Pianist

Christopher Lydon, jazz piano

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About Christopher

Jazz piano player based in Manchester. Performed all over the UK and Europe, playing jazz classics and fun takes on some unexpected tunes!
Pianist
Manchester
Public liability insurance of £10 million
Verified profile

I've been playing jazz for over twenty years now. Swing, latin, bossa, ballads, showtunes, and music from film/TV. I've performed all over the UK and Europe, and love sharing jazz with everyone out there.

Encore badges
Member of the Encore community forum
Lightning fast responses
Average response time under 2 hours
Saved the day!
Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice
8th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Jazz, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1990s era music, 1980s era music, 1970s era music, Folk, Bluegrass, Country, Ceillidh, Folk rock, Irish rock, Rockabilly, Traditional English folk, Traditional Irish folk, Traditional Scottish folk, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Barbershop, Gospel, Easy listening, Light music, Originals, Acoustic, Americana, Vintage, Rock, Alternative rock, Classic rock, Hard rock, Hardcore, Indie, Pop rock, Rock 'n' Roll, Christmas, Film / TV music, Musical theatre, Ceilidh, Welsh folk
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Instruments:
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Event types:
Private event, Wedding, Wedding proposal, Funeral / Memorial service, Hotel / Restaurant event, Bar / Club / Venue event, Corporate event, Charity event, Concert, Recording session, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Burns night, Birthday party, Christmas party, New Year's Eve, Virtual event
See all event types
Other skills:
Arranger, Audio engineer, Composer, Orchestrator, Producer, Sound technician, Transcription, Fluent improviser, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Community music worker, Animateur, Accompanist, MC
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Christopher's Song list

~~~ Jazz standards ~~~
A Beautiful Friendship
A Fine Romance
A Night In Tunisia
A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
Ain't Misbehavin'
Alice In Wonderland
All Blues
All Of Me
All The Things You Are
Almost Like Being In Love
Amazing Grace
Angel Eyes
Anthropology
Anything Goes
As Time Goes By
Autumn In New York
Autumn Leaves
Basin Street Blues
Beautiful Love
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
Beyond The Sea
Blue Bossa
Blue In Green
Blue Monk
Blue Moon
Blue Skies
Blues In The Closet
Body And Soul
Bonga Cha Cha Cha
Bring Me Sunshine
But Not For Me
Can't Help Falling In Love
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Chameleon
Cheek to Cheek
Cold Duck Time
Cute
Daahoud
Days Of Wine And Roses
Dear Old Stockholm
Desafinado
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
Doxy
Dream
Earth Angel
East St. Louis Toodle-oo
Embraceable You
Feels So Good
Flight Of The Foo Birds
Fly Me To The Moon
For All We Know
Freddie Freeloader
Georgia On My Mind
Give Me The Simple Life
God Bless The Child
Have You Met Miss Jones
Here's That Rainy Day
How High The Moon
I Can't Get Started
I Could Write A Book
I Get A Kick Out Of You
I Got Rhythm
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)
I'm Beginning To See The Light
I've Got The World On A String
I've Got You Under My Skin
Ikon (Memories Of Ike)
In A Mellow Tone
In A Sentimental Mood
In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Inchworm
Isn't It Romantic
It Don't Mean A Thing
It's Me, O Lord
Ja-Da
Joy Spring
Keep Young and Beautiful
La Bamba
Let's Face The Music And Dance
Li'l Darlin'
Libertango
Look For The Silver Lining
Look To The Sky
Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
Lucky Southern
Lullaby Of Birdland
Mack The Knife
Manhã de Carnaval
Memories Of Tomorrow
Midnight Train To Georgia
Misty
Moment's Notice
Mood Indigo
Moon River
Moonglow
Moonlight Becomes You
My Favourite Things
My Funny Valentine
Nardis
Night and Day
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Portrait Of My Love
Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers
Satin Doll
Serenade To A Cuckoo
Shadow Of Your Smile
Short Stop
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
So What
Solar
Someday My Prince Will Come
Someone To Watch Over Me
Song For My Father
Sophisticated Lady
St Thomas
Stardust
Stars Fell On Alabama
Stella By Starlight
Strangers In The Night
Sugar
Summer Set
Summertime
Take Five
Take The 'A' Train
That Old Black Magic
That's All
The Duke
The Girl From Ipanema
The Man I Love
The Nearness Of You
The Way You Look Tonight
There Will Never Be Another You
They All Laughed
They Can't Take That Away From Me
This Little Light of Mine
Time After Time
Try A Little Tenderness
Up Jumped Spring
Wanderlust
Watermelon Man
Wave
What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?
What's New?
When I Fall In Love
When The Saints
Why Shouldn't I?
Yardbird Suite
Yesterdays
You Are My Sunshine
You Are Too Beautiful
You Do Something To Me
Young At Heart
~~~ Popular music ~~~
How Deep Is Your Love?
Just The Way You Are
Lean On Me
Make You Feel My Love
Moondance
Music To Watch Girls By
Pack Up Your Troubles Tipperary
Thunder Road
Turn The World Around
Unchained Melody
We'll Meet Again
What A Wonderful World
Yesterday
Your Song
~~~ Musical numbers ~~~
One Hand, One Heart
Over The Rainbow
Some Enchanted Evening
Somewhere
~~~ TV and film music ~~~
A Whole New World
Arabian Nights
Back To The Future
Beauty and the Beast
Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Chim Chim Cher-ee
DuckTales Theme
Everybody Wants To Be A Cat
Family Guy Theme
Force Field
Fraggle Rock Theme
Friend Like Me
Go The Distance
Gummi Bears Theme
I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away
I Wanna Be Like You
In Summer
Inspector Gadget Theme
Love Is An Open Door
Meet the Flintstones
Monsters Inc
Part Of Your World
Pure Imagination
Red Dwarf Theme
Sesame Street Theme
Somewhere Out There
Super Mario World (Overworld)
The Bare Necessities
The Rainbow Connection
Under The Sea
When I See An Elephant Fly
When We're Human
Yogi Bear Song
You've Got A Friend In Me
~~~ Video game charts ~~~
Jump Up Super Star
Kirby Green Greens
The Legend of Zelda Theme
~~~ Christmas charts ~~~
All I Want For Christmas Is You
Auld Lang Syne
Away In A Manger
Driving Home For Christmas
Feliz Navidad
Frosty The Snowman
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
I'll Be Home For Christmas
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle Bells
Last Christmas
Let It Snow
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Rootin' Tootin' Santa Claus
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
Silent Night
Sleigh Ride
Somewhere In My Memory
The Christmas Song
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
White Christmas
Winter Wonderland
Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Very common in the feedback I get from clients is my professionalism, high musical standards and friendly nature at gigs. I love playing this music and want to share that with your guests are your event. I always turn up early to make sure we're set up in time to keep your event on track.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

