Hire a jazz trio in the changeable British Summer to put your guests in a relaxed mood, whatever's happening with the weather.  Jazz trios in London are really popular for a whole host of events, and Liquid Strings regularly supplies jazz bands of various sizes (but often trio) for private parties, corporate events and weddings.

Here's a photo of the brilliant jazz saxophone player Dee with her trio - live jazz from Liquid Strings in the wedding of Johnathon and Klaudia in Merchant Taylor's Hall - another superb wedding venue in London that really benefits from live string trio or jazz band (in this case, we provided both - and a London  wedding DJ).
Live jazz creates a relaxing but sometimes lively atmosphere and enhances an event - Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davies, Cole Porter - all great tunes for summer and let's hope the weather lends a hand also....

String Quartet in The Mayfair Hotel

We've just had our second engagement in the stunning Mayfair Hotel - Rebecca created a surprise 60th Birthday party for her mum.  As well as playing Happy Birthday, we'd been told that she was a huge Cliff Richard fan, so jumped from everyone singing along to Happy Birthday onto Congratulations, which went down especially well with her in the surprise moment.

The current vogue is for pop covers on string quartet.  Quartets like the Vitamin Quartet in the States have meant that there are lots of string quartet versions of pop songs here online.  Many of these are unavailable to purchase as sheet music, but we have some brilliant arrangers - so nothing is beyond us.  Recent new versions of Toxic by Britney Spears and a Michael Jackson medley are going down a treat in weddings and corporate functions.  Our quartets love playing them as well - it's a break from classical music and they're as much to play as to listen to.

Hiring a wedding string quartet from us in London couldn't be easier - all the wedding string quartets for hire are simply booked and then leave the rest to us - or create your own playlist for the big day!

October 'Green Shoots'

We are working like crazy to provide the right people for the events that you require. I am not convinced by the idea of 'green shoots'. I keep reading and hearing different points of view, but we have had to tackle the recession and the lack of overflowing budgets with smaller, bespoke options.
Not everyone requires such smaller bookings. In December, we are providing a string section for hire for 2 events held by Doxa Deo Church in London. One will be in Wimbledon, and one in Stratford Picture House. We love this, as playing miked up with a great band is a refreshing change from the standard classical music we often play. It is always a highly enthusiastic service, and led by the excellent singing and keyboard playing of Ioannis Dekas. We hope to get some film footage to put on the site as well this time.
Apart from this, we've provided Julian's solo guitar hire for several weddings, and over the summer in association with Courtneys at Paddington Recreation Park there were some fantastic duos including the brilliant corporate entertainment from Liquid Strings electric violin and keyboards/turntables Matt and Naomi. If a string quartet sounds a bit much, a string trio for hire can be excellent, and see the photo of Brian, Victoria and Stefano entertaining the guests at Putteridge Bury Conference Centre at Nick and Kelly Booth's wedding.

Ok, enough for now - got lots of work to do.

News and Tips for Events

Please feel free to add any comments/suggestions, or fire a question if you wish!

RECENT EVENTS

• Wedding Reception and Dinner in 'Home House' private members club.
• String Quartet to play for Sultanate of Oman in a Gala Dinner at Muscat, Oman.
• 60th Birthday Surprise Party string duo in Carvasso's Restaurant, Chiswick.
  

NEW ACTS

The best of our new acts are -

• Brazilian Samba Band (see above)
• Electric violin and keyboards/turntables duo with Cafe del Mar style music (see above)
• Hannah 30s style Swing Singer
  

MUSIC FOR EVENTS TIPS/IDEAS

Small is beautiful!

During the recession, we have been offering our clients budget-busting alternatives that still look and sound fantastic.

For example, if the event is not that large and you cannot afford to book a string quartet, why not book a string duo? The combination of violin and cello looks great, and most essentially, it sounds great as well. It can sound as good as a string trio, but is of course cheaper!

A solo musician doesn't have to be an expensive harpist (and if the harpist is not expensive, beware!). It can be a more economical cellist, jazz or classical guitarist.

An amplified function band can be exorbitant, but if you're looking for a cheaper alternative for live, amplified music for events, ask us about our jazz bands. Some of the combinations (ie trio with female singer) can be very reasonable and flexible in their fees.



With Best Wishes,
Brian

string duos for weddings and corporate events

This combination is becoming more popular with us, especially for those without the budget for a string quartet. I am covering a lot of these with great new cellist, Magda - as violin and cello string duo is an ideal combination for weddings, parties, corporate events, product launches and many other kinds of events.
Liquid Strings is more than happy to cater for smaller budgets. If times are tough, that's no reason not to have live music - but we understand that booking an entire gospel choir during a recession is not a fantastic idea for most, so we would recommend smaller combinations, such as jazz solo artists, string duo for wedding and solo guitar.
Call Brian today for advice on how to find the best musicians to hire for your event, to make it a day or night to remember.