a 60th birthday country house getaway with jazz and soul singer, rosie holman

Last year I got to play one of my favourite gigs ever! A 60th birthday party in a country house for a returning client.

I love playing for returning clients and Iain is no exception. Iain had a clear vision for his wife’s 60th birthday party music, and it was a vision of three parts…

First, there was upbeat, toe tapping Jazz on the terrace to accompany pre-dinner cocktails. Nothing too dancey, but nothing sombre either. We wanted to hit the vibe just right! I’m not going to lie, the weather really came through for us that evening - you know what British springtime can be like - and all the guests enjoyed the sun starting to set over the beautiful grounds of the country house while I sang Nat King Cole, a little Billie Holiday and a lot of Ella Fitzgerald. Gin and tonics all round and then toasts to bubbly with speeches from Iain and the birthday girl? Well, why not! I’m a big believer in celebrating the big things (and the little things to be fair…) These guys had plenty to reflect on and celebrate and were doing it in refined, sophisticated style.

Next came dinner in the banquet room. I know. The BANQUET room! There was the full shebang; dishes all along the long table, wine, candles, floral arrangements. A beautifully intimate way to dine! For this, there was a 45minute set of smooth, soulful Jazz to keep the atmosphere warm and relaxed - a perfect backdrop for conversation and eating delicious food! Besides, we absolutely did not want to peak too soon…

Because after dinner, the party started!

Everyone came through to the parlour. I know. The PARLOUR! Where I had set up my small PA for the last time.

- A small side note about my small PA because I love it. It’s dinky so it’s very portable but it still packs a punch. It’s battery powered so I can place myself where the music will be best received, rather than having to be where a plug socket is! On a slightly more techy note, it uses bluetooth so I can play my backing tracks from my Ipad without cables and it just sounds SO WARM! Anyway, I just wanted to rave about it, cos it’s great. -

So! Everyone came through to the parlour and we rocked out to Gloria Gaynor, Donna Summers and Chaka Khan, like you do! Shoes came off, sofas were abandoned, and I didn’t even use my mic because it sort of became more of a group sing-a-long! What is not to love! Everyone was dancing, yes, even the chaps, and I even stayed longer because I was having such a good time!

I love these kind of gigs. I love when people celebrate themselves, their nearest and dearest around them. Sometimes you don’t need a massive party to have the best time. You just need to people you love most in the world around you, some good food, some good wine and, of course, some good music.

And what did Iain have to say about the music? I’ll tell you!

“Rosie really does go above and beyond to make sure you get exactly what you want. She isn’t a cookie cutter performer who does the same thing for everyone. She reads the room, sees what’s working and evolves to make sure everyone has a great time.

We had a private country house rented for a 60th birthday party for 24 people with appetizers outside, a sit down dinner followed by music in the parlour. Rosie moved with us, playing appropriately for each session.

Good atmosphere and warm up outside, good background during dinner and really got the party going and lively in the parlour which included people dancing and singing along.

I thoroughly recommend Rosie for any event, either large private party or an intimate family affair.”

P.S. …

The view from my GREEN ROOM!! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I had a green room….