Hire Almaz | Acoustic duo in Runcorn

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From£400

1 hour

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Almaz Duo cover Sonny Bono's Bang Bang (My baby Shot Me Down) #bangbang #almaz #acousticduo

Almaz Duo Perform Jimmy Foster's Don't Advertise Your Man.

Almaz Duo Perform Sarah McLahlan's Angel #angel #inthearmsofanangelcover #almazduo #livingroomlive

About Almaz

Stunning guitar with vocals to match

3 of 14 photos

Acoustic duo

Runcorn

Public liability insurance of £1 million

Verified profile

Almaz duo are husband and wife team Neil & Joanne Barnett. Formed in 2017 Almaz spent a year on the road - busking from town to villages and cities throughout the UK to form a database of regular work. They can be seen throughout the UK at various jazz and blues festivals, often supporting headline acts (in April 2022 the duo supported legendary act Tony Christie) after being discovered busking on the streets of the festival prior to the pandemic. Almaz play a host of tunes from the turn of the century to modern day, think juke joint jazz and jug band blues. Joanne has been likened to Ella Fitzgerald mixed with Etta James. A voice said to turn heads in the loudest of rooms. Neil's dynamic T Bone Walker influenced guitar playing matches Joanne's haunting vocals perfectly. The duo are tasteful, professional and can adapt their performance to whatever setting the venue or mood represents. The song writing duo continue to busk throughout the country while they work on their forthcoming album 'Shut the door behind you as you leave.' Check out their many videos and get in touch with your requirements. This versatile duo are sure to impress at any event.

Almaz

5 out of 5

8 verified reviews

Almaz's Reviews

5 out of 5

On behalf of the comittee we’d like to extend our appreciation for entertaining our community last month. Absolute stunning vocals and guitar. The set list you performed was a real surprise and so well received. You two will go far I’m sure. Good luck on your journey, be safe and come back soon!

5 out of 5

Just to extend our thanks for making Carole’s evening an experience many will not forget. Joanne’s vocals and Barny’s guitar are a match made in heaven, we all said it! The added touch of learning Carole’s favourite Ella Fitzgerald songs brought an extra special surprise for her and we really appreciate you doing that for us. Good luck with your tour, you certainly had us all wishing we were a few decades younger. Kind regards David Einig

Read all 9 reviews

Encore badges

6th Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 6 years

Almaz's Song list

I love Paris. Cole Porter. (1953).

Misty. Errol Garner. (1954)

Ain’t Got Nuthin But the Blues. Duke Ellington. (1937).

Trouble in Mind. Richard M Jones. (1924).

Comes Love. Charles Tobias & Sam H Stept. (1939).

Lucky Devil. Mischeya Lake. (2010).

Almaz. Randy Crawford, (1986).

Paris. Caro Emerald. (2010).

Evergreen. Barbara Streisand. (1976).

St James Infirmary. Irving Mills. (1928).

The Nearness of you. Hoagy Carmicheal. (1940).

All of Me. Gerald. Marks & Seymour Simons. (1931).

Moon River. Henry Mancini & Johnny Mercer. (1961).

I don’t want to set the world on Fire. Bennie Benjamin, Eddie Durham, Sol Marcus & Eddie Seiler. (1938).

7 Nation Army. Jack White. (2003).

Sweet Dreams. The Eurythmics. (1983).

Until the real thing comes Along. Mann Holiner, Alberta Nichols, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin and L.E. Freeman. (1936)

Dream a little Dream. Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt & Gus Khan. (1931).

Sweet Loving Ole Soul. Maria Muldaur. (2002).

That Ole Devil called Love. Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher. (1944).

Love is a Losing Game. Amy Winehouse. (2006)

Back to Black. Amy Winehouse. (2006).

You Know I'm No good. Amy Winehouse. (2006).

When did you leave Heaven. Richard Armstrong Whiting. (1936).

Bring it on home to me. Sam Cooke. (1962).

What a little Moonlight can Do. Harry M Woods. (1934).

When I get Low I get High. Marion Sunshine. (1930).

No longer loving you. Barnett & Barnett. (2018).

House of the rising sun. Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster. (1933).

If I can’t Sell it. Andy Razaf and Alex Hill. (1936).

