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Contact The Jazz Soul Boogie Band
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The
Olly Wedgwood
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Do email me with any other questions you may have. What information do you need in order to give me a quote for the band? Do you have your own P.A. System / Disco Lights / Staging / Cd player or iPod? What are your electricity requirements? Do you use a booking contract? How long does it take you to set up? Will the band need a hot meal and what about drinks? Wedding first dances - what are the options? Do you have an electrical equipment safety certificate (Portable Appliance Testing, PAT) We're worried about volume levels - how do we control how loud the band is? Will
you liaise with the venue before the day?
Are
you a music agent? Yes, there are true horror stories of agents who charge far more than they should on top of a band's fee (I have recently heard of an agent arranging corporate who was charging the client £850 and paying the band £500... that's a 70% agent fee!). Unfortunately these things are not regulated in any way, so quite often it's very difficult to know how much a band is being paid when going through an agent. As I manage my own bands, 10% of the fee I charge will go to cover admin and band management costs such as rehearsal time, admin, equipment maintenance and advertising. Many of the folks who have hired the Jazz Soul Boogie Band say that it is easier and more effective to communicate directly with the band rather than through a third party agent. In fact, most agents worth their salt will direct the client straight to the band once they have received their enquiry. The client can then make a more informed decision as to whether the band are indeed what they are looking for.
How much
do you charge? For a standard 3 sets of 45 minutes each (ending before midnight), within a radius of around 40 miles of West London (not in central London), playing on a weekend (Fri, Sat or Sun) evening, here are some very guide prices - do contact me and we can talk further!
There is a lot of hidden work behind the scenes of a professional band's typical gig! How
far do you travel?
Our fee depends upon: - The number of performers (e.g. trio/quartet) - Traveling distance to the gig. - The size of lighting rig required (if any - although, we prefer the band to be well presented!) - Whether the event is in the Summer Peak Season (10% off for winter months) - If the event is a Public Event (e.g. restaurant/pub/festival - significant discount available). - New Year's Eve is a premium-rate date! (However, we're pretty competitive compared to other good bands!) - If you would like us to play significantly more or less than our standard set times. - If the band is to play significantly beyond midnight I will have to pay my musicians more, so our fee, for example, may be an extra +£150 (Jazz Trio) to +£300 (OW4). - If you would like to use our PA system to play cd/ipod music (with lighting) after we've finished performing, then we charge an extra £100 for each hour before midnight and £150 thereafter. See Will I Need a DJ? Yes, there are cheaper bands around that say they offer a similar service. I have made a big effort matching the JSB Band's fee to the quality of musicianship and entertainment that they provide in comparison to other bands currently available. My advice for hiring any band would be to check them out thoroughly and the best way to do this is to go and listen to them at a gig or rehearsal. Visit our Useful Links page to get further advice on booking bands!
I need a quote - what
information do I need to give you? - Would you like us to play music for background or for dancing - or a mixture of both? Or perhaps you are looking for us to put on a show performance (e.g. with an intently listening audience!)? - Which band format would you prefer (JSBB Jazz or OW4)? - What size of band would you prefer (e.g. Jazz Quartet with saxophone as 4th player) - Where is your event going to be held? - What times would you like us to start playing and finish? (See How long do you play for?) - What size is the venue (in terms of how many people you are expecting)?
Part of the joy of music is being able to play for good causes. The Jazz Soul & Boogie band is always willing to lower their fee to play for charity and also school events throughout the year. Best thing to do is to email me and we can discuss the possibilities!
Do you have your own P.A. system / Disco Lights / Staging /Cd player or iPod? Oh yes, life is sooo much easier when familiar and reliable equipment is used. we have a good quality and reliable P.A. system (2xJBL 15'' speakers, Laney 15" monitors when needed, Yamaha EM68 powered mixer). In addition, we do have our own lighting rig which sure helps to get that dance floor moving! We very often use a CD player / iPod to play through the PA during our breaks - let us know if you would like anything in particular. Some folks like to compile their own cds for us to play or just let us know the kind of 'vibe' you would like (e.g. easylistening / jazz / R 'n' B / pop / disco...) We do not bring staging with us. You are also welcome to use one of the microphones for making announcements, speeches etc. Just ask.
What are your electricity requirements? It depends on the size of the band and the lighting rig we use. For the 5 piece OW4 Disco Groove 'n' Boogie outfit, our electricity requirements are: - A normal mains 240V socket (nearby within 10m) for the PA system and - Another normal 240V socket for the lighting rig. The PA system will draw about 4 amps maximum and the lighting system will not draw more than 8 amps (or 4 amps for the smaller rig). All in all, our electrical requirement for a full band set-up with lights will be the about the same as a standard 3kW kettle, so a domestic 240V electricity ring main should be absolutely fine.
