The Jazz Reporters - Swing Band, Soul Band, Motown Band, live music for weddings, parties, corporate events

How much do you charge?

Our prices generally start at £960, although we can sometimes offer discounts for 'off-peak' dates (Monday - Thursday, and / or quieter months, which are January, February, March and November). This price applies to bookings in the London area - for anything further afield our prices would need to go up to cover the additional costs. If you would like an accurate price quote, please fill in and submit an enquiry form.

How far do you travel?

As far as is necessary! The band is based in London & Berkshire, but we will happily travel to anywhere in the UK or beyond...

How many musicians are in the band?

The Jazz Reporters begins as a 4 piece and goes up from there. Line-up options are as follows:

4-Piece: Vocals (male or female), piano, bass, drums
5-Piece: 4 piece band, adding saxophone, additional vocals or guitar
6-Piece: - adding one more of the above
7-Piece: - all of the above
More: Other possible additions are trumpet and percussion - please see the 'options' page

Do you require a stage? If so, how large would this need to be?

The Jazz Reporters can perform with or without staging, indoors or outdoors. This is a guide to the stage or floor area we would need:

4 Piece Band: 4m x 2m
5 Piece Band: 4.5m x 2m
6 Piece Band: 4.5m x 2.5m
7 Piece Band: 5m x 2.5m

Do you provide your own sound and lighting equipment?

Yes. We have our own high quality professional PA system and lighting rig which is ideal for the majority of events we play at. For the technically-minded, we mainly use Electrovoice Speakers (SX300s) and QSC power amps. We have various configurations of our sound system, depending on the size of room we are performing in.

PA and lighting costs are always included in any quote for the band. With large corporate events and awards ceremonies, the sound & lighting is often hired in separately.

What are your power requirements?

For small venues, we can safely operate off a single 13amp power socket. We would however recommend having 2 available to the band (so a 26amp supply in total) in case it turns out that a little more amplification or lighting power would be useful.

If power is to be provided by a generator, it is the responsibility of the client / venue to ensure that it is of sufficient rating (and has sufficient cables and adaptors) to power the band safely.

How long does the band play for?

It is normal for the band to perform a total of 2 hours of live music finishing by midnight, either as 2 sets of 1 hour with a break or 3 shorter sets with 2 breaks. It is possible to increase playing / finishing times slightly but this would involve an extra charge.

Do you provide music in your breaks?

Yes, if required we will play an iPod through our sound system in any breaks, and before / after the band's performance. We can provide the iPod, but would always recommend to wedding clients that they provide their own, pre-loaded with playlists of their choice.

Can you provide a DJ?

Yes, subject to availability. There are a few DJs we work with regularly, and there is a cost (and space) saving because they would connect to our sound system rather than bringing a whole separate rig. Please enquire for accurate prices.

Do you take requests?

Yes. Our clients are welcome to make as many requests as they wish (in advance) from our set list, and we will endeavour to accommodate as many of these as possible. Certain songs specifically require male or female vocals, so depending on the line-up of the band, a few songs on the list may be unsuitable.

We accept first dance requests regardless of whether or not the song you would like is on our set list already, but we require at least 6 weeks notice in order to prepare it.

How long do you take to set up?

This depends on the size of the band and the ease of access. For a 4 piece band, we can set up in an hour, perhaps slightly less, provided that we can drive close to unload equipment and do not have to move it far once inside the venue. For larger bands we always ask for 90 minutes if possible.

If necessary, it is possible for equipment to be set up in advance (before guests begin to occupy the room), but this may involve additional 'early arrival' fees for those affected.

Does the band need to sound-check?

Ideally yes, but not for very long!

Do we need to provide the band with food and drink?

We would normally ask if a hot meal could be provided for the band, and soft drinks throughout the engagement. Caterers are often able to provide a 'cheaper alternative' for the suppliers such as a dish of lasagne with a bowl of veg or salad.

It is because of the long hours that we ask for a hot meal rather than sandwiches - including travel times (depending on the location), it would be normal to leave home at around 4pm and return at around 2am, perhaps later, and therefore a plate of sandwiches would not be sufficient. Complications can arise if the band has to leave the venue in search of food, as it is never certain how long it will take to find anything and get served.



