Funeral Band: Hire a jazz band for a funeral

Funerals. Nobody likes to talk about them but sadly they are inevitable. It’s natural for people to want to avoid the subject of funerals. Making arrangements for funerals can be very stressful and traumatic.  Funerals will always be a time of great sadness for the family and friends of the deceased. A funeral band can turn a funeral into a moving and memorable occasion.  A jazz funeral is an opportunity to give a loved one a truly fitting send-off.

The Jazz Spivs and Silk Street Jazz are both available to hire as a jazz band for a funeral. Are you thinking of hiring a New Orleans funeral band or a band for a funeral procession?  Silk Street has considerable experience in performing at funerals. We ensure that all wishes are met.

Silk Street will work closely with family, friends and funeral directors to ensure that every last detail is covered. We will show compassion and sensitivity throughout. From the moment an initial enquiry is made to the end of the funeral itself, we will lend a sympathetic ear.

Here are a couple of our recent case studies:

Funeral band: The Jazz Spivs, Medway Crematorium, Chatham, Kent

The band led the funeral procession with ‘Birth of the Blues’ from the gates of the crematorium. This was in true processional style with a horse and cart. After the service, the band performed exit music as the guests reflected over flowers.

A lot of time was spent on the phone taking to Sue and Dinah (daughter and wife of the deceased) to ensure that everything was organised exactly as requested. The family wanted the funeral to be very much a celebration of life.

We received this feedback:

” Dear All, Thank you so much for your efforts today on behalf of my dad. Your trio were superb, The whole booking experience was swift & professional & the music was just right. 5* and well deserved too,”  Sue Moffat

Funeral Band: Silk Street Jazz, Christchurch, Wanstead, London

Again, this was very much a celebration of the life of the deceased rather than a traditional funeral. In true New Orleans processional style, the band met the cortege and led the procession down Wanstead High Street playing ‘When the Saints’.

For the church service, the jazz band even took the place of the organist! They performed 3 upbeat hymns: ‘Go Tell It On The Mountain’, ‘Amazing Grace’ and ‘Down By The Riverside’.

Again, prior to the day, much time was spent talking to the family. We made sure that all their wishes would be met completely. Afterwards, we received this feedback:

“Excellent pre-event organisation and advice. The band was superb. Loads of people came up to me after to say how good the band was and could I give them the contact details” Bob

Both The Jazz Spivs and Silk Street Jazz are available to perform the complete New Orleans funeral, or sections of it as required. Typically, this might begin with a march from the family home. This is followed with further performances at the church, cemetery and the wake. You can find out more about the traditions of the New Orleans Jazz Funeral here: New Orleans: The history of jazz funerals

Hire a jazz band for a funeral

Of course, we understand that a funeral will be very emotional for all concerned. You can be assured that we will be sensitive and sympathetic throughout the whole booking process. The music that is played needs to reflect the importance of the day and be fitting for the occasion. All in all, we will do our bit in hopefully making the day more manageable. If we can lift the spirits of all who attend then our job is done.

We cover the Greater London and North West regions, but are also available nationwide. Please do get in touch if you would like more information. You can contact us here: The Jazz Spivs. We can also cater for other funeral requests. For example, we have a trumpeter available for hire to play ‘The Last Post’ at the graveside.