Thomson Kneeland And Pizzicato Jazz

Consisting of some of the finest jazz musicians on the scene today, Pizzicato Jazz brings years of professional experience to your event with extensive careers spent performing with the likes of Chet Baker, Cab Callaway, Kenny Werner, Horace Silver, Jaki Byard, Michael Brecker, Bill Cosby and many others. We've set our roots deep into the history of the music we play, and we bring that experience into every setting we perform in.

We are excited to announce that the members of Pizzicato Jazz were selected by the US State Department for the 2011 Rhythm Road International Touring Program. Later this year, we will be taking our music for 4-6 weeks internationally through this program, and are excited about the opportunity!

In the past year, we've performed at private events for Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Satori Consulting, the Rainbow Room, Lincoln Center, Ciprianis, the Boston College Club and many other high profile parties and weddings. Our professional attitude emphasizes courteousness, looking great (suits or tuxedos), dynamic and flexible volumes to fit your event, and most importantly, incredible music by some of the world's finest jazz musicians.

With a repertoire of over 600 songs, Pizzicato Jazz plays the timeless music of instrumentalists Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane to vocalists Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Nat King Cole, not to mention Cole Porter, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and other Brazilian artists. We go the extra mile with your event, working with you to select the band configuration and the genre selection of music that suits the needs of your event, from traditional swing and standards to bossa nova, or even a few klezmer tunes for barmitzfahs.

Our group can range from a piano/bass duo to a sextet playing big band swing from the era. We'll help you select an instrumentation that will fit your event in volume, style and mood; our most popular instrumentations are the piano/guitar/acoustic bass trio; quartet with saxophone; and piano trio w/drums. But feel free to add trumpet or replace piano with guitar and suggest any configuration you like!

If you are looking to have us play your wedding or corporate event, I function as a music planner, working one on one with you beforehand to coordinate repertoire, schedule, ceremony music selections, setup, and everything else to make sure your event flows smoothly and has the specific aural ambience you are looking for. The event schedule and all other details will be laid out in advance with a written contract so the event can flow smoothly and professionally without you having to manage it; you can focus your energies on your guests without worry!

We do offer wedding ceremonies in conjunction with cocktail hour and reception, playing classical ceremony music (Bach, Pachelbel, etc) or even nonstandard repertoire; choose from classical guitar, piano, flute, trumpet, and doublebass and use the same musicians for both parts of your event.

Get in touch with us to see our full audio/video demo, available to interested clients only

• Take the A Train - Duke Ellington
• All Blues - Miles Davis
• Everything Happens to Me - Chet Baker
• What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
• Fly me to the Moon - Frank Sinatra
• The Girl from Ipanema - AC Jobim
• I've Got You Under my Skin - Sinatra/Cole Porter
• The Way you Look Tonight - Sinatra
• Pennies from Heaven - Sarah Vaughn
• O Grande Amor - Jobim
• Corcovado - Jobim
• Desafinado - Jobim
• Canteloupe Island - Herbie Hancock
• In a Sentimental Mood - Duke Ellington
• The Shadow of Your Smile - Johnny Mandel
• The Very Thought of You
• Over the Rainbow
• My Funny Valentine
• Bewitched - Frank Sinatra
• Witchcraft - Sinatra
• Stardust - Harry Connick, etc
• Misty
• Willow Weep for Me - Billie Holiday
• Round Midnight - Thelonious Monk
• The Touch Of Your Lips - Tony Bennett
• Only Trust Your Heart - Astrud Gilberto
• Sail Away - Tom Harrell
• If I Were a Bell - Miles Davis
• Chameleon - Herbie Hancock
• Autumn Leaves
• Body And Soul
• Bye Bye Blackbird - Miles Davis
• Dont Be That Way - Benny Goodman
• Blackbird - Beatles
• Superstition - Stevie Wonder
• Norwegian Wood - Beatles
• and more songs than you could imagine....

Anniversaries, Baby Showers, Banquets, Bar Mitzvahs, Birthday Parties, Christmas Parties, Clubs, Cocktail Parties, Community Events, Conventions, Corporate Functions, Country Clubs, Dinner Dances, Festivals, Fund Raisers, Funerals, Graduation Parties, Grand Openings, New Year's Eve Parties, Picnic, Private Parties, Proms, Restaurants, Reunions, School Assemblies, Studio Session, Weddings, Wedding Ceremonies, Wedding Cocktail Hours, Wedding Receptions...and more.

