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What is a jazz quartet?A Jazz Quartet is only a general name for a wide range of vastly different music groups, playing an even wider range of styles, spanning the years from the Trad. Jazz of the 1920s to the jazz and associated genres of the present day.. A Jazz Quartet can comprise anything from 2 players up to a Big Band of 15 or more. Line-ups can include the traditional early jazz instruments of trombone, trumpet, clarinet, banjo and bass, to saxophones, piano, keyboard guitar and synthesizer and more. Some bands are purely instrumental, others include vocals. The periods of Jazz?Ragtime - Ragtime has its roots in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Ragtime has been traced to minstrel shows and cakewalks as early as 1895. The cakewalk, originated in the Caribbean’s, arrived in the United States as a syncopated music form based on a march, the polka and a two-step. Once Ragtime emerged as a unquiet musical form, it became a strong base for the music that lay ahead of it, jazz.. Dixieland - the early jazz of New Orleans and Chicago jazz musicians, recorded from 1917 to 1923, as well as its developments and revivals, beginning during the late 1930s. It refers to collectively improvised small band music. Its materials are rags, blues, one-steps, two-steps, marches, and pop tunes. Boogie-woogie - a piano style that was sometimes orchestrated successfully. This full-sounding style came into existence when it became necessary to hire a piano player to substitute for an orchestra. The resulting "barrel-house" piano which could be found in rural southern juke joints tried to imitate the sound of three guitars: one playing the chords, one melody, and one bass. Swing - jazz of the early 1930s and emphasized big bands. It spilled into the late 1940s and then remained popular in recordings, film, and television music long after its main proponents had disbanded. Most swing-style groups had at least 10 musicians and featured at least three or four saxophones, two or three trumpets, two or three trombones, piano, guitar, bass violin, and drums. But, in modern times the tunes of the swing era have been adapted to much smaller groups. BeBop - followed on from Swing. It has been said that the bebop era, 1944-1955, represents for many the most significant period in jazz history; several consider it the time when musicians began stressing artistic rather than commercial concerns, put innovation ahead of convention, and looked toward the future instead of paying homage to the past. Cool jazz - followed bop but was entirely different in mood, in its approach to arranging, and even in its choices of instruments. A more relaxed style of jazz, beginning in the 1947s, introducing instruments new to jazz.. Softer sounds, creating a different mood from that expressed earlier Hard Bop - A more accessible form of BeBop, re-establishing the hot jazz expression that had been abandoned by the cool style. Bossa Nova - a style of Brazilian popular song that was most successful in the early 1960s. Soul Jazz - a funky development of hard bop. Bluesy melodic concept and the repetitive, dance-like rhythm. Latin Jazz - the integration of Latin / South American rhythms and harmonies to jazz from the 1930s to the present day What kind of situations and venues can they play in?Dependent on the size of band, and music style, jazz can work in the intimacy of tiny, cramped room, to a dance or concert hall. What is it like to have a jazz quartet playing for youGreat fun!
Thanks for the music at our wedding on the 21st Sept, we thoroughly enjoyed everything that your band played and the dancing got everyone going. We had an amazing day as a result............James and Francesca.
A big thank you to Midsummer Quartet and Ringerike for playing so well at our wedding reception on 6th April. We felt the quartet added just the right tone to the earlier part of our reception. Although there was a lot of busy organising of photographs and general milling and chatting it was a great pleasure to hear the beautiful music in the background. And the ceilidh later gave everyone a chance to join in and dance. The children were very to the fore in the first set but I understand that the adults really got into it after Alison and I had left, and that the party continued in full swing which is just what we wanted. So, again, many thanks............Pete & Alison
Dear Derek & 3 wonderful others. Thank you for the wonderful performance at our wedding. Everybody commented on the elegant ambience created by the quartet. We will definitely be recommending you all! Thank you again........Lydia and Halit;
Having recently returned from our honeymoon (& unfortunately back to work!)I just wanted to say 'thank you' for playing at mine & Kevin's Wedding Reception on Saturday 18th May........Many of our guests commented on how wonderful the classical music sounded in the Great Hall - you were right about the acoustics! The Ceilidh band were also fantastic! We all had such a good time, especially once people had got over their shyness & were gallivanting around the dance floor!! We thought it worked so well having a combination of Ceilidh music with the 'traditional DJ' - hopefully we catered for all tastes. Anyway, thanks again for entertaining us............Nicky & Kevin.
Just about to go off on honeymoon for couple of weeks, but we wanted to pass on our thanks before we left to you, Esther & all the String Quartet & Paul Munnery's band & Marilyn for making our wedding day so lovely. Last Saturday was perfect, we had a smashing time & such a memorable day… this backed up by all our friends & family who have been sending us letters of thanks all week........ I think the only regret is that it's all over now!! The quartet were extremely adaptable & moved inside & outside of the Court's main building as the weather dictated through the day, they were very flexible & it was most appreciated. Likewise the Jazz band moved into the barn as it got a bit cold - and that focused everyone in one place a little more & got the dancing going by the end of the evening ( in fact, people were enjoying themselves so much that there was a small amount of "bribing" of taxi drivers outside to wait another ˝ hour!!!). The band were excellent & there have been many comments on how good they were. Again, thanks for all your help & kind regards..............Jo
Just to say thank you for Sunday, it was greatly appreciated by my parents and their guests. Added to that my sister walked down Queens Way to find a group of people standing at the bottom listening to your music. They asked her what was going on and if they could come up to the house to listen! Thank you again, ............Susan
Hope you all had a good time - we certainly did! The band was fantastic
and was the icing on the cake for a really memorable occasion. Thanks again to all the crew..........Martin
Thank you very much indeed for playing with the Ringerike Folk Band at our wedding in October. We had a wonderful time - we would both have liked to spend more time dancing but really enjoyed what we did. All of our guests enjoyed themselves, whether dancing or watching - and we saw some people dance that we would never have imagined might give it a try! So thanks for pitching it at the right level. Many thanks........Shirley & Ian
I just wanted to drop you a quick email to say a big thank you to you and the jazz quartet. Our wedding day was fabulous and the jazz quartet were brilliant, they really enhanced the ceremony and everyone commented on how beautiful their playing was. And thank you for all your help in the build up to the big day. I can't believe it's all over. It truly was the best day of our lives so far. I won't hesitate in recommending you to any colleagues or friends for any occasion.........Kinga
I just wanted to thank the Quintet for playing so wonderfully at our wedding at the Sculpture Gallery on Saturday. Their brilliant playing and singing made the day even more special for me.......They really are fantastic performers........Jessica
I am just writing to say thanks for helping us have some of the most wonderful music on our wedding day. The Quartet were excellent and really were the finishing touch to a perfect day. Everyone commented on how good they were and asked where we found them. Plenty of recommendations have been made!
Just a quick note to say a big thank you for the music at our wedding. It helped to make what turned into a perfect day very memorable and we just wish we could do it all again, .............David
.........the quartet that they were absolutely wonderful? Everyone commented on how good their repertoire was - and how professional their playing was. They were sitting right next to a table with a friend of ours who is a choirmaster in ...........(a UK cathedral) and he was deeply excited about the whole thing! Anyway. Brilliant..........Mike
I would like to express my gratitude to your self and the other three musicians in the Midsummer Quartet for making or Company Christmas Party so successful. The music was wonderful and I especially enjoyed the Christmas selection you played towards the end of your repertoire............Jennifer
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