Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band - Jazz Band - New York City, NY - Hero Main
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Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band Jazz Band from New York City, NY

Will travel up to 3000 miles

  • Avg 5.0 | 2 Reviews
  • 3 Verified Bookings
  • Member Since 2011
  • 1 Award or Badge
  • Starting at $600 per event

About Vendor 

Learn more about this vendor for your event.

Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band is a fun and romantic vintage jazz & swing band that will transport your event to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Hollywood Mega-Star Bruce Willis claimed, "I love this band!" as he sang along with Tara one night in Manhattan. "Visualize a Celt in the Cotton Club!" (Chris B. Donohue, Nashville Producer) Featured on a BBC documentary film about her rendition of the famous song Danny Boy, Tara's vocals have been compared to Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and Patsy Cline. As Irish Voice newspaper's Most Influential Woman 2010 and best album of the year 2013, Tara can lead her band as a lounge trio with guitar, upright bass and vocals, or add drums or sax for an ultra hip quartet or quintet. Her popular six or seven piece little big band with your choice of trumpet, clarinet, piano or banjo will keep your party swinging all night long. And those retro threads - from pearls to peek-a-boo shoes, slinky gowns, dapper suits, and fedoras - keep all eyes on stage. This dynamic band of elite NYC jazz musicians perform jazz standards and blues, but also swing some favorites from 1950s country and rock & roll, as well as an original twist on some Irish standards that sound like they've been reborn in the swing era. "Tara re-baptizes these songs into songs that are more part of the repertory of divas in smoky nightclubs. Her distinctive voice intrigues. At times it reminds us of Doris Day or Eva Cassidy." (Freddy Celis, Rootstime, Belgium) In addition, her band can perform original jazz, blues and celtic influenced music reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and Ella Fitzgerald. Any combination of instrumentation or preference for music style can be arranged to suit your event and budget. Music from Tara's three albums can be heard on radio from America to Europe. The band has performed live on WFUV 90.7, as well as at Lincoln Center, Birdland, Iridium, Smalls, The Astor Room, Swing 46 Jazz & Supper Club, Rockwood Music Hall, Arlene's Grocery, The Museum of the City of New York, The Jewish Museum, The Irish Arts Center, The Cupping Room, Bowery Wine Co., Battery Gardens, Garden City Hotel, Flatiron Hotel, Refinery Hotel and Mary O's, as well as private parties, weddings, corporate events, and music festivals across the country.

Reviews 

Check out these verified reviews from bookings on The Bash.

Avg 5.0 | 2 Reviews

Review by Lula L.

Cocktail PartyReviewed on May 11, 2012From Long Island, NY

Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band made our evening a success. They were extremely talented, professional, and easy to work with. The entire experience was great, from booking to shaking hands at the end of the evening, if anyone is looking for a talented singer and band, then I would highly recommend Tara O'Grady & The Black Velvet Band for your event.

Review by Lisa A.

FundraiserReviewed on March 11, 2012From Brooklyn, NY

Tara and her band are absolutely superb. She's got an outstanding, beautiful and sultry voice, and her personality is so fun that the whole evening just sparkled with her at the helm. We hired the bass player, sax player and guitarist and they were the consummate professionals. Tara was gracious and lovely, and MAN, can she sing. YOu will NOT be disappointed with Tara. On the contrary, you'll just sit back and soak up all the complements from your guests who'll praise you for being smart enough to hire her.

Awards & Badges 

See why this vendor is top rated on The Bash.

Song List 

Get a feel for the songs performed by this vendor. Contact them directly for special requests.

