I HIGHLY recommend using The Music Dept for your next event. I reached out on a whim at the last minute with a unique request – a surprise socially distanced serenade for an anniversary, and was quickly connected with guitarist/singer Mark Aaron James who provided just the experience I was looking for. In the midst of a pandemic, no less. Overall, the process was a breeze. Their website is comprehensive, easy to navigate, and helped give me an idea of what to expect.
Will, Jersey City, NJ
Adam is great to work with. He’s a one stop shop for all my corporate event live music needs. He has a range of artists and musical talent at his fingertips, and always gives me a nice selection of options for my clients and me to choose from. Most importantly, from a corporate event planner’s standpoint, Adam and his talent are reliable and always professional. It’s one element of the event I know I never have to worry about. The artists will show up on time, they will perform exactly as contracted, they will be professional, and my clients will be thrilled!
-Andrea, Corporate Event Planner, Based in NYC Area
Adam and Clerida performed as a cello and guitar duo at our wedding this past February and I can’t say enough about them. We selected them at the recommendation of our wedding planner who had numerous positive experiences with them in the past, and right from the beginning we were grateful for our pick. Adam worked with us ahead of time to make sure that the they were in lockstep with our vision. The day of, they showed up early, were professional, and truly set the mood with their beautiful performances (lots of Beatles!). We had them for both the ceremony and the cocktail hour and I’m still receiving comments of praise from our guests.
I would hire them again in a heartbeat!
Rana and John, Brooklyn, NY
Adam and his team were absolutely phenomenal for our 2019 wedding. Not only were we impressed by their breadth of services (they provided a string quartet for our ceremony and cocktail hour and a DJ for our reception, AND Adam served as the “emcee” for the evening to introduce us for our first dance, get the toasts done in a timely fashion, etc. The icing on the proverbial cake? My husband is a huge Star Trek fan and Adam and his team actually found the sheet music for the “Next Generation” theme and were able to play it as our recessional song leaving our ceremony. They of course helped make our day so special, but Adam is so collaborative and it also made the planning (which I did myself) that much easier. I could not recommend these folks more!
-Samantha and Daniel, Stanhope, NJ
“My wife and I hired the Music Dept for our October 2019 wedding and we could not have been happier with Adam bringing our wedding vision to life. We received many compliments on how wonderful and professional the ensemble was during our ceremony and cocktail hour reception. It’s been a pleasure working with Adam and team, and we highly recommend them for anyone needing live music for their next party or celebration. Thank you for everything!”
Justin & Becky, Jersey City, NJ
“Adam and Rum Runners Jazz are by far one of the best companies for your musical needs! I was a wedding planner turned bride in 2016 and after working with Adam many times I knew there was nobody else I would hire but him for my ceremony! My fiance and I were very non-traditional when it came to the ceremony outline and music selections for the processional but I knew Adam and his team could handle just about anything – I hired him for a couple of mine once that walked down to the Game Of Thrones theme song and recessed with Indiana Jones! Beyond being super talented, Adam is just overall very easy to work with and very knowledgable in his field. From the countless weddings we’ve worked together, to my own day, him and anyone from his team are always on time, extremely professional, always appropriately and well dressed, poised and completely prepared! Thank you Adam times a million!!! You are THE BEST!!!”
- Michelle F, NYC, NY
“Adam is an incredibly talented musician and our wedding would have not been the same without him! Adam was very easy to communicate with and we had several phone calls and chats with him before the wedding. He is extremely flexible and easy going and really listened to the style and vibe we wanted for ceremony and cocktail hour. My favorite part of working with Adam was when he learned a song that my husband (who also plays guitar) wrote for me years ago and he played it as I was walking down the aisle! He is the absolute best and the jazz trio at cocktail hour set the entire tone for the night. Thank you, thank you, thank you Adam!!”
Emily S. NYC, NY
“Adam was so wonderful in helping me prepare a song to sing for my cousin’s wedding. I was asked to sing during the ceremony, and wanted a professional to accompany me on guitar and help with the arrangement of the tune. Adam demonstrated professionalism, patience, and beautiful musicianship in his guitar accompaniment. He made the experience, which would typically have been very nerve wracking for me, as easy as possible. I would, with gladness, recommend him!”
Elizabeth S., NYC, NY
“Thank you! The music was perfect and your solution to the different spaces was perfect!!
I greatly appreciate all the care you put into your work – it really pays off.”
Top NYC Event Planner, Vanda High, https://www.vandahighevents.com/
“I recently hired The Music Dept for my company’s 50th anniversary party. It was the first big event I’ve thrown for this company, so I wanted to make sure everything was perfect. Adam and the other talented musicians helped me create the perfect ambiance for my 100 guests. Adam was so easy to work with and flexible with ideas and scheduling. As an event planner, I tend to micromanage and have very high expectations for bands, photographers, etc, and I can easily say that they exceeded my expectations! I will certainly reach out to The Music Dept for future events and highly recommend them to anyone that wants a classy and effortless party.”
-Carley S, In-House Event Planner at a leading Wealth Management Company
“I cannot begin to say how happy we were with Adam and his musicians performance at our wedding reception! He went above and beyond to help in catering the selection to our personal tastes- we gave him sounds that we like, but were unsure of a direction and he pulled song ideas that complimented the instruments we had chosen and our vibe- the ultimate selection was incredible! He even played longer than the scheduled time after our ceremony, really adding the the fluid environment. No forced feeling of start/stop. The pianist and bassist were a perfect pairing for our cocktail hour and they were really cool about improvising when a singer friend asked if they could play a jazz chorus she knew. If anyone is on the fence about securing live music for their wedding or event, I would definitely say just go for it, you will be so happy that you did later!! So worth it.”
- Todd S, NYC, NY
“Thank you for making my 50th so memorial. Everybody loved the music and yourselves. The whole thing was effortless. Thank you.”
- Wendy P, Avon-by-the Sea, NJ
“Adam was beyond professional and so wonderful to work with. We asked him to play a song recorded and composed by my husband, and he was able to put sheet music to it and played it beautifully on the acoustic guitar and violin with another super talented musician. Not only did Adam go above and beyond any of our expectations leading up to the wedding, the day of the wedding everything was perfect and the music was truly a highlight that everyone remembered. We loved working with Adam and would highly recommend him for any event!”
-Daniella G., Los Angeles, CA
“MUSIC is essential to my life! When planning my wedding, it was the thing I cared most about. Adam and The Rum Runners proved to be an excellent choice. True artists with professionalism, I would recommend them to anyone. In preparation, Adam took time from his busy schedule to rehearse with a collaborating vocalist. The ceremony evolved into something truly special with this performance. There was a seamless transition from this to the cocktail hour and long story short ….people are still talking to us about, ” THE COOL JAZZ TRIO- THE RUM RUNNERS ” who played at our wedding. That’s an awesome way to start our new life together! Sweet Music and Good Vibes!!! We are so grateful.”
- M.R., Jersey City, NJ
“Rum Runners Jazz was the band for the ceremony and cocktail our at our wedding and they were fantastic. Adam was such a pleasure to work with–the band was able to play all of the songs that we requested, and he worked with me to figure out other songs to make sure that we had great music that fit our ceremony and cocktail hour. Adam also went above and beyond in taking it upon himself to help coordinate the sound system for the entire wedding.
Most importantly, though, the band was fantastic!! Our guests raved about the music.
I would recommend Rum Runners Jazz to anyone.”
Judy T., Brooklyn, NY