Jazz BandsConcert / Musical entertainment / Lille and Paris
On this page, find the jazz bands offered by JLB Prod to liven up your events with music: wedding, cocktail reception, private party, birthday or corporate cocktail…
Solos
Solo jazz pianist – Piano bar
Our solo pianist will perform all the greatest jazz standards for you.
Offer your guests the distinguished “Lounge” atmosphere they deserve with the high-end performance of our solo pianist. A musician of choice with event experience, he will adapt easily and meet your expectations. His performances are particularly suited to the start of an evening, for example for corporate cocktail entertainment. The jazz piano or piano bar atmosphere will bring a delicate touch that will charm your guests.
Our artist is available in Paris, in Lille and anywhere else if you wish. His solo performance can, if you wish, be enhanced with other musicians from the catalog to form a duo with a female singer for example, a trio with saxophone and double bass, or a quartet with other professional musicians.
Duos
Duo Jazz song – Guitar & Double Bass
An original duo made up of a jazz guitarist and a double bassist.
The blend and alchemy of the string timbres of the two instruments bring a sound that is both gentle and companionable. The two musicians create an improvised atmosphere, traveling through the landscapes and colors of jazz standards.
They accompany and listen to each other, creating a voluptuous exchange that can be savored in a moment shared with the audience, such as an intimate concert. The two musicians will thus create an atmosphere with refined colors that will charm the listener with its sensitivity and musical eloquence.
Ella Duet – Piano & Vocals Duo
A duo made up of a female singer with a sublime voice and a talented pianist.
A subtle duo that will take you to explore jazz and blues standards such as But Not For Me, Basin Street Blues and many others in their wide choice of repertoire.
Improvisation is one of the great features of jazz and it is what allows creating anew through each piece and making each version unique, captured in the moment. Our singer, in the tradition of Ella Fitzgerald, will brilliantly charm you with this exercise of vocal improvisation also known as “scat” over the pianist’s accompaniment. This duo lends itself to many stage contexts and you could enjoy it, for example, at a cocktail reception or a corporate cocktail evening.
Audrey and Jérôme – Duo: Guitar & Vocals
Duo made up of an expressive female singer and a companionable guitarist.
Let yourself be carried away by this duo that is both energetic and companionable, which will perform for you a varied repertoire ranging from jazz to French chanson while also offering a few titles from pop and rock. In the aesthetic of singers such as Billie Holiday or Edith Piaf, this duo aims for a constant exchange between the timbre of the singer’s voice and that of the guitar strings. The expressiveness of the guitarist’s playing and the singer’s pronounced interpretation will bring a fascinating and striking burst of emotions in which the listener will want to be carried away.
As in the piece performed below, Parla Piu Piano, the guitarist can record himself with a “looper” and thus play with improvisation by creating his own accompaniment on the spot on the instrument. A true real-time creation tool, this device will allow him to perfectly adapt the energy of the piece to the atmosphere he wishes to give it.
aPoDjé – Guitar and Vocals
Duo made up of a female singer and a guitarist.
Apodjé is a spellbinding and companionable duo. These two musicians have played together for many years and their musical symbiosis is the delicate result. The duo’s repertoire is built around jazz, French chanson and pop revisited in jazz with a very swing connotation. You will also find Latin atmospheres and rhythms or titles from Bossa Nova!
This duo can of course be joined by a double bassist or a saxophonist, for example, to form a trio or a quartet.
Trios
Wes Trio
Jazz trio made up of 2 guitarists and a double bassist based in Lille.
Trio of Lille musicians who met at the conservatory and played a lot together in jam sessions. This jazz band is ideal for a soft, warm atmosphere where your guests can chat together while enjoying live music.
The repertoire is essentially based on the greatest jazz standards: Autumn Leaves, Take the A Train, Blues…
The lineup can be adjusted to a quartet with an additional instrumentalist, or to a duo of two jazz guitarists.
AL Trio
This Parisian jazz band is made up of a pianist, a double bassist and a drummer.
This trio was born in the Parisian jazz schools, where these three protagonists met. All three are today specialists and professionals of the style. This instrumentation or instrumental composition of the band is very specific to jazz and thus allows it to cover a wide repertoire. Many well-known and still current artists, such as Keith Jarrett or Avishai Cohen, have also chosen this formula.
The three musicians thus shine through their strong taste for jazz but also through their ability to adapt to the different contexts of the events industry. This trio can therefore easily accompany the cocktail reception of your wedding, but is also ideal for a private concert at home in your living room or, more broadly, on the stage of a festival. The repertoire is both distinctive and eclectic, from jazz standards to bossa nova and Latin music.
Joy Spring – Vocal jazz
Vocal jazz band based in Paris, from trio to quintet
The group Joy Spring performs in three-part harmony a New Orleans jazz and swing repertoire from the 1920s and 1930s in the spirit of the vocal groups of the era.
In their repertoire you will find great standards by Billie Holiday, Ray Charles… The band performs in Paris in many concert halls and also entertains at dance parties.
With a basic trio formula, the band can, depending on the needs of the event, add other musicians and instruments: notably drums, trumpet, saxophone and piano.
Quartets
Four on Jazz
This instrumental jazz band is made up of a pianist, a guitarist, a double bassist and a drummer.
The Four on Jazz Quartet was born in Lille. They were all musicians at the Regional Conservatory of Lille and met during collective practices such as jazz workshops. The project of this jazz band began with the desire to compose original pieces in a more personal approach in order to stand out and create music more authentic to the expectations of its musicians. Jérôme, the guitarist, and Julien, the pianist, brought their ideas to offer an aesthetic and atmosphere of their own. They thus developed a repertoire based on personal compositions while navigating through the greatest jazz standards.
