The act
Nigel Date has been a working guitarist his entire adult life. Jazz mostly, along with South American and European guitar music, gypsy style playing in the Django Reinhardt tradition, instrumental takes on well known pop songs, and his own compositions. The gig list is long and genuinely varied: festivals overseas, corporate functions for visiting dignitaries, weddings, bar mitzvahs, a live band for circus, clubs, pubs, cafes, cruise ships, and studio work for albums, television and radio. The great American songbook sits at the heart of it, the songs Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald recorded. Based in Beechworth, he needs a power point and a chair, and he can assemble a larger ensemble when you want one.
See Nigel Date play
Watch Nigel Date perform and get a feel for their sound, style and fit for your wedding.
What it costs
Pricing
Quote on enquiry
For your exact date, venue and running time, we send an itemised quote.
Pricing is confirmed before anything is booked. GST and travel are shown clearly on the quote.
Good to know
What to expect
Instrumental guitar playing of a standard you don't get often, and it's the arrangements that make it. Well known songs turned into something worth actually listening to rather than wallpaper. Nigel is good humoured and relaxed about the whole thing, turns up on time and dressed for the room. Jazz sits at the heart of it, along with South American and European guitar music and gypsy style playing. Classy is the word for it, and it holds up at a wedding, a corporate function or a cafe afternoon equally well.
On the day
He brings everything he needs, amps and guitars included. The space required is fairly minimal, so a corner of a room is usually enough. A power point and a chair are the two things he asks of you. He's happy to play outside acoustically as well, though not in direct sunlight, which is hard on both the instrument and the player. If he's flying in, a few items need arranging at your end.
Performance options
Solo guitar is the core booking. Beyond that he can put an ensemble together from musicians around the country: other guitarists, vocalists, bass players, accordionists, violinists, horn players, or a full band. The gypsy jazz ensemble in the Django Reinhardt tradition is one he's performed a lot and it goes down well every time. What's possible depends on availability and the practicalities of your date.
Insurance and paperwork
Public liability insured.
