Frequently Asked Questions....

“Jazz” I hear you say? Isn’t that just when they play the tune and then someone takes a solo for ages and ages? Yes, Jazz can have a reputation of being self-indulgent, drawn out, complex and frankly uninviting. However, Jazz is a genre that has inimitable ability to absorb and influence music, and it lies at the heart of may other styles of music. It goes hand in hand with blues, rock and roll, jive, soul, motown, pop, R & B and is at the root of may tunes that are huge dance floor fillers.

Jazz was the pop music of its day and has dancing. Indeed many world famous artists have Jazz as their foundation or have been deeply influenced by it.

The JazzCats are a band that have Jazz at their heart, but akin with the genre, we encompass music stretching from Louis Armstrong, Sinatra, to Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Van Morrison and Amy Winehouse. Our aim is to entertain and we will judge the reaction of your guests after every song, moulding our performance so that you have the most amazing time. So if you want a band that is going to play a broad mix of styles that will entertain and delight across all generations, we are the band for you.

The easiest way to book us is to fill in the online booking form and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Alternatively you can send a direct email to James or call on +44 (0)7798 825 163.

Our fees can be anything from £200 to £2000 and this variability of cost depends on a few factors. The size of the band you decide to book is the most important factor affecting the cost, however the location of where you want us to play, when and how long you want us to play for will also have an effect on the price. We are happy to advise you on the suitability of any band to match your budget and give you a no obligation quote.

Just reply to the online confirmation form/Econtract which we will send you and send us a non-refundable deposit by post or internet transfer.

To secure the date we need a non-refundable deposit. The balance of payment is due 14 days before your booking.

The JazzCats have been a band for 12 years now and were formed through long standing friendships at university. Not only are we a band, but a close knit group of friends.

We will mould and tailor our performances to you, but if you are not 100% sure then just leave it to us! If want us to play while you are dining, we will select some cool mellow tunes and then we can ramp it up, or keep it cool for our later sets. If you want us to play full on all the way, that’s great!

Yes, this is something we do regularly and if you are looking to reduce costs this is cheaper option than booking two bands.

Yes, we are a fully self-contained band and our “default” would be to play for you without a DJ and put on appropriate CD/ipod music in our breaks, if required.. However, if you would like a DJ service that is no problem at all, as we have the PA for it. Indeed quite a few of our clients wish to select the playlist in advance

Obviously this depends on the number of musicians you decide to hire. In a duo or trio format we are very flexible and take up quite a small amount of room, thus allowing us to play in houses, boats and more confined spaces. The addition of drums makes us less mobile and will take up some space. As a guide we would need 4.5m x 4m for a 5piece band. We do not need a stage, but it is always a bonus if there is one.

Yes we love to play outside, as long as there is a “plan b” for the unpredictable British weather! We will also need shelter from rain and sun and access to a power supply.

We would usually play for two 50 min sets, however this is flexible and we can play for longer or shorter periods if required.

Unfortunately your deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel giving us more that 30 days notice, no cancellation fee will be due.

A large proportion of our bookings come from recommendation and word of mouth therefore it is imperative to our success that we provide a completely professional service. The Jazzcats has never cancelled a booking and we pride ourselves on our reliability. We have a highly trained team of musicians that play with us, so in the rare instance of a band member becoming ill there are plenty of people available to cover.

In the years we have been entertaining and working as musicians, experience tells us that it is crucial to be on time. We will always allow ample time for bad traffic and to set up and part of booking a professional band is knowing that we will do exactly what is on the contract. Arrival and departure times will be stated clearly. In the extremely rare instance that there may be an Act of God making things difficult then we will keep you informed and do everything in our power to get to you on time. You will be given the mobile number of the bandleader, who will be happy to talk to you if you have any questions whatsoever.

Yes we provide a full PA system, extension leads etc. We can play ipod music during breaks if required and will play an appropriate selection or you own playlists.

Yes we have a lighting rig that we can provide on request.

We will aim to arrive 1.5 hours before the performance, but usually will not take longer than 1 hour to set up. Ideally we will use access points to the venue that do not involve walking through the guest areas and part of our service is to research this beforehand.

If you know you would like a particular song played for you event, please let us know and we will do our best to learn it for you. If there is a song on the night that you would like played then if we know it we will be more than happy to play it for you.

Obviously this depends on the type of event. If we have travelled a long way and are at your event for a long time then a hot meal and soft drinks to keep our energy levels up would be required.

Most of the JazzCats bookings are for private events such as weddings or corporate events, however we do have residencies which you are most welcome to come along to. Please contact james@thejazzcats.com or sign up to the mailing list for more information.