional musicians and bands are based in the South East of England and travel all over the country supplying live music including the Cheshire area. Yes a local Cheshire band will be cheaper. But if you want a top quality jazz band you will have more choice by choosing to hire a live band from the South East rather than a local amateur Cheshire live band. Invariably local Cheshire based bands will have “real jobs” as they will usually be playing part time. Most of Britains top players have had to move form areas such as Cheshire down to the London area in order to make a decent living. Here at Jazz not Jazz we use many top pro players from around Cheshire, Manchester and the Midlands. This leaves only the enthusiast, amateur and part timers who supplement their income teaching to supply music locally.

We at Jazz not Jazz think potential clients in Cheshire want better than part time amateurs and can supply the best bands and players with long, distinguished track records to make your party go with a swing If you want to hire the best live jazz bands, and if your budget allows, we suggest you contact us for a consultation. Details below.

What style of jazz band do you want to hire? It depends on the event. band most likely to suit the occasion. Let's start with the wedding.

Right Cheshire: Two points in the day's proceedings lend themselves to a jazz band.

The reception. You and your partner have just left the church and your guests are nearly back at the place you have chosen for the celebrations. What better way than to have them met by a jazz band.

As champagne and Pimms is handed out the band just adds a perfect happy backdrop to the moment. There are two main types of jazz band that can suit the moment:

A Dixieland band /swing band.

Dixieland Jazz. Jazz from the early twenties. The musicians will dress up in stripy blazers or waistcoats and play lovely old tunes from that era such as “When the Saints Come Marching In” “The Charleston” “Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home” and “Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue”. The instrumentation is usually banjo, sousaphone (a tuba that you can wear) and a frontline instrument or two such as trumpet, sax or trombone. The band is mobile and acoustic and can move around the site entertaining guests in different locations. Artists associated with this style include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Fats Waller. What could be better in the Cheshire countryside than these great happy sounds coming over the fields of Alderley Edge?

Swing Jazz. Names of musicians associated with this style of jazz band are Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Mainly from the late thirties and early forties the music is very melodic. Ella Fitzgerald started her career at this time in Harlem and had great success with the Chick Webb band. The jazz band will probably play lots of tunes from Broadway Shows from the time such as “Funny Valentine” “It Had To Be You” “Making Whoopee” “ It Don`t Mean A Thing If It Ain`t Got That Swing”. This jazz band can be acoustic but will probably include an electric piano, which the musicians will supply along with a speaker. They will need a power supply and logistics of this must be taken into consideration when choosing the jazz band. Are your guests near a power supply, is the reception indoors or outdoors, how does the weather forecast look? Finally, how big should the jazz band be? For both styles a trio or quartet will be fine.

After the Wedding Breakfast. Your guests have sat through a gargantuan meal, fine wines and various speeches including a slightly embarrassing one from the best man! They are ready to stretch their legs, use the loos, have a cigarette and carry on chatting to old friends who they may have not seen for some time. They are not yet ready to dance. Your jazz band should know this and should be playing suitable accessible tunes in an unobtrusive way. You don`t want a modern jazz band at this point. Known variously as Be-Bop, Modern Jazz, West Coast and played by such artists as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, this is music for the concert hall or jazz club. You want sophisticated smoky tunes, maybe with some vocals such as “Let there be love” “The Girl From Ipanema” “My Baby Just Cares For Me”. Artists associated with this kind of jazz include Stan Getz, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. Maybe also think about some Rat Pack tunes that the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin performed.

Music for dancing. If you are set on having a jazz band for the dancing ask your jazz band how many styles of jazz and swing can they perform. A jazz band that plays swing tune after swing tune all night is going to lose the attention of your guests. Variety is the key. I would suggest a mix of Latin, Jump Jive, swing, old style Rhythm and Blues and even Funky jazz bordering on Soul. Not many jazz bands can handle this variety. Ask at the point of booking what the jazz band proposes to play at this point. Do they have a suitable vocalist/vocalists? Can they play segue (one song after another) to keep guests on the floor.

My opinion based on many years playing for such parties is this. However much you love Jazz, Swing, call it what you will, at some point in the proceedings some one will want to dance to some classic soul or rock and roll. It is inevitable, it always happens. I see it week in and week out, year in and year out. When I have been employed as a trombonist to play in another bandleaders band at such an occasion it saddens me that the bandleader has not made provision for such an eventuality. It results in unhappy clients and frustrated revelers. Please take note if you want a full dance floor!

Corporate Cheshire. Hiring a live band for a corporate party? This manifests itself in many guises. It could be a jazz band for a book launch, a jazz band for a thank you drinks party, a jazz band for a reception prior to going into dinner.

