Learn what's happenig in the world of Peter & the Master Keys.
I just wanted to share the first of the batch of three holiday videos that I’m releasing this year. I got together with the core of the band plus our friend, Vanessa Perea to make a little impromptu recording of some holiday classics to share with prospective clients. I think they turned out rather well! If you or someone you know is looking to spice up their holiday party with great live jazz music, please let me know!
So about a month ago I got a call asking if I’d like to film a music video for an up-and-coming German music star. He’s like the Michael Buble of Germany you could say and he needed a band to appear in his breakthrough music video that was to be shot in NYC.
Well it sounded like it was worth a laugh at least and well, it was a paid gig on a Monday afternoon so what the heck! Turns out that the singer, Daniel has a nice voice and was cool to work with. We pantomimed his song probably 30 times over an hour or more in Terra Blues, a blues club on Bleeker street.
From all that footage we got a total of about 5 seconds in this music video haha! I must say the production is excellent though. It’s like a love story and it features NYC so predominantly that I almost wonder if the city’s tourism board was in on it! Anyway, check it out for yourself. It’s fun and pop-y and even a bit of an earworm even though I have no idea what he’s saying. Seems like he has some muscle behind him so I’ll look forward to hearing more from him in the future!Book jazz band for wedding reception for great environments.
If you want to fast forward, we appear at 1:09,1:27,1:43 and 2:12
Peter & the Master Keys live jazz at the Django in New York
It’s not often that we have a public gig to showcase what we can do with the full 7 piece band. I’d like to invite you to come to the Django on October 6th 2018 at 10:30pm-1:30am. It’s a beautiful French cellar inspired venue in the Roxy hotel down in Tribeca with incredible hand-crafted cocktails.
A bit more about the venue: “Descend into The Django and you’ll feel like you’ve entered another world. The subterranean jazz club, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed brick walls, was modeled after the boites of Paris. The venue consists of two cocktail bars, open dining space and a stage for live performances.”
I hope to see you there especially if you are interested in seeing what the band can do as a jazz band for a wedding reception or holiday event. You’ll find that we can do much more than that!
Reservations strongly recommended.
I'm really proud of the musicians I work with. Over the past few years we've developed a reputation for versatility and excellence. That means that when someone really wants to hear traditional New Orleans style jazz, or Gatsby era jazz, the Master Keys happens to have on hand the best young players in that scene, many of whom have toured extensively with the world famous Hot Sardines. Similarly with blues and vintage RnB, the band really excels with authentic 3 horn arrangements and players like Sam Raderman on guitar who embody the tradition of blues pioneers like T-bone Walker.
As versatile as we are sometimes people want to hear an exceptional female vocalist and that's something that I just can't do! That's why I'm pleased to announce that the acclaimed jazz singer, Vanessa Perea will be joining us on special occasions. She is a master of the American Songbook and an all-around great performer and I think she'll be a great fit for cocktail hours and private events. Really, Vanessa with the Master Keys is a sure bet. I could listen to her sing for days and I think you'll agree as well! BTW make sure you check out her fantastic duets with the Ladybugs. Book best Wedding Bands in New York City!!!
I was having this conversation recently with a client that has booked the band for various events showcasing luxury brands. She said something that stuck with me and that was this: Most people these days go to an after party after the wedding reception. The old folks go home and the kids go out to party somewhere. What kind of music do you think is happening at the after party? There is most likely a DJ. So isn't it kind of lame to dance to a DJ at your reception and then dance to a DJ at the after party? Why not have a great jazz band for your wedding reception or any kind of band really (I consider my band to be a party band). That way not only do you get variety but you get something unique and special. The Master Keys often make special big band arrangements of couples' first dance requests. How often do you experience that at other peoples' weddings? Then there was the time that we made a big band arrangement of an Elvis song that the groom knocked out of the park! When you hire a great band for your wedding reception like the Master Keys, not only will you have a great time but you'll have a one-of-a-kind hand-crafted experience. AND your grandparents, aunts and uncles who hate hip hop will have a blast!
Then you can go to the club!
So... I'm getting into real estate. No, really. I've been getting into really expensive real estate. They let me in and when I'm finished with the gig, they let me leave. har har...