	How much do you charge? Our prices generally start at £960, although we can sometimes offer discounts for 'off-peak' dates (Monday - Thursday, and / or quieter months, which are January, February, March and November). This price applies to bookings in the London area - for anything further afield our prices would need to go up to cover the additional costs. If you would like an accurate price quote, please fill in and submit an enquiry form. How far do you travel? As far as is necessary! The band is based in London & Berkshire, but we will happily travel to anywhere in the UK or beyond... How many musicians are in the band? The Jazz Reporters begins as a 4 piece and goes up from there. Line-up options are as follows: 4-Piece: Vocals (male or female), piano, bass, drums 5-Piece: 4 piece band, adding saxophone, additional vocals or guitar 6-Piece: - adding one more of the above 7-Piece: - all of the above More: Other possible additions are trumpet and percussion - please see the 'options' page Do you require a stage? If so, how large would this need to be? The Jazz Reporters can perform with or without staging, indoors or outdoors. This is a guide to the stage or floor area we would need: 4 Piece Band: 4m x 2m 5 Piece Band: 4.5m x 2m 6 Piece Band: 4.5m x 2.5m 7 Piece Band: 5m x 2.5m Do you provide your own sound and lighting equipment? Yes. We have our own high quality professional PA system and lighting rig which is ideal for the majority of events we play at. For the technically-minded, we mainly use Electrovoice Speakers (SX300s) and QSC power amps. We have various configurations of our sound system, depending on the size of room we are performing in. PA and lighting costs are always included in any quote for the band. With large corporate events and awards ceremonies, the sound & lighting is often hired in separately. What are your power requirements? For small venues, we can safely operate off a single 13amp power socket. We would however recommend having 2 available to the band (so a 26amp supply in total) in case it turns out that a little more amplification or lighting power would be useful. If power is to be provided by a generator, it is the responsibility of the client / venue to ensure that it is of sufficient rating (and has sufficient cables and adaptors) to power the band safely. How long does the band play for? It is normal for the band to perform a total of 2 hours of live music finishing by midnight, either as 2 sets of 1 hour with a break or 3 shorter sets with 2 breaks. It is possible to increase playing / finishing times slightly but this would involve an extra charge. Do you provide music in your breaks? Yes, if required we will play an iPod through our sound system in any breaks, and before / after the band's performance. We can provide the iPod, but would always recommend to wedding clients that they provide their own, pre-loaded with playlists of their choice. Can you provide a DJ? Yes, subject to availability. There are a few DJs we work with regularly, and there is a cost (and space) saving because they would connect to our sound system rather than bringing a whole separate rig. Please enquire for accurate prices. Do you take requests? Yes. Our clients are welcome to make as many requests as they wish (in advance) from our set list, and we will endeavour to accommodate as many of these as possible. Certain songs specifically require male or female vocals, so depending on the line-up of the band, a few songs on the list may be unsuitable. We accept first dance requests regardless of whether or not the song you would like is on our set list already, but we require at least 6 weeks notice in order to prepare it. How long do you take to set up? This depends on the size of the band and the ease of access. For a 4 piece band, we can set up in an hour, perhaps slightly less, provided that we can drive close to unload equipment and do not have to move it far once inside the venue. For larger bands we always ask for 90 minutes if possible. If necessary, it is possible for equipment to be set up in advance (before guests begin to occupy the room), but this may involve additional 'early arrival' fees for those affected. Does the band need to sound-check? Ideally yes, but not for very long! Do we need to provide the band with food and drink? We would normally ask if a hot meal could be provided for the band, and soft drinks throughout the engagement. Caterers are often able to provide a 'cheaper alternative' for the suppliers such as a dish of lasagne with a bowl of veg or salad. It is because of the long hours that we ask for a hot meal rather than sandwiches - including travel times (depending on the location), it would be normal to leave home at around 4pm and return at around 2am, perhaps later, and therefore a plate of sandwiches would not be sufficient. Complications can arise if the band has to leave the venue in search of food, as it is never certain how long it will take to find anything and get served.

	What are the band's car parking requirements? We always try to share lifts, but this isn't always possible, hence we would require parking to be provided for as many cars as there are band members. For central London venues, we usually assume that private parking will not be available, and therefore look up the parking charges in the area and add them on to our prices quotes as applicable. In all cases, we need to be able to park vehicles close to the venue entrance at least for unloading, even if they then need to be moved further away to be parked for the duration of the event. Our venue has a sound-limiter. Will this be a problem? These days, this is not at all unusual, and we are regularly performing under this condition without any difficulty. For the best indication as to whether any problems are likely, speak to the venue - if they can tell you that they have bands regularly that are able to perform without triggering the sound-limiter, then there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to do the same. Does the band have Public Liability Insurance and PAT Certificates? Yes. We have full Public Liability Insurance up to £10,000,000 and all of our equipment is PAT tested on an annual basis. How do we confirm a booking? Bookings are confirmed by receipt of a 10% deposit and a signed Musicians Union Band Hire Agreement stating full details of the event. Remaining payment is normally required two weeks before the event (by bank transfer or cheque) or as cash, paid at the start of the gig. Musician’s Union booking agreements comply with up to date industry standards. What happens if we cancel the booking once it has been confirmed with a contract and deposit? In the event of cancellation (by you, the hirer), the 10% deposit would be non-refundable. If we receive another booking for the date in question that involves all the musicians that had been booked, we would not ask for any cancellation fee. If we receive a booking for a smaller ensemble, we may require a cancellation fee for the musicians not involved in the new booking. If you cancel a year or more in advance of the event, we would not ask for a cancellation fee. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss this matter in greater detail. Can the band cancel? No. The contract which would be signed by us as well as you is a legally-binding document that guarantees that we will provide what you have booked. If a musician is taken ill, or pulls out for another reason such as a family emergency, we will hire a suitable replacement so that the performance can go ahead unaffected. Any additional costs for this would be covered by us. Can we see the band perform before maing a booking? As it stands, all of our gigs are private functions and therefore this is difficult to arrange. We will add some video clips to this website as soon as we have some - hopefully by early 2012 at the latest. I have a question not answered on this page. Please feel free to get in touch by any of the methods offered on our contact page!