Minnie the Moocher. Cab Calloway. (1931).

Rather go Blind. Ellington Jordan, Billy Foster & Etta James. (1967).

At Last. Mack Gordon &Harry Warren. (1941).

Shut the door behind you when you Leave. Barnett & Barnett (2017).

Summertime. George Gershwin. (1935).

God Bless the Child. Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. (1939).

Your heart is as Black as night. Melody Gardot. (2009).

Black Tears. Imelda May. (2017).

Crazy. Willie Nelson. (1962).

I Fall to Pieces. Hank Cochran & Harlan Howard. (1961).

Blue Moon. Lorenz Hart. (1934).

Fly Me to the Moon. Bart Howard. (1954).

St Louis Gal. Original Memphis Five. (1931).

St Louis Blues. William Christopher Handy. (1914).

Tennessee Whiskey. Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove. (1981).

My Funny Valentine. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. (1937).

Miss Otis Regrets. Cole Porter. (1934).

No Shame. Barnett & Barnett. (2018).

Rainy Days & Lonely Nights. Joanne Barnett. (2009).

Georgia on My Mind. Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell. (1930).

Wade in the Water. The Sunset Four Jubilee Singers. (1925).

Stray Cat Strutt. The Stray Cats. (1981).

Fields of Gold. Sting. (1992).

Aint Misbehaving. Andy Razaf, Thomas "Fats" Waller & Harry Brooks. (1929).

Lady Be Good. George and Ira Gershwin. (1924).

These Foolish Things. Jack Strachey & Eric Maschwitz. (1935).

Stormy Weather. Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. (1933).

Gloomy Sunday. Rezső Seress. (1933).

Aint Nobody's Business. Porter Grainger & Everett Robbins. (1922).

Am I Blue. Harry Akst & Grant Clarke. (1929).

Blue Skies. Irving Berlin. (1926).

Basin Street Blues. Spencer Williams. (1928).

Lullaby of Birdland. George Shearing & George David Weiss. (1952).

Nature Boy. Eden Ahbez. (1947).

Smile. Charles Chaplin, John Turner & Geoffrey Parsons. (1936).

Careless Love. W. C. Handy. (1921).

Cry Me a River. Arthur Hamilton. (1953).

Embraceable You. George & Ira Gershwin. (1930).

Every time we say Goodbye. Cole Porter. (1944).

Good Morning Heartache. Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake, & Dan Fisher. (1946)

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas

I Cried for you. Gus Arnheim, Abe Lyman & Arthur Freed. (1923)

I wish I could Shimmy like my Sister Kate. Armand J. Piron. (1922)

I get along without you very Well. Hoagy Carmichael & Jane Brown Thompson. (1939).

I'm beginning to see the Light. Duke Ellington, Don George, Johnny Hodges, & Harry James. (1944)

I get a kick out of you. Cole Porter. (1934).

I've got you under my skin. Cole Porter. (1936).

The Lady is a Tramp. Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart. (1934).

Lady be Good. George & Ira Gershwin. (1924).

Let's call the whole thing off. George & Ira Gershwin. (1937).

Let's fall in Love. Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler. (1933).

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out. Jimmy Cox. (1923).

Nobody But You. Gladys Night. (1976).

Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg. (1939).

It's Only a Paper Moon. Harold Arlen, E. Y. Harburg & Billy Rose. (1933).

Pennies from Heaven. Arthur Johnston & Johnny Burke. (1936).

Petite Fleur. Sidney Beche. (1952).

People will say we're in Love. Rodgers & Hammerstein (1943)

Send in the Clowns. Stephen Sondheim. (1973).

Solitude. Duke Ellington. (1934).

Stormy Monday. T Bone Walker. (1947).

These Foolish Things. ‎Jack Strachey, Boosey & Hawkes. (1935).

Time after Time. Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne. (1946).

There will never be another you. Harry Warren & Mack Gordon. (1942).

