FAQS

HOW DO YOU SOUND?

Check out my videos. I aim for a beautiful, lyrical tone that expresses the original artist's sound. Every sax player sounds different, so if you like what you hear on my videos and audio, you will enjoy my live performance. I play with sheet music (on tablet or phone) which means I can play any request from my repertoire. In addtion I can make up music 'on the fly' to go along with a DJ. I currently play most songs on a smaller Alto sax, with some numbers on my larger, deeper Baritone sax (both pictured in my photos, and featured on my videos) plus some tunes on Tenor sax.

WHAT MUSIC DO YOU PLAY?

I play an eclectic and growing repertoire of >1900 songs, across Pop, Rock, Soul, Dance/Disco, Jazz, Blues, Old Time, Sweet , Gospel and Christmas. If a particular song, genre or artist is important to you, please check with me before booking and I'll be happy to confirm if/what songs by this artist are in my repertoire (setlist available for download to check). For an event I encourage clients to sift through my repertoire and pick out their favourites. I can also suggest a repertoire for you based on a brief description of the event and attendees.
If you are looking for example for Ibiza, Garage, House, Electronic, or Afrobeat music, my collections of these genres are limited to what I have learned from previous requests. If one of these is your taste, I am sure you will find other performers who specialise in this kind of music so will have a wider selection.

DO YOU DO REQUESTS?

During a gig I can play any song from my wide repertoire. I am happy to learn new songs for an upcoming gig, however due to the time taken to prepare the arrangement and learn the piece, I charge an additional fee for this service (one included free with a wedding booking). In order to ensure that I can provide an excellent performance, I will not perform more than four new songs per booking. If you already have a good idea as to what songs you want, please let me know and I can confirm which ones I can play, and/or the cost of preparing them so you can choose which four you need, standard fee is £5 per song. When playing with a DJ set I can also make up counter-melodies to the tune 'on-the-fly' too.

HOW DO YOU CALCULATE YOUR CHARGES?

My pricing is based on £13.50/hour of my time, this includes performance and also rehearsal, gig preparation and travel time and a small amount to cover my equipment - please contact me with event details for an exact firm quote. I reduce my prices for good causes.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO BOOK?

As you have found my website, a direct booking is the easiest way and avoids commission fees charged by most booking platforms which can add up to 25% on my own fees. However if you have commenced a booking discussion on a platform, due to my contractual obligations I will not suggest or allow transfer of that gig to a direct booking.

FAQs: FAQ

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BOOKING

- Noise. The saxophone has a beautiful, also loud and penetrating sound. The backing track is played at a suitable volume to match this. Please consider if my playing will cause issues with your chosen venue or location, or the time of night your event finishes.

- Music Licensing. Any venue correctly licensed to play music should be able to accept a sax with backing track, however some establishments don't allow recorded backing track music to be played. My repertoire generally won't work without backing track or DJ. Please check with any public or hired venue before booking for their restrictions.

- Power supply. I have equipment which can work 'off grid' but for a larger or longer gig, I will need access to mains power.

- Weather dependency. Sax in the garden is lovely in warm dry weather. I will always bring a pop-up gazebo for outdoor gigs to protect my equipment in case of inclement weather. In making a outdoor booking, please also consider where you and your guests will go in case of rain.

- Parking. Unless the gig is a small/medium indoor gathering with accessible public transport (so, London) and only on alto sax, I will arrive by car in order to carry the equipment required to perform, so need parking. Happy to discuss how I can make a gig work anywhere.