For the Jazz Trio/Quartet/Quintet, we select our songs 'on the fly' from a list of over 200 numbers depending on what people want at that time. From a mellow background jazz or 'easy listening' feel to fun swing and more popular styles that folks can dance to. So no problem! If you have several favourite songs from our setlist that you would definitely like to hear us play, then please just let us know and we'll fit them in at the right point as the evening progresses! Check out the OW3 Jazz numbers available by clicking here! For the OW4 Disco Groove 'n' Boogie (4-6 piece band), things are slightly different. At many of the OW4's performances, we start off with one of two possible 'relaxed' sets. For this set, we are able to chop and change a couple of songs if you wanted to hear anything especially. (If it's your wedding and you would like a first dance, then this is the time to do it - either to start everything off, or after we play a few numbers to get folks in the mood beforehand. See Wedding first dances - what are the options?) The next two OW4 sets (from a possible three) are the dancy-get-down-and-boogie 'disco' sets! These are more fixed because we rehearse them in order and there are several songs that 'link' or segue to the next one. We also find that by performing the numbers in an order that we are familiar with, we keep the flow of the evening going so that there are no awkward pauses in between songs whilst folks are having a good time on the dance floor. This is what any good DJ will do - but we do it with live music! Have a look at some of the more popular numbers available for the OW4 by clicking here, or do email me and I will send you our set lists in detail!
We very often work alongside a DJ at events from weddings to corporate parties. The Jazz Soul Boogie bands tend to play around 2 hours of music in two or three sets during a typical evening, so if the party is due to start at around 9pm and then to go on beyond midnight, then you would be wise to consider having a DJ to 'take over' once the band has got the crowd going! This also adds a further variety of sound, feel and music to the evening. Folks have asked if we could keep the party going after our performance by playing our selection of cds through the PA system. However, we rarely do this - other than playing a few songs just to 'wind things down' - as by that stage we're pretty much zonked, need to get our equipment packed up whilst keeping enough energy to drive the journey home again! In other words, if it's gonna be a great party going on beyond midnight, then hire a DJ or maybe even hire your own PA system and lights to run your i-pod through! You should easily be able to pick up a medium PA and lights for hire from around £100 without a lot of hassle. Having said that, if you really want to continue the party using our own equipment (PA and lights), then we will charge an hourly rate. This would have to be agreed in the original contract.
Do you use a booking contract? Yes. This is so that both parties know what to expect and so that 'what would happen if' scenarios are easily dealt with. Nothing fancy - just straight forward stuff like:
How long does it take you to set up? We usually need at
least an hour to set up and sound check and a little
more for the OW4 (~75min). This keeps the stress levels low and
makes for a top quality show! When we perform at wedding receptions and other similar events where guests are present (e.g. dining) beforehand, then there are usually two ways to go about the setting up process: - If the performing area is separate from where the guests are, then we will arrive 1-2 hours before the guests are due to move into the band area (some venues have a screened-off area which rolls back to reveal the band when we're all set up). This option assumes that we have separate access to the performing area without having to move equipment through the guests! - If we're performing in the same area that the guests are in beforehand, or if access is difficult once the guests have arrived, then it is better that we set up the bulkier equipment (PA, lights) before the guests arrive. Sometimes, however, the venue layout and event timings mean that we have to set up as discretely as possible with the guests present! In that case, we will 'sound check' - i.e. make sure the band is sounding right - during the first number we play.
Our standard playing times are either three sets of 45 minutes (most popular) or two sets of just over an hour, with breaks in-between and ending before midnight. If you would like us to play for more or less time, or beyond midnight, then we will adjust our quoted fee accordingly.
Will the band need a hot meal and what about drinks? If we're playing in the evening, then yes please - a Hot and Healthy meal either before we play or during a break will mean that your musicians will be able to pour 100% of their talents into your event! Q: How do you depress a musician? Performing takes a lot of physical and mental effort, so a well fed band means a happy band which means a great performance, happy guests and a top event! Performing is also thirsty work. However, contrary to popular belief, most professional function musicians are very light alcohol drinkers. After all, we have to be sharp in our performances and drive home at the end of the night. If you are able to arrange a small bar tab for the band (not more than £15 - even if it's just for soft drinks) that would be greatly appreciated.
Wedding first dances - what are the options? Many folks like to have a first dance at their wedding reception and it is usually no problem for us to learn a song to play live for you especially. Others prefer to play a favourite cd track - we have a cd player linked to the P.A. system so that's also an option. Why not have a browse through the songs in the OW3 Jazz and OW4 repertoire and pick one that you like!
Yes. I am a member of the Musician's Union and therefore covered by public liability insurance. Click here to see page 1 of the current Public Liability Policy for MU members. (Click here for page 2!).
Do you have an electrical equipment safety certificate (Portable Appliance Testing certificate, PAT) Indeed we do! Here is it for 2005-2006.
We're worried about volume levels - how do we control how loud the band is? In both band formats we are very sensitive to the issue of sound levels and make an extra special effort to get the 'right' volume for our clients and for the venue. So what is the 'right' volume level? Hearing safety is the first priority and we will always endeavour to keep the music at a safe hearing level (for more information on safe listening levels, see www.hearingprotection.co.uk/understandinghearing.htm). Alongside hearing safety, we want people to enjoy our music! Whether we are playing background jazz or as a full-on disco band, if you think we are too loud (or too quiet!), please let us know - have a quick chat, even while we're performing, to either myself (Olly), or our sound technician and we'll make the change!
Will you liaise with the venue before the day? If you would like us to do so, then of course! However, at a majority of venues we play, we tend to meet the person in charge (for example the duty manager) when we arrive and discuss any important points then. The most important things that the venue should know about before the day are: -
Our arrival, setting up and playing times,
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