Anyway, I've been thrilled to link up with some great companies that either sell real estate or partner with other companies to create a luxury experience around a high-end product (Hennessy). They've found that nothing elevates the vibe of an event like excellent musicians joyfully creating a great feeling in the room. Guests can feel it and comment about it making the event. Everyone has heard DJs countless times and real music is fresh to our ears again. It really is a special thing and it shows good taste too!
In these photos we are in the Penthouse at Manhattan View and 70 Vestry.
So, if you're looking to hire a wedding band in New York city, NY or just looking for a great jazz band for hire to make your event special, look no further!
This is another installment in the series, "Peter & the Master Keys" in amazing places. I was asked recently to play for a Hennessy tasting at a brand new building on the west side of Manhattan where there has been a lot of development lately. I was familiar with this building, 520 W 28th because I often play at the Mckittrick Hotel (home of Sleep no More) right across the street. It looks like a silver space ship with beautiful curved lines and I had admired it as it went up. So of course I was thrilled to play for a Hennessy tasting in one of the show apartments that was going for a cool $15 million. I can't quite afford it yet but it was fun to enjoy it for a bit as we played some nice jazz standards for the guests.
I'm pleased to announce that the new trailer for the band is here! The previous one, filmed by my brother, Alex Maness, had served me well but after two years and some personnel changes it was time for another edition. As I said in the last post, we recorded it in the Relic Room in Chelsea, which boasts a lot of great vintage gear and microphones that we were able to use. We only had a couple of hours but we knocked out 5 full songs and 5 partial songs. If you've never recorded before, let me tell you that is a lot in a very short time! A testament to the professionalism of the band. As of now we have a sweet trailer that you can see here that features a few songs. In the works is another trailer and a couple of videos that highlight entire songs that I think showcase the band well. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you soon!
This past weekend Peter & the Master Keys had a very successful video shoot at the Relic Room, a fantastic recording studio that also happens to look great on film. I've been working on a new promo reel for the band and got Aaron Rockers to shoot footage and edit.
Behind the scenes, the talented Mai Comeros shot this footage that you see here. You can tell that there is a great feeling in the room when this group gets together and that comes through in the music. I can't wait to share the video with you!
It's been a while since Peter & the Master Keys has needed a proper logo. It's been on the to-do list for quite a long while and so I'm pleased to have finally scratched it off.
Through my musician friend network I was lucky enough to get connected to Eric Kelly, who does great work for bands and businesses along with being a musician himself.
It was an interesting foray into a world that I wasn't that familiar with before. After hours of scouring the web for cool fonts and design ideas and lots of back and forth with Eric, we finally settled on something that is cool and represents the band well. The next thing to do will be to print the design on a custom bass drum head for my drummer!
That's where the band and I found ourselves this past Friday the 13th as we ventured to Long Island to play at the Coe House Historic Museum. It was our second time playing at the beautiful Gatsby era mansion turned museum as we had been invited back to kick off the "All star series". What an honor! We played for a capacity crowd of almost 100 people in the grand living room, which was the size of a ballroom. It's a real treat to play for a crowd of people who are actively listening. Thanks to all who came out to support live music! Here's a photo I couldn't resist taking after the show:
We've also been busy with other endeavors like playing for a third time at the residence of the Pakistani ambassador to the U.N. and at the prestigious Joe's Pub. I've also been busy booking the band for holiday parties so if you're interested, let me know!
Lastly, I'd like to share a fun photo with you. We were asked to play for a first year birthday party this past weekend and the mom specifically asked me if I could bring drums because her son was obsessed. Sure enough, Jonah was fascinated the whole time and even cried when he was pulled away. Watch out, mom!
I'm pleased to announce that I have a new residency performing at the Arlo Hotel SoHo. Drop by Wednesdays this month and you can hear me and my ace trio performing in this beautiful modern lounge from 6-9. I have on board my indefatigable sax player, Nick Myers and my new friend Adrian DiMatteo, who is a fantastic guitarist as well as singer. I love turning the mic over to him since he has an amazing voice and does some material that I love but don't sing yet like Bill Withers. Hope to see you there!
Rooftop season may be drawing to a close but here's a little secret for you: there is about a month left and, once it starts to get a little chilly, the folks at PHD Terrace have a very nice enclosure that they erect over the roof to keep the party going through the winter.
