How to easily find a great jazz band for your event
Contact the bandleader (Chuck Braman) directly at 212-989-5281, tell me what you need, and I'll make it happen. Or browse this page, choose the band you like most, let me know by filling out the “hire your band” form (click the button above right), and I'll get back to you the same day with a helpful, unbiased consultation.
About Us
My name is Chuck Braman, and I’m a jazz drummer-bandleader who’s been active in New York City for over thirty years. During that time, I’ve discovered the musicians I love making music with and organized them into ensembles based on ideal combinations of instrumentation, personnel, style and repertoire. Over the years, we’ve played in every setting imaginable, from jazz clubs to concerts, restaurants, corporate events and weddings. I love what I do and pride myself on being able to provide truly great jazz bands for all of these musical contexts.
Find the “10 best jazz bands in New York” in a directory that includes jugglers and balloon twisters? I don’t think so!
While you won’t find the elite jazz musicians of New York City advertising themselves in the Internet directories like The Bash, Gigmasters, Gigsalad, Thumbtack, et al., you will find them in my bands. Each of my sidemen regularly performs in New York City’s top jazz clubs, like The Blue Note, Birdland, and Jazz At Lincoln Center, as leaders and as sidemen. When you hire my bands, you will be hiring these world-class artists to perform for your guests.
Advice from an authority on New York jazz
Trying to find a jazz band online is daunting. As the editor of the country’s top-selling jazz history textbook and a New York City jazz bandleader with three decades of experience, I can give you expert advice based on my extensive knowledge of the New York jazz scene and all of the alternatives online and even recommend another band if it is a better fit.
Deal directly with the bandleader
You can call a booking agency and speak to a salesperson. You can fill out a form in a directory like The Bash and begin a bidding war among semi-professionals. Or you can choose us and deal directly with me, the bandleader, and I will answer all your questions directly and honestly.
Professional and reliable service
My professional attitude emphasizes courteousness, promptness, and reliability. Upon choosing us to play for your party, I will coordinate repertoire, schedule, and set up with you to ensure everything flows smoothly. On the day of your event, my band will setup early, dress appropriately, and adjust our volume levels to suit the needs of your guests.
Take the next step
Your choice of music and musicians sets the tone for your entire party. My world-class jazz combined with my attention to detail will help make your party an occasion you and your guests will never forget. Contact me directly at 212-989-5281 or fill out the “hire your band” form (click the button above right), and I’ll get back to you with a helpful consultation.
A few of our previous parties
Seven years of performances by the Guitar Trio for EXL
It was great to see EXL’s Marketing Manager Allison Thompson (first photo) again when we had the pleasure of performing for the seventh year at their annual client dinner; it's also nice to see the continued success of EXL as it grows year after year. The creative photo was taken by Mark Liflander of Liflander Photography LLC. From Allison’s Linked-In endorsement: “Always a pleasure to have Chuck Braman and team in the house! I could listen to their smooth jazz all night! How great to be back in person and to have this long standing relationship with such great musicians!”
The Vocal Quintet at the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel
The Vocal Quintet performing in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel at the Annual Awards Gala for the International Association of Top Professionals. President Stephanie Cirami is one of the nicest persons we've ever worked for, and she generously took the time to write this review of us the following day: “This band, hands-down, is phenomenal. I hired them for my annual awards gala at the Plaza hotel because I needed a classy ensemble to complement the prestige of the Plaza! My guests loved them and they made the evening beautiful, elegant and memorable! So easy to work with and will definitely use them for future events.”
The Versatility of the Piano Trio
One wonderful aspect of the piano trio is how many settings the music can fit appropriately. The same music we might perform in a nightclub or concert setting can also be appropriate in the settings of a birthday celebration in a private home (photo 1) or at a Bar-Mitzvah luncheon at a country club (the impromptu portrait photos 2–4 taken on the bandstand between tunes and generously shared by Mark Leslie Photography). From the client: “Chuck and his trio were fantastic! Really, I could not have been more pleased. I had high hopes and expectations and they exceeded them. Many people commented to me about the quality of their performance.”
The Quintet at City Winery
My quintet and I had a really fun time performing at The Community Preservation Corporation's 45th-year celebration event at the City Winery. Athena Johnson, the Communications Coordinator, was a real pleasure to work with and couldn't have treated us any more nicely. Photos 2, 3 and 4 courtesy of Ronald Glassman Photography. From the client: “Everyone loved the band! Great, Great job!”
Our Third Year at the eFront Client Forum
The Guitar Trio recently enjoyed performing again for the third year in a row for the eFront Client Forum. The four photos include two professional photos generously shared by photographer Gage Zanghi. From the client: “Working with Chuck and his band is always a wonderful experience. They are professional, punctual, polite and it is a pleasure to work with them, and above all, they are incredible musicians. Attendees at our event always comment on how good the band was. We are so satisfied with our collaboration that we have hired them for the fourth year in a row for our Annual Client Forum. I would highly recommend using them for any special event you have coming up.”