Think what is being asked of the jazz band in question. The band is being asked to reflect something of the company, a sense of fun or sophistication for the event. Attention needs to be focused on how you want the band to dress. Tuxedos? Lounge Suits? Are your guests networking or being thanked for their year's business? Most bands that get asked to do this type of work need to be impeccably dressed and have a sense of the occasion. They need to appreciate that guests are there not just to listen to them but for all sorts of other reasons. A quiet background Dinner Jazz band lends just the right tone to this type of engagement. Loud enough to create a mood but not to drown out what maybe very important and lucrative conversations! The style of music will be Bossa Nova, light swing and Lounge. In my experience a quartet or quintet is a perfect size band. Vocals are unnecessary and can distract your guests.

Store openings. Every year we open or reopen a number of supermarkets, computer shop outlets, video and dvd stores all over the country. The jazz band has always been a visual and audible part of the promotion. The jazz band in question tends to be a Dixieland trio or quartet. They are perfect being, as we read above, acoustic and mobile. The music is optimistic and uplifting and with a sense of fun. The jazz band dresses in stripy outfits, which help create the right mood for the day.

Corporate Entertainment. This is a large term and covers anything from Henley, Ascot, Car Racing days, as well as themed events in spectacular settings. The Dixieland band is perfect for the almost period feel of Henley and the swing band works just as effectively. Think “Dixieland jazz band” for happy, spirited, fun image. “Swing jazz band for a more sophisticated, laid back and chilled vibe. Do you want your guests to dance? This can be quite rare. Decision makers tend not to break into a frenzied bop half way through the afternoon! Cheshire business organisations need the benefits of experienced, business minded music professionals when using and hiring live bands.

A note of caution. Is your event for a number of dignitaries and celebrities? If so they will not want to be photographed by the jazz band or even talked to by the jazz band. You need a band with a certain discretion or, dare I say, a certain blasé` approach to the world of celebrity. As a musician I come across stars of stage and screen, royalty, politicians, public figures and minor soap stars every month and I think it is appreciated when they are given a certain amount of space and not ogled. Use a jazz band who are used to playing for such audiences. They need to be sociable, articulate, smartly turned out and not fazed when approached by a familiar face! In the Cheshire area it could be footballers, Take That band members and Coronation Street Stars!

Time for a recap: 1. Choose the jazz band from the perspective of what is required from them. Do you want background music or do you want to dance?

2. How many guests do you have? Is the band the right size? Is it dressed correctly?

3. Is the band outside? Do you have access to power? Can they play acoustically if need be?

4. What tunes can they play? Ask them for a repertoire list, do you recognize the . titles?

5. Are they professionals? This may seem obvious but there are many musicians out there who have retired from full time work or are in between jobs and are making their hobby a source of income. How long have they worked as professionals? Who have they played with in the past? What experience do they have in performing for the type of event you are having?

6. Ask for a sample cd. What is their publicity like? You need to be confident that you are getting a reliable professional outfit that will turn up in plenty of time, look the part, be totally co-operative to your needs and play suitable music. The right jazz band can make your party, the wrong one can spoil it to some lesser or greater degree.

7. Are they flexible? You do not want to find out half way through a dance that the band you have booked can only play one style of jazz. Ask them when you are considering booking them. Can they play some Classic Soul? Can they do some Latin tunes? Don't be fobbed off with “We do a bit of everything” Ask them for a repertoire list.

8. Discuss a rider with the band. Are you supplying refreshments for the jazz band? Although not expected refreshments are very much appreciated especially if the band is on site for a while with no access to food and drink. If it is not convenient don't worry. If the jazz band knows in advance they can make their own arrangements.

9. Have you articulated to the band what type of music you want to hear? Don't worry if you are not knowledgeable about jazz. Tell the jazz bandleader or agent the tunes you like and the artists you like. This will give the leader/agent an excellent idea of which bands to recommend. Look through your cd collection for ideas; ask friends and family for suggestions. When the jazz band turns up it will be properly briefed and able to give the performance you wanted.

As you can see, using a top professional outfit can make an enormous amount of difference to your day, whether it is a private celebration or corporate event. It is an unfortunate fact that the band you want is probably based “Down South” but if your party , event or business entertainment is important to you we suggest you consider hiring a live jazz band not in the local Cheshire area but from London.

Jazz not Jazz are a live music agency based in the London area. It is run by Jeff Williams, a Mancunian originally, who is a professional trombonist and singer. For quotes for live band hire for jazz , swing , Rat Pack , soul and funk for the Cheshire area contact him on 020 8761 8932 or 07747 801471.