I've performed all over the UK and Europe, at luxury hotels, city centre bars, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, theatre and concert hall foyers, and music venues, including several radio and TV performances, and at major concert halls such as The Royal Albert Hall and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Which artists have you been most influenced by?

My favourite jazz composers include: Keith Jarrett Duke Ellington Johnny Hodges Charlie Parker Miles Davis Billy Strayhorn Bart Howard Antonio Jobim Rodgers and Hart Jerome Kern Irving Berlin

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

Making sure the music on someone's wedding day is some of the highest pressured stuff you'll do as a musician, as you want it to be absolutely spot on for their special day. I've performed multiple times for Queen Elizabeth, and at prestigious world-class venues such as The Royal Albert Hall and The Roundhouse in London.

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

We always try our best to be flexible to help ensure your event runs as smoothly as possible. If timings change slightly in the run up to the event just let me know.

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

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and I actually offer this service for free. If you'd like a DJ service via my PA after the final set until the venue closes, I provide this for an additional £125.

How much time do you need to set up?

We usually set up about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time.

If I have a piano at my venue, are you happy to perform on that?

Yes, of course - as long as the piano is in working order and in tune, then I'm happy to play on it!

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

Our set lists are crafted from countless performances and learning what works best to ensure guests dance and have an amazing time. However, we're definitely happy to chat through and make sure we find what works for your event.

Are you able to bring your own piano or keyboard?

Yes, absolutely! I bring my own digital stage piano.

Can you learn song requests before the event?

If a song isn't included in our song list there may still be a chance we already know it. If there is a special song you'd like us to learn we are happy to do this for you. There is a fee of £30 for this service to take into account rehearsal times etc.

Christopher's Prices

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

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Short performance (up to 15 min)£185
Up to 1 hour£280
Up to 2 hours£365
Up to 3 hours£460
Packages
Wedding ceremony
This includes music before the service begins, music during the signing of the register, and music as guests leave.
£360
Drinks reception
Two performances of up to 45 mins each during your drinks reception
£385
Wedding ceremony + Drinks reception + Dinner
- 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.
£525

Add-ons

Background music through PA between sets
+£50
Learn a song for the set list
+£60
Christopher
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5 out of 5
11 verified reviews
Satisfaction
Full starFull starFull starFull starFull star
5.0
Professionalism
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5.0
Communication
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4.5
Punctuality
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5.0

Christopher's Reviews

From Encore customers:

LM
Lauren M
2 months ago
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5 out of 5

Christopher added a touch of elegance and class to our Christmas wedding. He was punctual and an excellently talented musician who played all of the songs we requested from his repertoire. Thank you so much for adding to our special day and we would have him back again anytime!

Reply from Christopher
2 months ago

Thanks so much for your kind words. A pleasure to be part of your special day!

HD
Helen D
1 year ago
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4.5 out of 5

We just wanted some background music for a 40th birthday party and Christopher did a 2 hour set. He arrived in plenty of time to set up, just got on with it without me having to worry about anything and gave a lovely performance without being too loud. He also learnt a song that my husband had requested.

CH
Chris H
1 year ago
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5 out of 5

Excellent! Look no further if you are searching for a talented, versatile, sympathetic musician to enhance your event.

Reply from Christopher
1 year ago

Thank you, Chris! It was great to play for you and Jean at your anniversary celebration. Thanks for your kind words.

SB
Sarah B
1 year ago
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5 out of 5

Christopher played at my Mum’s 80th birthday meal - fantastic selection of music that she thoroughly enjoyed. Made the evening for us.

From other customers:

SH
Stephen H
1 year ago, for a Birthday party in Mickleover
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5 out of 5

Amazing! Thanks so much for providing brilliant music for my birthday party. Loved the variety - lots of my favourite jazz classics (and thanks for taking on learning the new one just for this event!) along with plenty of others that my friends and family really enjoyed. Thanks making everything run so smoothly and making the night one to remember!

LW
Laura W
2 years ago, for a Charity event in Uttoxeter Rd
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5 out of 5

It's brilliant to have Chris on board, playing for patients, visitors and staff at Royal Derby Hospital as part of Air Arts music programme. A lovely variety of music - some classics, some that everyone knows and a few surprises in there too. Thanks so much for bringing music into the hospital when uplifting things are so needed, especially now!

Read all 7 reviews