Three musicians. The traditional combos are piano, bass and drums, or organ, guitar and drums; the one we usually send to a private event is guitar, upright bass and drums played with brushes, because brushes let a kit sit under a conversation instead of over it. A quartet is the same three with a horn or a voice added.

Can we hire a jazz trio for a wedding?

Yes, and it's usually hired for the ceremony and the cocktail hour. The trio plays a processional and a recessional as readily as it plays standards, and the same booking carries straight through dinner.

What is the difference between the jazz duo and the trio?

One musician, and the size of floor each holds. The duo is upright bass and guitar, the standard booking for cocktails and dinner. The trio adds drums played with brushes, which carries a larger floor and a longer guest list at the same conversation volume. Both play the same standards set.

Is a jazz duo enough for a dinner of sixty guests?

Yes. Dinner and cocktail sets run 65 to 72 dBA at the nearest table, a level guests can talk across, and the duo holds that from twenty guests at one table to eighty at ten. Past that point, or on a larger floor, the trio is the size to book.

Why is the duo booked as a format instead of under a name?

Because the booking is an instrumentation, a repertoire and a volume, and the contract names all three, whoever plays it.

Can one booking cover cocktails and dinner?

Yes, and that's the most common configuration. The duo covers arrival, cocktails and dinner on one booking, with sound included and audio continuing through breaks. A single hour on its own is a real booking too, and added time comes in half-hour blocks.

Does the trio need a stage?

No. The trio plays fine on the floor and takes a 12 by 8 ft footprint on one dedicated 20-amp circuit, with load-in running about an hour. If you want a riser, the venue or your production company provides it.

Jazz duo and trio

Jazz duo and trio for hire, for weddings and for events.

The duo is the classic cocktail-and-dinner booking: upright bass and guitar playing standards at a volume you can talk across, for a single hour or for cocktails and dinner together. The trio adds drums, played with brushes, for larger floors. Weddings hire it for the ceremony and the cocktail hour, and companies hire it for dinners and receptions.

Arrival, cocktails and dinner are this format's regular work: the hours when the music has to hold the event without anybody raising their voice over it. Standards are the repertoire because guests recognize them without needing to name them, and the whole night feels polished and unhurried.

Check a Date See Pricing

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Two sizes

Two sizes, the duo and the trio.

Dinner and cocktail sets run 65 to 72 dBA at the nearest table, a level two people who just met can easily talk across, and two musicians can't get loud by accident.

The duo: Upright bass and guitar, for cocktails and dinner together or a single hour on its own. It sets up in an 8 by 6 ft corner on one dedicated circuit, which is why it fits venues a band can't.
The trio: The duo plus drums, played with brushes. Brushes keep the kit at dinner level while giving a larger floor and a longer guest list the pulse a two-piece can't. The footprint grows to 12 by 8 ft, still on a single circuit.

“[He] was fantastic, he struck the right note (pardon the pun) with our guests by not only playing beautifully, but also by playing quietly in the background so as not to disturb the conversation of our guests. Everyone loved him and would 100% hire him again. He is a tru pro!”

Mara S., cocktail hour, February 2025.

Both sizes are booked as a format: an instrumentation, a repertoire and a volume, and the musicians we send deliver all three.

Footprints, power and load-in by size are on the technical page. If the night should end on a dance floor, a duo that grows to a quartet is the act for that.

Occasions

Common occasions for a jazz duo or trio.

The duo and trio play the stretch of an event where conversation is the point.

Client dinners and member events: Twenty at one table or eighty at ten, and the conversation is the event, so the music sits under it for the whole night. The client dinners page covers the corporate details.
Corporate evenings with a program: Dinner at conversation volume around remarks and awards, music up to the moment and silence through it, planned with the run of show. The corporate page sets out the common configurations.
Wedding cocktail hours: The hour between ceremony and dinner is where this format fits best. The cocktail hour page covers how long it runs, what should play, and duo or DJ.
Dinner parties at home or at a club: The size that fits a house or a club without rearranging it. Private parties and dinners covers the configurations, and the Denver page covers the city's venues and logistics.

A different flavor of the same size: the acoustic duo plays singer-songwriter and folk-rock covers instead of standards. What each format costs across Colorado, figure by figure, is set out in the cost guide.

Configurations

Size	Where it lands
DuoUpright bass and guitar	Arrival, cocktails and dinner. One hour or the whole front of the night.
TrioThe duo plus drums, played with brushes	Larger floors and longer nights, still at conversation volume.

The configuration and the date set the number: an hour under cocktails and a full evening in the resort corridor are different jobs. Send us the date and we price that night.

A sample of the set

A set pulled from the standards and paced to the night. Representative, not fixed.

Autumn Leaves
All the Things You Are
There Will Never Be Another You
Take the A Train
Blue Bossa
Beautiful Love
Someday My Prince Will Come
The Girl from Ipanema
All of Me
Green Dolphin Street

Jazz duo and trio questions

The operational questions, from substitutions to decibel caps, are on the full question list. The roster's wider covers song list is published and searchable on the repertoire page.

What is a jazz trio?: Three musicians. The traditional combos are piano, bass and drums, or organ, guitar and drums; the one we usually send to a private event is guitar, upright bass and drums played with brushes, because brushes let a kit sit under a conversation instead of over it. A quartet is the same three with a horn or a voice added.
Can we hire a jazz trio for a wedding?: Yes, and it's usually hired for the ceremony and the cocktail hour. The trio plays a processional and a recessional as readily as it plays standards, and the same booking carries straight through dinner.
What is the difference between the jazz duo and the trio?: One musician, and the size of floor each holds. The duo is upright bass and guitar, the standard booking for cocktails and dinner. The trio adds drums played with brushes, which carries a larger floor and a longer guest list at the same conversation volume. Both play the same standards set.
Is a jazz duo enough for a dinner of sixty guests?: Yes. Dinner and cocktail sets run 65 to 72 dBA at the nearest table, a level guests can talk across, and the duo holds that from twenty guests at one table to eighty at ten. Past that point, or on a larger floor, the trio is the size to book.
Why is the duo booked as a format instead of under a name?: Because the booking is an instrumentation, a repertoire and a volume, and the contract names all three, whoever plays it.
Can one booking cover cocktails and dinner?: Yes, and that's the most common configuration. The duo covers arrival, cocktails and dinner on one booking, with sound included and audio continuing through breaks. A single hour on its own is a real booking too, and added time comes in half-hour blocks.
Does the trio need a stage?: No. The trio plays fine on the floor and takes a 12 by 8 ft footprint on one dedicated 20-amp circuit, with load-in running about an hour. If you want a riser, the venue or your production company provides it.

Book the jazz duo or trio for arrival, cocktails and dinner.

Live music for your event, from a solo musician to a full band, with sound support that’s the right size for the venue and a personal contact for the night.

Check a Date

Send us the date and the venue, and we’ll come back with a recommendation and a price for your night. What live music costs in this market is on the pricing page.