I've been playing this weekly gig with the great Nick Palumbo for over 6 months now and it keeps getting better. We've been playing classic Rock 'n Roll from the 50s and 60s with some Italian songs thrown in to create a vibe for the Italian themed event.
If you haven't been, PHD Terrace is a beautiful rooftop space in midtown Manhattan and epitomizes the kind of classy nightlife that many people seek out in the Big Apple. We hope to see you there one day!
We're in the big leagues now. Ivy, that is. The band was invited to play for the incoming class of graduate students at Columbia University this past Monday and we happily bestowed them with bluesy wisdom as they gnoshed on Columbia branded cupcakes and blue (school colors) champagne! What a great crowd of bright-eyed PHDs to be, all eager to meet one another and get to know some of their professors.
You can't see it in these photos but we played for a crowd of about 1,500 people under a huge tent covering most of Low Plaza.
Thanks again to the folks at Columbia for making this possible!
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful! Just kidding. This amazing photo by Alex Nero appeared in the online Vogue Magazine this week along with a great article about a huge immersive party called 'You Are So Lucky' that I was part of a couple weeks back. It was really a sight to behold, everyone was decked out in their finest regalia, be it forest nymph face paint or Egyptian head dress. I was playing in a room curated by the event producer, Shanghai Mermaid, with the fabulous singer, Megg Farrell. This experience was just one facet of a huge immersive experience that took over the grounds of an historic mansion in Yonkers for 5,000 guests! You can read all about it and see more photos here.
"I like New York in June..." Well it's shaping up to be a beautiful spring in the big city and the Master Keys have been doing more and more gigs on rooftops all over town. Here's a couple of shots from the Starret Le-High building in Chelsea. We played there last week for a building wide rooftop event where they screened the classic film, An Affair to Remember. Later on in the evening we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the Hudson river!
We're psyched to be returning to Sixty 5 on Main, Nyack's most exciting new entertainment venue, restaurant, and lounge on Saturday, March 18th, from 9:00pm-12:00am. It's a beautiful space with a dedicated stage and nice lighting - the whole works! I'll be playing a lot of great tunes from the 50's with my friend and frequent collaborator, Nick Palumbo, who knows more songs from that era than anyone. Also joining us will be another Nick - Nicholas Myers, who plays a mean saxophone and knows how to get that old-school rock n' roll sound. Watch out for a rousing rendition of Tequila!
Yesterday we played at a veritable Gatsby-era mansion in Long Island. The Coe Hall mansion is essentially a castle built by a gilded-age industrialist, which now is home to arts and concert series. We were thrilled to learn that all 150 seats had sold out! And what a great audience we had; all enthusiastic listeners and with a great sense of humor to boot (they laughed at all my jokes).
The band played an inspired set for the crowd and we were rewarded by a very gratifying standing ovation! Afterwards, we were pleased to meet many of the folks who came up to speak with us. Hopefully, we'll be playing here and other places like it again soon.
Working in New York City as a professional bassist and bandleader is a study in contrasts; one night I'm playing blues at a restaurant, another I'm playing New Orleans jazz at a seedy bar, and then I find myself playing in the Upper East Side of Manhattan playing for a select group of UN ambassadors and dignitaries!
It was an honor to play for the Pakistani ambassador to the U.N., Dr. Lodhi, last night. She was extremely gracious and engaging the whole night as she hosted us in Pakistan's beautiful townhouse. I wasn't sure what to expect; would we just be playing background music? But Dr. Lodhi and her guests were surprisingly attentive listeners and, as the night wore on, they turned out to be terrific dancers as well. It's not a night I'll forget soon!
A week ago, Peter & the Master Keys had the pleasure of playing for Sotheby's Luxury Night, sponsored by Maserati. We played for royalty that night . . . that is, for beautiful sixteenth-century oil paintings of royalty, situated right next to us.
Also next to us was the free-flowing champagne bar, which the band enjoyed - in moderation, of course.
All in all, it was a classy night for a classy band in one of the art world's foremost institutions. We've just been re-hired for Sotheby's holiday party next week, and we can't wait!
Peter and the Master Keys, led by upright bassist Peter Maness, is a six-piece jazz and blues band in New York City that specializes in blending the soulful sounds of Ray Charles's 1950's blues with classic jazz. A favorite band for special events, weddings, cocktail hours, parties, luxury nights and music concert series. Available for booking in the Tri-State Area!