  • A Fine Romance | Fred Astaire
  • All of Me | Billie Holiday
  • Almost Like Being in Love | Nat King Cole
  • Always | Patsy Cline
  • Are You Lonesome Tonight | Elvis Presley
  • As Time Goes By | Billie Holiday
  • Autumn Leaves | Keely Smith
  • At Last | Etta James
  • Baby it's cold outside | Ella & Louis
  • Bei Mir Bist Di Schon | Andrew Sisters
  • Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Black is the Color | Nina Simone/Irish
  • Black Velvet Band | Irish traditional
  • Black Coffee | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Blue Moon | Billie Holiday
  • Cheek to Cheek | Billie Holiday
  • Cow Cow Boogie | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Crazy | Patsy Cline
  • Danny Boy | Irish traditional
  • Fever | Peggy Lee
  • Fly Me to the Moon | Frank Sinatra
  • Fram Fram Sauce | Nat King Cole
  • Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You | Nat King Cole
  • Georgia | Ray Charles
  • Girl from Ipanema
  • Glow Worm | Mills Brothers
  • Go Lassi Go | Irish
  • The Good Life | Tony Bennett
  • Hallelulia I just love him so | Ray Charles
  • The Holy Ground | Irish trad
  • I Can't Give You Anything But Love | Diana Krall
  • I'll Tell Me Ma | Irish trad
  • I'll be seeing you | Billie Holiday
  • I Love Being Here With You | Diana Krall
  • I Love You Honey | Patsy Cline
  • I'm in the Mood for Love | Louis Armstrong
  • It's All Right with Me | Cole Porter
  • It Had to Be You | Frank Sinatra
  • I Only Have Eyes For You | Peggy Lee
  • I've Got the World on a String | Frank Sinatra
  • I've Got you Under my Skin | Frank Sinatra
  • La Vie En Rose | Edith Piaf
  • Let's Fall in Love | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Let's Get Away From it All | Frank Sinatra
  • L-O-V-E | Nat King Cole
  • Lover Man | Billie Holiday
  • Lullaby of Birdland | Ella Fitzgerald
  • The Man I Love | Billie Holiday
  • Making Whoopee | Doris Day
  • Molly Mallone | Irish trad
  • Moondance | Van Morrison
  • Moon River | Audrey Hepburn
  • My Baby Just Cares for Me | Nina Simone
  • My Funny Valentine | Chet Baker
  • New York | New York
  • Night and Day | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Nice Work if You Can Get It | Billie Holiday
  • Nora | Irish trad
  • On a Slow Boat to China | Benny Goodman
  • Over the Rainbow | Judy Garland
  • Peggy Gordon | Irish trad
  • Pennies from Heaven | Bing Crosby
  • Polka dots and Moonbeams | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Route 66 | Nat King Cole
  • San Antonio Rose | Patsy Cline
  • She's Got You | Patsy Cline
  • Since I Fell for You | Nina Simone
  • Skylark | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Someone to watch over me
  • Somewhere beyond the sea | Bobby Darin
  • Stairway to the Stars | Glenn Miller
  • Stand By Me | Ben E King
  • Stardust | Nat King Cole
  • Stars Fell on Alabama | Billie Holiday
  • Stormy Weather | Lena Horne
  • Summertime | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Sway | Dean Martin
  • Sweet Dreams | Patsy Cline
  • Tennessee Waltz | Hank Williams
  • That's alright mama | Elvis
  • That Old Black Magic | Keely Smith
  • That's your red wagon | Anita O'Day
  • The best is yet to come | Tony Bennett
  • The Man I Love | Ella Fitzgerald
  • Them there eyes | Billie Holiday
  • They Can't Take That Away from Me | Ella Fitzgerald
  • The Way you Look Tonight | Tony Bennett
  • Trouble in Mind | Nina Simone
  • Too ra loo ra | Irish
  • Unforgettable | Nat King Cole
  • Walking After Midnight | Patsy Cline
  • The Water is Wide | Irish trad
  • What a Wonderful World | Louis Armstrong
  • What a Difference a Day Makes | Dinah Washington
  • Why Don't You Do Right | Peggy Lee
  • Wild Rover | Irish trad
  • You send me | Sam Cooke
  • You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to | Diana Krall
  • You're Nobody Til Somebody Loves You | Dean Martin
  • Zing Went the Strings of My Heart | Judy Garland

Booked Events 

: The Bash Verified Bookings

Upcoming Events

No upcoming events

Past Events

January 16, 2015 • Wedding Cocktail Hour
Fri7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Florham Park, NJ
April 26, 2012 • Cocktail Party
Thu6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Long Island, NY
March 10, 2012 • Fundraiser
Sat7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Brooklyn, NY
December 6, 2011 • Mary O's
Tue7:00 PM - 10:00 PM New York, NY

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