Hire James Curgenven - Saxophone | Saxophonist in Huddersfield

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From£187.50

1 hour

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James Curgenven Music - We Found Love

Jubel

Kingston Town

About James

Hit saxophonist across the north! James will play all the biggest hits from across the decades! Perfect for background music or for a show!

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Saxophonist

Huddersfield

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Solo saxophone is in fashion - so why not get the saxophonist who cares the most! James puts the utmost thought and care into creating, practicing and performing the music that you choose for your event. James has a masters degree in music and entered the gigging scene before he finished his studies. He has now performed across the country and abroad appearing at renowned festivals such as Cork Jazz Festival and venues such as Pizza Express Jazz Club, London. Working with bands such as New York Brass Band, Special Bru and Purple Cosmos James has a wealth of experience across a long list of different styles. From ska, to jazz, to pop, to rock, to hip-hop, James can cover it all! James brings energy, flair and passion to every gig that he does making sure that he can help create the vibe and atmosphere that you are after.

James

5 out of 5

4 verified reviews

Satisfaction

5.0

Professionalism

5.0

Communication

5.0

Punctuality

5.0

James' Reviews

5 out of 5

he was absolutely amazing, couldn’t recommend more, he made the night

5 out of 5

Thank you ..you where amazing at my sons 21st party -highly recommend

5 out of 5

James Was absolutely fantastic! I couldn't recommend him enough. He was brilliant and such a lovely gentleman. We will definitely be having James back at our venue for our next event! Thanks again James!

Reply from James

5 months ago

Thanks Shay! Congrats on hosting an absolutely incredible event! Can't wait to come back!!

5 out of 5

I had heard James play with his trio, Equilibrium, at the Huddersfield Winter Festival in December 2022, and being impressed with their style and genre of music it was an easy decision to invite them to play at my ‘Big’ (60th!) birthday celebrations last summer. James is very approachable and was happy to discuss the selection of music prior to the event. A varied programme was presented very professionally, and the audience was highly impressed by the standard and quality of playing. Not only is James an excellent saxophonist and clarinettist, he is also a talented arranger, and incorporated his own arrangements into the set. The boys arrived punctually to set up and sound check with ample time before the gig (there was another group on before Equilibrium). The feedback from all who attended was very positive, and I know that he is in demand locally. I would not hesitate to recommend James to anyone looking for this style of music for any function.

James created just the atmosphere for my party! He is a versatile performer and catered to all of the weird and wacky requests I had! Would definitely recommend booking him.

Encore badges

5 gigs

Experienced: 5 bookings through Encore

Saved the day!

Booked for an Encore gig with less than 24 hours’ notice

Member of the Encore community forum

James' Song list

|| Jazz Standards and American Songbook Tunes ||

L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole

My Way - Frank Sinatra

Fly Me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra

New York, New York - Frank Sinatra

That's Life - Frank Sinatra

|| Soul and Motown ||

I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor

Stand By Me - Ben E. King

September - Earth, Wind and Fire

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

My Girl - The Temptations

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher - Jackie Wilson

All Night Long (All Night) Lionel Ritchie

You to Me Are Everything - The Real Thing

Young Hearts Run Free - Candi Staton

Mustang Sally - The Commitments

Red Light Spells Danger - Billy Ocean

For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder

(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

Isn't She Lovely - Stevie Wonder

|| Pop and Rock Hits ||

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) - Eurhythmics

Valerie - Amy Winehouse

Mr Brightside - The Killers

Don't Stop Believing - Journey

Dancing Queen - ABBA

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley

Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi

I Wanna Dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston

Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

Man I Feel Like a Woman - Shania Twain

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

Take on Me - A-ha

Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis

Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader

Somebody to Love - Queen

Green Green Grass - George Ezra

Forget You - Cee Lo Green

Y.M.C.A. - Village People

How Will I Know - Whitney Houston

Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne

Shape of You - Ed Sheeran

|| 50s/60s Pop and Rock ||

Oh, Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison

Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

Twist and Shout - The Beatles

Will You Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles

Hey Jude - The Beatles

Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

|| Classic Love Songs ||

Love Story - Taylor Swift

A Thousand Years - Christina Perri

Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

All of Me - John Legend

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

|| Films, TV and Musicals ||

Shallow - Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Dance the Night - Dua Lipa

A Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman

I'll Be There For You - The Rembrants

You've Got a Friend in Me - Randy Newman

|| Country ||

What's Up (What's Going on) - Lainey Wilson

Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver

Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry

9 to 5 - Dolly Parton

Take it Easy - Eagles

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash

|| Reggae and Ska ||

Three Little Birds - Bob Marley

It Must Be Love - Madness

Red, Red Wine - UB40

One Step Beyond - Madness

Kingston Town - UB40

|| Other ||

James' Prices

Last updated: 2024

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

Performance duration	Price
Short performance (up to 15 min)	£75
Up to 1 hour	£187.50
Up to 2 hours	£300
Up to 3 hours	£450

Customer questions

What do your clients love most about your performances?

Clients love my sound on sax. It can be bright for the party vibes or mellow to fit into the background. They also love the fact I can span lots and lots of genres of music.

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

The Royal Albert Hall, all across Cork for Cork Jazz Festival, Pizza Express Jazz Club London and many many more!

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

I will always be as flexible as possible, as long as you keep me in the loop I will try and fit around you and make sure your event is the best it can possibly be!

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

Yes! I provide a DJ service free of charge between sets and for a small charge I can provide the service before or after I play.

How much time do you need to set up?

I usually need between 45 minutes and an hour. I can provide the playlist service as soon as the PA is set up.

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

Yes! You can pick any songs you like from the song list on the site. You can also pay a small fee for me to learn and perform three songs that aren’t on the list. I will always offer a phone call so that we can get the set list just right.

Do you bring all the equipment you need to perform?

Yes!

Can you learn song requests before the event?

Yes absolutely. There is a small fee for specific requests, this is to cover practise time to learn the song.

Musicianship

Genres:

Jazz, Christmas, Film / TV music, 1920s era music, 1930s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, 1960s era music, 1970s era music, 1980s era music, 1990s era music, Country, Blues, Cabaret, Dixieland, Gypsy jazz, Jazz fusion, Latin jazz, Modern jazz, Postmodern jukebox jazz, Ragtime, Swing, Gospel, Easy listening, Light music, Originals, Pop, Acoustic, Ambient pop, Covers, Disco, Funk, Funk rock, Hip Hop, Karaoke, Motown, R&B, Soul, Top 40, Tribute, Vintage, Rock, Alternative rock, Britpop, Classic rock, Glam rock, Hard rock, Indie, Pop rock, Rock 'n' Roll

See all genres

Instruments:

Saxophone, Alto saxophone, Tenor saxophone, Clarinet

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Event types:

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

See all event types

Other skills:

Arranger, Audio engineer, Composer, Orchestrator, Producer, Songwriter, Transcription, Fluent improviser, Fluent sight-reader, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Composition teaching, Community music worker, Musicologist

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