Christmas Songs

Santa Claus is coming to town

Jingle Bells

Let it Snow

Have yourself a Marry Little Christmas

The First Noel

The Christmas Song

Here Comes Santa Claus

Frosty The Snowman

Baby it's cold Outside

Zat you Santa Claus

White Christmas

It's the most wonderful time of the year

I've got my love to keep me warm

Christmas time is Here

I'll be home for Christmas

Silver Bells

Blue Christmas

Mistletoe and Holly

Silent Night

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer

White Christmas

Winter Wonderland

Joy to the world

Santa Claus got stuck in my chimney

O Holy Night

Oh Come all Ye Faithful

Do you hear what I hear

The Christmas Waltz

The 12 Days of Christmas

The Little Drummer Boy

Santa Baby

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Rocking around the Christmas Tree

Sleigh Ride

Christmas, please come home baby

A holly jolly Christmas

Christmas time is here again

Feliz Navidad

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus

This Christmas

Last Christmas

Wonderful Christmas Time

Deck The Halls

Fairy Tale of New York

All I want for Christmas is You

O Come, All Ye Faithful

We Need a Little Christmas

One More Sleep

Underneath the Tree

Santa Tell Me

Someday at Christmas

You Make It Feel Like Christmas

What Christmas Means to Me

Christmas Where We Are

Coming home for Christmas

Almaz's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Performance duration	Price
Up to 1 hour	£400
Up to 2 hours	£500
Up to 3 hours	£750

Funeral / Life Celebration2 musicians

We can help make the music more personal for this event and can learn up to 3 new songs (4 days notice). Please get in touch to discuss how we can help.

£250

Private Event2 musicians

2 x 45 minutes performance at your private event

£600

Drinks Reception2 musicians

Two performances of up to 45 mins each during your drinks reception. We can cater the set list to male your music ore personal, please get in touch to discuss.

£600

Wedding ceremony + Drinks reception + Dinner2 musicians

- Music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave. - 2 x 45 min performances at the drinks reception. - 2 x 45 min performances as dinner is being served.

£1250

Customer questions

Do you have different line-up options?

Yes. We regularly perform with some outstanding musicians, including Sax, Clarinet, Harmonica, Bass/Double Bass, Violin. Please contact us with your enquiry.

What if my timings change after I've booked you?

Just let us know. We will always be as flexible as possible.

Can you provide an iPod/DJ service before and between your sets?

Yes of course, we'll even work out a specific playlist unless you want to do this yourself. We can set our equipment up and play music through our system before and during the interval of our performance. If you'd like us to stay until the venue closes or your event finishes we provide this for an additional £100

How much time do you need to set up?

We like to be set up at least an hour before the event and if possible before your event starts so we're not interfering in the comfort of your guests when unloading into the event space.

Can you roam around while you perform?

If we're are booked for an acoustic only event, yes this is possible.

Can I pick the songs you play from the set list?

We're happy to work with you to create the perfect set list for you. Our company motto is Music For The Moment.

Is all of the equipment (e.g. PA & lighting) included in your quote?

Yes.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

With notice, we're happy to cover any song of your choice. If there are multiple songs you'd like us to learn there is a fee of £50 per song but we'll also happily provide you with a digital copy or a cd if you'd like this.

What do your clients love most about your performances?

The space and dynamic sound we create as well as the wonderful songs we cover.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

The Brindley Theatre Runcorn. Birmingham & Sollihul Jazz & Blues Festival 2010-2019 Nantwhich Jazz & Blues Festival (Spotted busking in the streets and immediately offered a spot on the introducing stage in 2018. Booked to play this year (2019) Newcastle Jazz & Blues Festival Aint Nothing But The Blues Bar London

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

For Barny it has to be T-Bone Walker and Joanne Ella Fitzgerald, but we're both late comers to Jazz so our style is heavily influenced with blues & Soul.

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

Joanne-Bafta Ceremony in 2009 for Access to Music Awards with L.I.P.A. Barny- Main stage at many Blues Festivals.

Musicianship

Genres:

1930s era music, 1920s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, Jazz, Blues, Modern jazz, Swing, Easy listening, Light music, Originals, Acoustic, Christmas, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Avant garde, Pop, Covers, Vintage, 1990s era music, Cabaret, Dixieland

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Types:

Acoustic duo, Jazz duo, Acoustic band, Blues band, Festival band, Jazz trio, Acoustic trio, Original artist

See all types

Event types:

Hotel / Restaurant event, Private event, Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service, Bar / Club / Venue event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Virtual event, New Year's Eve

See all event types