Hire Small Days | Jazz duo in Bristol

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From£400

1 hour

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All Of Me (1931) (Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks)

House of the Rising Sun

Summertime

About Small Days

Small Days are Natalie Davis (Vocals) and Dave Merrick (Guitar). they perform the jazz and blues of the 1920's and beyond.

3 of 10 photos

Jazz duo

Bristol

Public liability insurance of £10 million

Small Days are Natalie Davis (vocals), Dave Merrick (Guitar). Natalie and Dave have been working together for 2o years exploring their love of jazz and blues music from the nineteen twenties to the nineteen sixties and beyond. During that time they have been in great demand at music venues, private parties, restaurant and bars, art galleries, and special functions, throughout the South West of the UK and beyond. The musical influences of 'Small Days' range from the early jazz and blues of: Fats Waller, and Bessie Smith, through to the great female jazz vocalists such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Peggy Lee. . In addition they perform carefully researched multi media events featuring particular artists, with live music, film footage and spoken word. These events have played to sold out audiences in major venues in the Bristol, Bath and surrounding area. They love to play live and this site features them doing just that. They always play to appreciative audiences wherever they go and most of all they and their audiences have fun!

Small Days

5 out of 5

1 verified review

Small Days' Reviews

5 out of 5

Dear Dave and Natalie. Cash is necessary, but it is only a soul-less token. The forty pounds extra was a small expression of our (very sincere) appreciation of your talents, dedication and artistry. Our thanks and respect for your hugely enjoyable (and frequently very moving) performance. You and Natalie make SUCH a great team! What a delightful, natural and hugely talented artist she is - we just loved her polished and sensitive vocal work. Her Billy Holiday rendition quite literally gave me goose-bumps! Fab! Hope we can do it again sometime. All best wishes to you both. Julie and Keith.

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2nd Anniversary

This act has been working with Encore for over 2 years

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Small Days' Song list

This is just an example of a recent two set performance.:

Set 1

We want to get some songs played – but as always we like to offer some history of the songs and the foundational female artists who recorded them – if only because this music is so often piped at us in the background, in cafes, bars and restaurants, without any context. Like an ‘acoustic wall paper conspiracy’

We start with the ‘Classic Blues’, which came to prominence in 1920 at the very dawn of the recording industry. Essentially it grew out of jazz, which got started as we know it in New Orleans in the 1890’s. The classic blues virtually exclusively featured women performers, the most famous of whom was Bessie Smith –who sold literally millions of records in the 1920’s.

‘Careless Love’

Bessie recorded this in 1925. Really it’s a traditional folk song. It was was a fixture in the repertoire of Buddy Bolden (1877-1931) a foundational figure in jazz, (there is a statue of him in New Orleans). It has been widely recorded e.g., Dinah Washington and Shirley Bassey

I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl (1931)

Writer(s): J. Tim Brymn, Dally Small, Clarence Williams (Another big number of Bessie Smith’s though it has been recorded since by many famous blues and jazz singers, e.g., Nina Simone).

Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out (1923)

Another one from Bessie, written by George Brooks and recorded by Bessie in 1927. A perfect time to record it because it fitted into the time of the Wall Street Crash perfectly!

Send Me to the Electric Chair (1927) (Key C)

Our favourite feel good factor blues! You can dance to this one! It was made famous by Bessie The song is notable for being among the selections officially banned from being played on radio by the BBC

Fine and Mellow

Billie Holiday's very own 12 bar blues.

Hesitation or Hesitating Blues.

Another very old song. It has been recorded by many jazz and blues greats and in the sixties by Ralph MacTell and Janis Joplin. W. C. Handy, (considered as the “Father of the Blues) in his 1926 Blues Anthology stated the tune was from an old spiritual.

Glory of Love (1936) made famous by Peggy Lee (1920-2002)

Peggy Lee was Born Norma Dolores Egstrom in North Dakota. She had a miserable childhood. At age four her mother died. Peggy's alcoholic father, later left home, leaving Peggy's care entrusted to a stepmother who physically abused her. Our version is based on Bill Broonzey’s rag time playing style.

