Book Ma Bessie, Vintage jazz band in Reading

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From£800

1 hour

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Watch & Listen

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Ma Bessie & Her Pigfoot Band The Tuesday Night Music Club 10 03 2020

Ma Bessie and her Blues Troupe "Alexander's Ragtime Band"

About Ma Bessie

We take you back to the Jazz and Blues prohibition era with a twist. We've played over 400 events.

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Vintage jazz band

Reading

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Julia aka Ma Bessie performs Jazz and Blues, celebrating the music of Bessie Smith and her contemporaries. With sell-out performances across the Thames Valley and a growing reputation for her intimate audience-focused performances, Julia Titus can help to add some style, class and excitement to any event, club or festival. Her Blues repertoire includes classics such as ‘Careless Love’, ‘Hound Dog’, ‘Ain't Nobody’s Business’, ‘Do Your Duty’, ‘Summertime’, ‘Sugar in my bowl’ and many more. I have been singing since I was a toddler and knew I wanted to be a part of the profession when I was picked to perform alongside Mary Hopkin and Alan Love in Rock Nativity. I gained a BA hons in community theatre in 2006 and haven't looked back. I love performing and taking the audience on a personal journey. My highlights are varied and most recently playing the main stage at Bunkfest Festival with my granddaughter watching!!

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

Musicianship

Genres:

1930s era music, Traditional church music, Christmas, Contemporary Christian, 1920s era music, 1940s era music, 1950s era music, Folk, Blues, Jazz, Jazz fusion, Cabaret, Dixieland, Swing, Ragtime, Gospel, Originals, Easy listening, Acoustic, Vintage, Tribute, Caribbean music, Calypso, Reggae, Ska

See all genres

Types:

Vintage jazz band, Jazz band, Jazz duo, Jazz trio, Jazz fusion band, Original artist, Acoustic duo, Acoustic band, Blues band, Festival band, Vintage band

See all types

Event types:

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

See all event types

Song list

20s and 30s Blues and Jazz

T'ain't Nobody's Business

Downhearted blues

Baby Won’t You Please Come Home

I ain't got nobody

Careless Love

Send me to the 'lectric chair

After you've gone

There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight

Alexander's Ragtime Band

Backwater Blues

A good man is hard to find

Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out

I'm Wild about That Thing

Revival Day

Sugar in my bowl

Do your Duty

Gimme a pigfoot

St Louis Blues

Summertime

Trombone Cholly

Ain't Misbehaving

All of Me

Cheek to cheek

That old feeling

Mack the knife

My baby just cares for me

Don't fence me in

Pennies from heaven

They can't take that away from me

September in the rain

Queen Bee

God Bless the Child

What a difference a day makes

Miss Otis regrets

Its only a paper moon

It's a sin to tell a lie

I'm putting all the eggs in one basket

I'll be seeing you

Whip it to a jelly

Kitchen Man

Hound Dog

I'd rather go blind

I wish I knew how it would feel to be free

Gospel

Amazing Grace

Just a closer walk with thee

Lean on him

Down by the riverside

He touched me

Hear my Cry

Originals

I forgot to say I love you

3c's

Someone is knocking my door

Trust yourself

All About you

I've been araound loving

Smile

The door is closed

Reggae/Caribbean

Sweet Sensation

Hot Hot Hot

Last Date

Thinking out loud

Just an illusion

Dreaming of a Little island

Help me make it through the night

One Love

3 little birds

Redemption Song

In the ghetto/first cut

Just when I needed you most

Rivers of Babylon

One day at a time

Red red wine

Gypsy

stealing love

Hear my cry

Please don't make me cry

Leavig on a jet plane

Sad Movies

Dance the night away

Everything I own

Monday Morning Feeling

Customer questions

Do you have different line-up options?

Our line-up is as follows: Vocals, Guitar, Sax and Drums. We also have a 7 piece option that also includes Bass, Keys and Trumpet

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

We try to be as flexible. As long as it is within our booked time you can have us play within that time and we understand that sometimes things run over slightly and we are okay with that too.

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

Yes if requested beforehand.

How much time do you need to set up?

We can set up in about half an hour sometimes less depending on the group size.

Can you roam around while you perform?

Some of us can if needed

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

Yes you can but we can also advise on what we feel works best for the type of event you have.

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

We don't provide lighting as standard but PA is included.

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 £50 for this service to take into account rehearsal times etc.

Prices

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

Performance duration	Price
Up to 1 hour	£800
Up to 2 hours	£1000
Up to 3 hours	£1200

Drinks reception4 musicians

Two performances of up to 45 mins each during your drinks reception

£1000

Personalised Music Message

Book me to create a unique music video for you to send to a friend as a gift. This could be a birthday message, first dance song for a wedding anniversary, or just your friend's favourite song to cheer them up.

£15

Reviews

EXCELLENT !!!!! as it was my daughter birthday and she got to have a picture with the wonderful singer chatty and chilled who also sang Happy Birthday to her and another young lady in the audience TOTAL SUCESS WILL RECOMMEND!!

An amazing evening. The forever husband and I arranged the night to meet our son’s girlfriend for the first time. Couldn’t have picked better entertainment or venue. (Also discovered the no.1 sons’s girlfriend of over a year is a sweetheart and a keeper for sure) Wonderful night thank you Ma Bessie you have the soul of a jazz star with incredible musicians to support and enhance your act. Many thanks from Valerie Fisher