Like all the other bands in the catalog, this jazz band is made up of professionals who know the different expectations in the contexts encountered in the events industry. They will therefore be able to support you effortlessly for the cocktail reception of your wedding, play an intimate concert, or stir emotion at a festival.
Mister Love
Jazz quartet made up of a singer, a pianist, a double bassist and a drummer.
The “Mister Love” Quartet is a real “show” for all audiences. The singer, our “Jazz Clowner”, can entertain the evening and create a connection between the audience and the musicians. Their repertoire is based on jazz standards. They all have great experience in the field, having worked in the style for years in Lille and throughout the region. This jazz band is ideal for a corporate or private concert, but can also perfectly entertain a wedding meal or a cocktail reception.
Corbaz
Quartet or trio made up of a female singer, a guitarist, a double bassist and a clarinettist.
This quartet started in Paris. It has existed for many years. It has played in many venues in Paris and in jazz clubs. Ideal for private evenings in an apartment, a birthday or a cocktail reception. The repertoire is varied: ranging from jazz to pop, bossa and French chanson.
Quintets
Swing me Baby
Here is a swing jazz band made up of a female singer, a guitarist, a saxophonist, a double bassist and a drummer.
The band Swing Me Baby has been playing on the Lille scene for many years. It is a jazz band specialized in swing. The band has collaborated a lot with dance associations to organize dance parties where you can dance Lindy Hop, Shag, some Jazz Roots or Balboa. You can see this band in concert in Lille. This swing jazz quintet is very versatile and knows how to adapt to different contexts. All-terrain, the musicians can also easily play for concerts, corporate events or for the cocktail reception or the evening of your wedding. The repertoire is varied with jazz, swing, film music, pop revisited in swing, French songs…
Sextets
Hot Frogs
Swing jazz band made up of 2 guitarists, a saxophonist, a trumpeter, a double bassist and a drummer.
Swing band the “Hot Frogs” for a 1930s swing atmosphere. Instrumental swing band for a dynamic, rhythmic atmosphere. The instrumentalists will get you dancing to the greatest standards of the Roaring Twenties and to others that are less well known but just as exceptional. 6 musicians who often play in concert but also entertain at swing dance parties.
Octets
Sparkly swing band
Here is a swing jazz band made up of a female singer, two guitarists, a saxophonist, a trumpeter, a trombonist, a double bassist and a drummer.
This band plays mainly for swing dance parties. For Lindy Hop and Balboa dancers. It is a mini big band with a rhythm section and a brass section. The pieces are arranged by the band members for everyone’s enjoyment. The professional musicians who make it up play in different projects on the side and came together to form this Lille band. It can also suit concerts and festivals on the theme of swing jazz and dance.
History of jazz
Jazz is a musical genre or style that originated in the Southern United States, appearing in the late 19th and early 20th century within African-American communities. In this musical genre we find many different styles: ragtime, marches, Negro spirituals and blues. Jazz most of the time includes the use of improvisation. Jazz band musicians express themselves on the pieces without knowing in advance what they will play. Improvisation is generally not written in advance. We find the use of polyrhythm, syncopation, shuffle, scat (vocal improvisation) and blue notes.
Instruments
The instruments used are varied. Originally you could find a clarinet, a trombone, a trumpet, a saxophone, a banjo and a piano. Nowadays, with the different jazz styles that exist, in jazz bands you can see a double bass, a bass guitar, drums, a transverse flute, percussion and many others.
It was during the 20th century that jazz gained wide recognition around the world. From that time on, different styles emerged, due to the influences and diverse cultures of each.
Origins
We can consider that the beginnings of jazz came from New Orleans around 1910 and more precisely from Saint Louis. That is where the blues and ragtime arrived. A powerful street music with often the presence of brass accompanied by banjo or guitar. The most influential musicians are Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller or Sidney Bechet.
In 1930 swing appeared, a style inspired by the blues and improvisation. Gypsy jazz was invented, a genre created in France by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli under the influence of big bands and bal musette. A popular music designed for swing dancing, Lindy Hop or Balboa. JLB Prod offers bands in this style with the possibility of having an introductory lesson before the concert.
Evolution
Then jazz became more complex with the arrival of bebop. Tempos are faster, with richer and more complex harmonies. Influential musicians in this style include: Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell…
Cool jazz then arrived in the 1940s. With Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Bill Evans… The term is hard to define because a lot of music has been defined as cool jazz. In any case, the musicians wanted to move away from the virtuosity of bebop by seeking calm and delicate sounds with long, linear and sometimes floating melodies.
In 1950 came the arrival of free jazz. It frees itself from harmonic constraints, and emphasizes a style of free improvisation, favoring the energy produced by the musicians such as : Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Charles Mingus…
Hard bop appeared in the mid-1950s. It draws its influences from the blues and gospel and insists on saxophone and piano playing, with a large place for rhythm. It is a bit of a return to the roots with jazz groups such as the Jazz Messengers, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins…
A few years later, modal jazz appeared, with the invention of all the modes that derive from a major, harmonic, and melodic minor scale. This creates new sounds and atmospheres. Influential jazz musicians include Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner…
From 1960 to 1970 came the arrival of jazz fusion, jazz with rock. Saturated sounds but with improvisation, using electronic instruments.
All these jazz styles led to other jazz genres: Latin jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, West Coast jazz, ska-jazz, avant-garde jazz, indo-jazz, soul jazz, chamber jazz, jazz-funk, loft jazz, jazz punk, acid jazz, jazz rap and many others.