Nothing but the Blues (1937)

Duke Ellington (1899-1974) wrote this song. It was recorded by Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) in 1958 and again with Joe Pass in the 1970’s, and this is where we first heard the song

After You’ve Gone (1917) (Capo 2)

Recorded by Bessie in the twenties

Lover Man (1940)

Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be), was written by Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman. It is particularly associated with Billie Holiday, for whom it was written, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989

S’wonderful "'S Wonderful" is a 1927 popular song composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics written by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced in the Broadway musical Funny Face .

Ain't Misbehavin' (1929)

The music was written by the great Fats Waller (1904-1943), Andy Razaf wrote the lyrics Anita O'Day, Sarah Vaughan , Billie Holiday, Eartha Kitt, Ella Fitzgerald

Summertime (1935)

From Porgy and Bess Billie Holiday transformed it into a civil rights anthem with a blues tilt.

Why Don't You Do Right? (1936)

"Why Don't You Do Right?" (originally recorded as "Weed Smoker's Dream") is an American blues and jazz- song written by "Kansas Joe" McCoy and Herb Morand in 1936. It was first recorded by Lil Green in 1941 (with guitar played by Big Bill Broonzy – (1893-1958)). One of the best known versions of the song is Peggy Lee's, which was recorded in, 1942 in with Benny Goodman. It sold over 1 million copies and brought her to nationwide attention.

Sway (1953)

'Sway' is the English version of a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán Ruiz.

I’d Rather Go Blind (1967)

Etta James wrote in her autobiography Rage To Survive that she heard the song outlined by her friend Ellington "Fugi" Jordan when she visited him in prison. She then wrote the rest of the song with Jordan, but for tax reasons gave her songwriting credit to her partner at the time, Billy Foster, singer with doo-wop group The Medallions.

House of the Rising Sun

This traditional and anonymous song could the oldest song that we know, though it was made famous again in the late sixties – However Nina Simone recorded it in an album called Nina Sings the Blues in the early sixties, prior to it being made a top ten hit by a very famous rock band. It was first recorded by the folk music collector Alan Lomax in the USA in 1933. It was sung to him by a seventeen year old female factory worker.

Moon Dance

Van the Man

Paper Moon (Nat Cole)

NATALIE AND DAVE SETS (with song dates)

House of the Rising Sun (traditional – oldest song we know)

Nobody Knows You (1923)

Ain't Misbehavin' (1929)

Dream a Little Dream of Me (1931)

All of Me (1931)

Paper Moon (1933)

Summertime (1935)

Why Don't You Do Right? (1936)

Glory of Love (1936)

Nothing but the Blues (1937)

Funny Valentine (1937)

God Bless the Child (1939)

Lover Man (1940)

Beginning to See the Light (1944)

‘Round Midnight (1944) (Dave Guitar solo)

Autumn Leaves (1945)

Black Coffee (1948)

Satin Doll (1953)

Cry Me a River (1953)

Misty (1955) (Dave instrumental))

Fever (1956)

Sway (1953)

Small Day Tomorrow (1960)

Anji (1964) (Dave)

Moon-dance (1970)

Killing Me Softly (1972)

Albatross (Dave)

Piano Roll Blues (Dave instrumental)

Nuages (1938) (Dave instrumental)

Small Days' Prices

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

Duration	Price
Up to 1 hour	£400
Up to 2 hours	£800
Up to 3 hours	£1200

Customer questions

Do you have different line-up options?

We are essentially a Jazz vocal and guitar duo. We could add another guitarist or instrumentalists with good notice.

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

We are flexible within reason and always willing to discuss changes etc. Simply let us know.

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

Absolutely. This is a really popular request and we actually offer this service for free.

How much time do you need to set up?

We usually set up about 1 to 1.5 hours before the performance time. As soon as our PA is set up we can provide a free playlist service to help set the atmosphere and get your guests ready for our live performance.

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

Our set lists are crafted from the experience of our performances and learning what works best to ensure guests have a nice time. However, we're definitely happy to chat things through and make sure we find what works for your event.

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

PA but not lighting

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 within reason and with adequate notice.

Musicianship

Genres:

Jazz, Blues

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Types:

Jazz duo, Acoustic duo

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Event types:

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

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