Down for the Count

From an acoustic three-piece to a 28-piece Swing Orchestra. Named configurations include the Vintage Strollers (acoustic roaming trio), The Get Downs (swing and soul party band), the Big Band (19-piece, 13 horn players) and the Swing Orchestra (28-piece with strings). All are drawn from the same collective of 30 musicians.

Never. Every note at every Down for the Count event is performed live. No backing tracks, no click tracks and no pre-recorded elements — it is a principle the collective has maintained since 2005.

Swing, jazz, soul, Motown, pop and the Great American Songbook — Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Judy Garland — through to contemporary hits. Set lists are built around the couple's brief.

Yes. The collective offers ceremony musicians for the processional, signing and recessional, roaming entertainment for the cocktail hour and a full party band for the reception — all available as a whole-day wedding package.

Yes. Bespoke first dance arrangements are prepared for any song. Special requests and specific arrangements — including Horah performances — are accommodated as standard.

Eight sold-out shows at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, the Royal Albert Hall, Claridge's, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons, the V&A Museum and the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel. International festivals include Montreux, the North Sea Jazz Festival and Caveau de la Huchette in Paris.

Yes. The collective performs throughout the UK and internationally. Previous international events include corporate events in Marrakech.

All bookings are managed directly by Mike Paul-Smith, pianist and musical director of the collective. Contact: mike@downforthecount.co.uk or +44 7855 488 462.