• Professional, prompt, and polished. A perfect addition to our corporate reception. Thanks Thomson & group! -- Mallory G, East Brunswick, NJ, 10/26/2011
• I can't say enough good things about Thomson Kneeland and Pizzicato Jazz. From my very first communication with Thomson he was professional and accommodating, but also warm and enthusiastic about playing at our wedding. Thomson went above and beyond to respond to all of my questions promptly and in great detail and to allay any concerns we had about the logistics of our ceremony and reception. He even offered to arrange a few of our favorite songs that were not in the band's repertoire. All of the band members are talented musicians and we were very happy with their performance. I would recommend Thomson Kneeland and Pizzcato Jazz without reservation. Thanks Thomson! -- Amanda E, Nyack, NY, 6/25/2011
• Thomson Kneeland and Pizzicato Jazz are not only tremendous performers; they were extremely accommodating and went well out of their way to create an amazing musical experience during both our ceremony and reception. It was a joy to work with Thomson in every step of planning the music for our wedding. He was by far the most professional, helpful, and understanding vendor we worked with. The music for our wedding was magical thanks to Thomson and Pizzicato Jazz. I loved every song they performed and our guests raved about the elegance and style of their music. -- Jaclyn R, Tarrytown, NY, 9/18/2010
• I can't speak highly enough about Thomson Kneeland and his bandmates Misha on Piano and Paul on guitar. They absolutely made my party and were a major hit. Thomson was very easy to deal with, very polished, promised the highest calibre musicians, and he delivered in spades. These three with Thomson on double bass were stupendous, versatile, tight, they had a good time and it came through. The performance was as good as I've seen. I am thrilled to recommend Thomson enthusiasitically. I will definitely ask him to play for me again. I can't speak highly enough of Thomson, and Misha and Paul. Great trio. Fantastic!! Thanks guys! Robert DiStefano -- Robert D, Brookfield, CT, 3/28/2009
• I can't begin to tell you how pleased we were with Thomson and the group. They were spectacular!! The music they provided was exactly what we were looking for. Our pastor, Monsignor Behl, was extremely pleased and believe me he is a perfectionist. The fact that the music was great, we could hear each other talk and the musicians were fabulous, is just unbelieveable. You can never seem to get everything you want in one group, but we did!! I would definitely recommend them to anyone who asked about them and we are looking forward to having them play for us again next year, maybe even before!!! Christine Doyle -- Christine D, Old Bridge, NJ, 5/30/2009
• Hire this band! Big set list and open to requests. Had good correspondence w/ Thomson all throughout the summer up to the day before the wedding. He knew musicians in the area of my wedding, which helped save on travel costs. Good time was had by all -- people really enjoyed the band and the music. Quality! -- Michael Z, Greenwich, NY, 9/5/2009
• We were so pleased with the Thomson Kneeland and Pizzicato Jazz. Thomson was extremely pleasant to work with and was very helpful in accomodating our needs and helping us plan a perfect setup for my parents 25th anniversary. We went with the trumpet and piano duo who were terrific and were just as good if not better then the famous jazz band we saw the night before in New York. They were professional, pleasant, talented and patient when the rain kept threatening and then had to move inside. I would absolutely use them again at our next event and will recommend them to friends and companies. -- Danielle M, Toms River, NJ, 7/26/2009
• It was great having Thomson Kneeland play our 2009 holiday party. They understood exactly what we were looking for and really rolled with the punches on the day of the event. -- Morgan W, New York, NY, 1/9/2009
• Great to work with, extremely professional and on point the entire night. Thomson really went the extra mile and I look forward to working with him again soon. Best, Erin Halley -- Erin H, New York, NY, 10/16/2008
• Very happy with Thomson Kneeland And Pizzicato Jazz. Very easy working with them prior to the event. They were great during the event. I would highly recommend them. -- Leslie M, Yorktown Heights, NY, 4/2/2011
• They were extremely professional, very pleasant and added a great ambience to our event. Thank you -- Allison K, Morristown, NJ, 11/7/2009
• Very easy to work with. Great job. Thanks Thomson! -- Britton D, New York, NY, 2/1/2010

Click here for more feedback

• Pizzicato Jazz — New York, New York