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Cool jazz for your event

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About
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Welcome to Ben's Jazz Thing! My name is Ben Watson, and I have been working as a professional performer for over 25 years. In this time, I have provided live music for many venues and festivals, including Harrods, Glastonbury Festival, Secret Garden Party, Snape Maltings, Montreux Jazz Café in Paris, dozens of bars, hotels and restaurants, and too many weddings and parties to mention!

Growing up in a musical household, I became fascinated with Jazz guitar, and spent a long time mastering the instrument, along with  studying Classical guitar at the Spanish Guitar Centre in Bristol.

I also picked up the bass guitar and soon fell in love with that too. Since then, I have dedicated my time to playing with many talented bands, and putting a smile on our audience's faces!

 

I can put together a group to suit all occasions, big or small. It would be a pleasure to discuss providing a band for your event. Have a look below at the different line up examples and use the contact form to let me know what kind of ensemble you require; I work regularly with lots of skilled musicians, and we can easily tailor the music to suit your needs.

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Lineups
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Below are some examples of possible lineups. My projects are very flexible and I can change the lineups depending on your requirements, using different musicians depending on your budget, the type of jazz and size of the event.

Fill in the contact form below and we can discuss what lineup suits you and your guests the best and what kind of of budget you have for your event or party.

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Solo/Duo

Solo Guitar, or Guitar/Sax, Guitar/Piano, Guitar/Guitar... This is perfect for a calm, mellow setting - popular for background music in hotels, restaurants and bars.

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Trio

For livelier events - wedding reception drinks, parties where the music needs to be upbeat but not too loud. This can be Bass and Guitar/Piano plus Sax, Trumpet or Trombone.

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Quartet/Quintet/Sextet

 

Just add drums, percussion, and more horns! Good for busy parties, especially our funky Six Piece Latin Jazz Band!

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Below are some examples of various projects and bands I have played with. Hopefully this should give you a taste of some of the different styles of music I am able to offer.    

Sentimental MoodBen's Jazz Thing!
00:00 / 05:04

The Riverside Trio

Woodbridge Jazz Jam

Lotus BlossomBen's Jazz Thing!
00:00 / 03:36

Morphology Jazz

Chasing Storms

Music

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Press

"Really tasty Jazz guitar"

Venue Magazine

"Acoustic textures... a beautiful vapour trail"

Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 1

"Very interesting music"

Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 1

Testimonials

"Ben, thank you SO much for the brilliant set last night! It really was perfect, the ideal fit for our Great Gatsby theme. We had lots of lovely comments about the music - enjoyed by all!"

Claire, Birthday Party at The Riverside, Woodbridge.

'We had the absolute best day ever. Thank you for joining us and for the music, it was perfect. I’m still buzzing this morning! Thank you all again for making our day special.'

Helen, Wedding at Wantisden Hall, Suffolk.

'Thank you for playing at our wedding. People loved the music and it helped create a lovely ambience on the day.'

Tim & Alison, Wedding at The Suffolk Barn, Bury St Edmunds.

'Ben has been running the Jazz Jam at the Kings Head for several years, building up a great following with hugely talented musicians making up the house band and encouraging others to get involved in the jam session. 5* top chap!'

Lucy, landlady, the Kings Head, Woodbridge.

'Ben and his trio provided the perfect music to our end of term BBQ this summer. Not only are they talented musicians, but lovely people too. Great to work with, and their music is heaven. Thank you, Ben!'

Richard, Woodbridge School Barbecue.

 

'The Jazz Trio provided an evening of easy listening soft jazz music for the Crowfield WI Christmas Party. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening; everyone enjoyed listening, and a few dancing, to the trio's repertoire, and everyone commented how lovely the evening was.'

Paula, Crowfield Women's Institute.

'My birthday party was set on a community farm in Suffolk, with horse box bar, goats, pigs, horses and the sun. The perfect addition to the party was a latin jazz band! My guests absolutely loved the music, it made for a very enjoyable atmosphere on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Thank you so much to Ben and his team!'

Celia, birthday party.

'Thank you so much for your playing Ben, it was brilliant, the music was perfect for our residents and they all had a lovely afternoon, I am a singer myself so I totally appreciated the music! We will keep in touch for future events!'

Anna, care home garden party.

'After watching Ben perform at a local gig, we knew we wanted him to play at our wedding. He kindly arranged for 2 others to join him, and on the day they were punctual, professional and played brilliantly! They created a brilliant atmosphere and were a hit with all ages. I wouldn’t hesitate to book with Ben again.'

Melissa and Matt, Wedding at Jimmy's Farm.

'Ben and his band delighted the guests at our wedding with Jazz suited to our theme, in an African setting in the UK. Everyone commented on the music and they really did make our day.'

Hanro and Dan, Wedding.

'For our wedding in May, I was looking for a chilled jazz and funk band for our welcome drinks. They did not disappoint. It was exactly what I was looking for and set the tone perfectly for our laid back, sunny wedding. All the musicians were exceptional, and worked so hard playing for so long in the heat. Thank you all so much for playing for us, it would not have been the same without you. I'd not hesitate to recommend you to others.'

Gerry, Wedding'

'Having seen Ben's trio several times at local jazz events, I have always been incredibly impressed by their musicality, versatility and virtuosic playing. I had absolutely no hesitation in booking them to play and they did not disappoint. I was once again delighted, not only by their excellent performance, but their flexibility to meet our requirements and professionalism. I would recommend them to anyone wanting to book top quality live jazz for their party or wedding.'

Chris, Birthday Party.

 

"We had an absolutely fantastic evening on Saturday when you entertained us at our Yacht Club. Your mellow, melodic music provided the perfect atmospheric soundtrack for our club evening as the clouds cleared and the sun set beautifully across the river. A number of our members have told me how they loved your sound, and the Commodore, enthused about how the music drifting across the marina gave our club a very special feel as he came in."

Kevin, Levington Yacht Club Summer Party.

"I wanted to write to let you know that the booking was a huge success. Ben and his team worked very hard to make our big day extra special, and we are extremely grateful to the band, and Ben in particular, for both a terrific performance (which many of our guests commented on) and for their flexibility in accommodating what we wanted."

James, Wedding.

Press & Testimonials
Contact
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Thanks for submitting!

Please fill in this form and tell me about your event. If possible please include information about the type of event, size of band required, set time(s) and an idea of your budget and I'll get back to you with some ideas.

 

Alternatively please email me here.

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