Campbell's Jazz Soup

Campbell's Jazz Soup plays a fun blend of 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s jazz and swing at events, parties, festivals, and weddings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. We play everything from mellow background jazz to upbeat danceable swing with some light Latin thrown in.

According to your wishes and budget the band can perform with up to seven musicians. Our core trio is composed of leader Brian Campbell on clarinet, saxophone, and vocals accompanied by guitar and string bass. Trumpet or drums are added to the trio for our four musician band; trumpet and piano or drums are added to the trio for our five musician band; trumpet, piano, and drums are added to the trio for our six musician band; and trumpet, piano, drums, and trombone are added to the trio for our seven musician band. If you want to dance we suggest going with at least five musicians. And if you're interested in Dixieland in the New Orleans tradition with banjo and tuba, we can do that too (our last three audio samples demonstrate our Dixieland sound).

For close to two decades we've played many events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond including weddings, festivals, parties, and corporate functions. Please contact our leader, Brian Campbell, for availability and rate info. We hope to hear from you soon!

Campbell's Jazz Soup plays a fun blend of 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s jazz and swing at events, parties, festivals, and weddings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. We play everything from mellow background jazz to upbeat danceable swing with some light Latin thrown in.

According to your wishes and budget the band can perform with up to seven musicians. Our core trio is composed of leader Brian Campbell on clarinet, saxophone, and vocals accompanied by guitar and string bass. Trumpet or drums are added to the trio for our four musician band; trumpet and piano or drums are added to the trio for our five musician band; trumpet, piano, and drums are added to the trio for our six musician band; and trumpet, piano, drums, and trombone are added to the trio for our seven musician band. If you want to dance we suggest going with at least five musicians. And if you're interested in Dixieland in the New Orleans tradition with banjo and tuba, we can do that too (our last three audio samples demonstrate our Dixieland sound).

For close to two decades we've played many events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond including weddings, festivals, parties, and corporate functions. Please contact our leader, Brian Campbell, for availability and rate info. We hope to hear from you soon!

Here are some commonly asked questions and their answers about our services.

Does your rate include the time it takes for the band to set up and tear down?

Yes. So, for example, if you hire us to play from 8 pm to 11 pm, we would arrive about 45 minutes to an hour before 8 to set up, play from 8 to 11, and then tear down after 11.

When do you typically arrive at the venue?

We typically arrive at the venue about 45 minutes to an hour before we start playing. This allows us plenty of time to load in, set up, warm up, and tune. If you wish for us to be set up before our playing start time, we charge for that time at our normal hourly rate. For example, if our playing start time is 8, but you want us to be set up by 7, we would charge for the hour from 7 to 8 even though we're not playing during that time. So, essentially we charge for the time we are required to be set up at the venue whether we are playing or not.

Do you take any breaks?

Yes, we require a ten minute break for every hour we play. Our breaks can be scheduled to accommodate your schedule.

Do you MC?

The band leader can do light MCing, like announce the first dance or introduce the birthday honoree.

Does your band have a vocalist?

Yes, the band leader is the main vocalist in the band. You can hear his vocals on some of the demos. You're welcome to have as many or as few tunes with vocals, or none at all.

If you're interested in a dedicated female vocalist, we do work with several. Please contact us for more info.

Can I choose the songs you play at my event?

Yes, from our repertoire list you may choose as many of the songs that we play at your event. If you have a special song you want us to play which is not on our repertoire list we might be able to do so if the song is a jazz or swing standard.

At a wedding, are you willing to play for the ceremony?

Yes.

Can you play classical music for the ceremony?

Yes, if we use keyboard at your event. Our main keyboardist has a number of popular classical tunes in his repertoire. Please contact us for more info.

If we use guitar rather than keyboard, we generally would not have the ability to play classical. So, in that case, we would play in our usual jazz and swing style for your ceremony, but you would be more than welcome to choose the ceremony song from our repertoire list. Or, it may be possible for us to play your requested jazz or swing standard that's not on our list.

Can we use your microphone for announcements and/or toasts? Is it wireless?

Yes, you are more than welcome to use our microphone. We can usually get the use of a wireless microphone, but it depends on the event and instrumentation. Please contact us for more info.

Do you require that we provide you with a meal?

If we’re playing three or more hours or we traveled an hour or more to your event, yes, we do require a meal. It does not have to be fancy, so a good quality "vendor meal" is fine.

What is your attire?

That's up to you, within reason. We’ll dress from casual on up to jacket and tie.

What are your parking requirements?

Each musician usually arrives in their own car. The reason we typically do not carpool is because we live in different areas of the SF Bay Area and we all are carrying a certain amount of equipment which limits the room in our cars.

We prefer free parking close to the venue but we know this is not always the case, like in downtown San Francisco. So, in situations where parking is limited we appreciate any help we can get, like being offered monetary compensation for parking in a paid lot, getting the use of a loading zone, etc.

Because of the extra time involved, we're not willing to be shuttled to the venue. Also, because of some bad experiences we've had in the past and because we may need access to our cars during the event, we prefer not to use a valet service.

What are your space and other requirements for the bandstand?

For the trio we prefer to have an area of at least 8’ by 10’. With additional musicians we obviously need a larger area, especially if there's a drummer. The six musician band with drums and piano is comfortable in a space of about 12’ by 16’.

We do not require a stage, so we are perfectly fine playing on the floor. But, we do require that we're not in a location where people would need to walk through the bandstand to access a walkway, a doorway, a closet, a bathroom, a table, etc. So, a good location for us is against a wall or some other barrier.

If we're located outside, we require we're on a solid level surface like concrete, pavers, decking, etc. We essentially cannot play on loose dirt, gravel, or uncut grass unless you set up a stage for us or put down plywood for us to play on.

Finally, if we're located outside, we require we're in shade at least 80% of the time. Not only is this for our own comfort but for the benefit of the instruments and amps which can shut down and/or go out of tune in direct sunlight.

Do you play through a public address (PA) system?

It depends on the number of guests at the event, the size of the venue, and whether the venue is outside or not. Some of the venues we play are small enough that we don't need to use a PA as we are loud enough with our set up of horns (sax/clarinet and trumpet) and drums which are not amplified and acoustic guitar, keyboard, bass, and vocals which are amplified with small amplifiers.

If there are many guests (like 50 or more), the venue is quite large (like the size of a basketball court or larger), and/or the event is outside, then the use of a PA is likely needed.

With most events we assume a PA is needed and, therefore, the cost for us to transport it, load it in, set it up, and monitor it is typically included in our price. If the event is small and a PA is not needed, then we may be able to play without one, in which case we would be able to reduce our price a bit. Please contact us for more details.

Do you play recorded music during your breaks?

Yes, if you want recorded music played through our sound equipment during our breaks we can play classic jazz and swing from our own player or we'll gladly play tunes from your player.

Do you provide your own lighting?

No, we do not. We are fine using the typical lighting at the venue. So, we ask that we're not located in any area that is darker than what the typical guest will experience.

Do you have any additional requirements?

We require an electrical outlet near where the band sets up and, depending on the event, possibly an armless chair for each musician. Folding chairs are fine.

How and when do we pay you?

When you return the signed contract we require a deposit of half our total fee by cash, check (made out in the leader's name, Brian Campbell), or an electronic fund transfer service like Paypal or Venmo. We require the full remaining balance by cash, check, or electronic fund transfer on the day of the event. We can take credit cards, but there's a 4% fee for that service.

Is there a fee if we cancel?

Yes, your deposit is the cancellation fee. So, if you cancel our services after giving us the signed contract and deposit, we keep the deposit.