Bands and entertainment

Dance partners

Creating a simchah is like putting up a building - you do it layer by layer, piece by piece, section by section, until the structure is complete and solid.

Thus it is with a wedding or barmitzvah. First comes the venue, then the date, finding a caterer and then comes the entertainment. I have placed entertainment last, but it is as important as any other part of the structure. It can't stand on its own, but it becomes a vital building block when joined with everything else.

A simchah is not a simchah without music and, depending on your tastes and the depth of your pockets, maybe a magician or an artist or some other entertainer.

Sarah Balfour manages a party band called Xtatic.

"It is an 18-piece band but the good thing is its versatility," says Ms Balfour. And each of the musicians is an accomplished performer in their own right.

The band, which comprises all session musicians, has been together for more than 10 years and has worked with top artistes such as Whitney Houston and Seal. It also played in Trafalgar Square during the Royal wedding.

Its repertoire includes jazz, soul, current pop music and, of course, Jewish music.

The size of the band is adaptable - it can range from a jazz trio upwards. It has been booked for events all over the country and internationally.

Sarah Balfour is herself an acclaimed pianist and set up Music By Arrangement, her own management company, six years ago in London, later opening an office in Tel Aviv to serve functions in Israel.

Xtatic grew out of her representation of session musicians.

Music By Arrangement has more than 700 acts, many of them under exclusive management.

Also aiming to add a spectacular musical element to your event is Hit Squad, the brainchild of Jezz Baker, who celebrates 30 years as a DJ next year.

He has assembled a team of DJs who use top-of-the-range equipment for sound, lighting and everything else needed "to make it more of a show than a disco," says Mr Baker.

"We now use the same criteria for finding live acts, whatever they do. Everything to do with entertainment comes under the Hit Squad banner."

"There is an art to being a wedding or barmitzvah DJ," adds Mr Baker. "Just because a DJ works regularly in night clubs or venues, doesn't mean they are capable of running a high-class event. I have high standards and the people I employ know that.

"There are no hidden extras with us. If you want extra lights or smoke or music, an agency might charge extra. If you need more of these with Hit Squad, we don't put up the price."

Mr Baker, who started Hit Squad in 1999, is based in Portsmouth and sends DJs and entertainers all over the country.

He has spent most of his career in the Jewish wedding and bar- and batmitzvah market and is keen to increase the amount of work from that sector.

"Every party is different" he says, "and everyone has their own view on what music they enjoy. My job is to deliver the right music to the right people and I get people to work out their own lists. It's the closest thing you can get to a bespoke service."

With today's technology, he can take 20,000 tracks with him to a function, but if someone asks for a track he doesn't have, he can download it wirelessly on the spot, "provided I can get a signal".

Prices for DJs start at between £400 and £500 and go up to £3,000 or more "but that would be for a big venue".

See more at www.hitsquaddjs.co.uk

Music at functions often has to embrace a large swathe of musical styles, spanning the decades.

So a band called Schwing doesn't necessarily play swing music, but a whole variety that might have its roots in that era. Schwing is overseen by Brad Lazarus and his management company LM2.

Mr Lazarus wanted to create something different to the standard party band - and Schwing provided him with the opportunity to do so.

"They can cover about 10 different genres of music in one night," says Mr Lazarus.

"People book a band like Schwing because they want an antidote to the bands they might have seen elsewhere. "

The band has been working together for eight years and its members are aged between mid-20s and mid-30s. They perform at up to 70 events a year across the corporate and private events market. Of that number, about 20 will be Jewish weddings.

"We try to create something different by bringing in songs like those on The X-Factor big band night. They also do a 'horns walkabout' where the main rhythm section is on stage and the horn section appears from different points in the room. They strike up together and all end up on stage, as guests follow them on to the dance floor."

The band is very flexible and can change from an eight-piece to a 12-piece depending on the size of the event.

See www.schwinglive.co.uk or www.lm2.co.uk

Acoustically Tuned is a singing duo who play acoustic guitar. Mark and Marisa perform folksy, atmospheric acoustic interpretations of classic rock and pop songs and their set list covers everything from The Beatles to Coldplay and U2 to Amy Winehouse, as well as Jewish songs. Samples can be heard at www.acousticallytuned.co.uk.

After 13 years in the celebrations business, Shir has a very good idea of how to make a party a success by providing traditional Jewish music and creating an atmosphere "full of neshama (soul)" for a wedding, bar or batmitzvah, birthday or anniversary.

The five-man band plays Jewish music for all occasions, including klezmer, Ladino, Israeli, Mizrahi and Yiddish. Its speciality is Israeli dancing, in a package that also includes music for the chuppah.

Shir also performs in the UK and Europe as a concert band, at charity fundraisers and synagogue events. It has performed at events for UJIA, Jewish Care, World Jewish Relief, WIZO, Limmud UK, in Holland, at Israel's 60th anniversary event in Trafalgar Square and others.