Four years performing at the LEDucation Trade Show
It was our pleasure to be invited back for the fourth time to the New Hilton Midtown to perform for the LEDucation Trade Show this year. As before, the Trumpet-Saxophone Quintet first performed an instrumental set of jazz compositions and then were joined by our vocalist for a second set of Great American Songbook standards. The first 3 photos are from this year, the last photo from last year. They were very generously shared with us by photographer Edward Tsang.
The Vocal Quintet back at Rosie O’Grady’s
It was great being asked back again to perform for FEXCO Merchant Services event at Rosie O‘Grady’s. The first two photos are from 2018, the last two from our previous performance in 2017, courtesy of Mind State Media LLC.
Three years performing for Ruckus Marketing’s holiday party
For the past three years, we’ve had the pleasure of performing for Ruckus Marketing's annual holiday party. What made the past two year’s events especially fun was our client’s idea of combining the Trumpet-Saxophone Quintet with the Vocal Quartet, doubling our repertoire and creating two bands in one. (Photos 1-2 taken 2017, courtesy of Maxwell Mason Photography; photos 3-4 taken 2016 courtesy of Matt Statler Photography).
Four Years of holiday parties for Omni Eye Services
Every year we've come to look forward to performing for Omi Eye Services‘ Annual Holiday party, and this year's event at The Newark Museum was no exception. Of these four photos, the first two were taken by our vocalist during an instrumental number, the second two by myself from near the drums following an informal sound check. From our client this year: “Truly wonderful!”
The Guitar Trio at United Nations Plaza
The Guitar Trio performing for an international event sponsored by the Edsol Group, before and after the arrival of the guests: first, in the lobby (minus drums; and it actually got quite a bit more crowded moments after I snapped this photo!), and next in the dining room.
Performing Again for the Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN
It was recently our pleasure to be invited back Mission of Kazakhstan to the UN to perform for cocktail party celebrating Kazakhstan’s membership in the United Nations Security Council.
The Vibraphone Quartet back at the Edison Ballroom
Back at the Edison Ballroom for our 2nd year performing for Motorola’s yearly event.
The Quintet at Chelsea Piers, Pier 60
A really fun gig with the Quintet performing at Pier 60 for Whiskey Live. Very well received, not to mention the nice invitation and opportunity to join in the festivities after the conclusion of our performance!
The Vocal Trio at the Rainbow Room
Here are some photos taken from an event we played at the Rainbow Room for Maureen Data Systems. The ones featuring the band performing are courtesy of the photographer for the event, Andrew Warne. The client was himself an accomplished pianist, and so was a pleasure to work with, and the Rainbow Room fit us like a glove; just the right size for the sound of our trio to fill the room, excellent acoustics, and a perfect match in style. From the client: “The music was so apropos for the immensely elegant atmosphere of the Rainbow Room space… I would gladly and gratefully recommend you anytime, for any sort of event.”
The Piano Trio at the Appel Room, Lincoln Center
This was a corporate event with a very sophisticated international clientele, the evening headlined by the Broadway Tenors. From the client: “The trio delivered a true NY jazz evening and the global audience could not have enjoyed it more.”
Olympus Launch at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
The Guitar Trio enjoyed performing on the deck of the Intrepid Museum for the Olympus Imaging America, Inc. launch of their FZ-1 model camera. From the client: “You guys did a great job. The sound was excellent from the get-go and you really helped establish the mood. In fact, we were saying later that it might have been nice to have you guys set up later in the night when our guests were back on the flight deck for the photo stations and the fireworks.” (That photo of the lift is of my drums being hoisted up to the ship, a nerve-wracking sight for me if ever there was one!)
The Vibraphone Quartet at Cipriani’s 42nd Street
The Vibraphone Quartet was invited back again to perform our third event in as many years for The Doe Fund at Cipriani's 42nd Street. The second photo shows the view of the cocktail hour as taken from the bandstand.
Providing Music for the “X-Men: First Class” Premiere
This was one of two Hollywood premiere parties we were asked to perform within a two month period. Just as we had been asked to perform 1930s-era songs for the premiere of “Water For Elephants” a month earlier, similarly, we were asked to perform 1960s-era Great American Songbook songs for the X-Men: First Class premiere, as the latter movie is set in the latter era. Simple enough; we prepared a song-list that was a mixture of 1960s-era standards. But once we arrived at the Zigfield Theater, we had to do some quick adaptations to fulfill some new requests of the client on-site: first, to wear dark sunglasses (which meant we couldn't read music), and second, to make the music go-go dancer-danceable (which meant that we had to abandon the Great American Songbook repertoire we had planned). However, once we got into the groove, so to speak, the clients, dancers, and celebrities all seemed very pleased with us. Kevin Bacon even gave us a smile and gesture of approval as he passed by. The unscripted boogaloo medley that we played lasted without a break for almost the entire two hours!
