Bales & Gitlin Music founders Jay and Ginny met through friends at the Yale School of Music and started the Bales & Gitlin Music group as a 5-piece group the week after their wedding in 1978. Over the years, our band family has grown as we have added other musicians. We’ve helped our clients create hundreds of wonderful parties and events using a variety of styles of music. Our repertoire is constantly growing and we are inspired by the many different styles of music we get to play.

All of our band members have been playing since we were young; most were music majors or went to music schools and several have advanced degrees. Overall, we value high-level musicianship. We also love “LIVE” playing. We sound both tight and fresh because we’re both experienced and spontaneous. That’s why we’re the band other musicians hire for their own weddings and events.

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We know what you’re looking for: a great band that is experienced with social events like weddings, but doesn’t sound like “a wedding band.” Why is it that couples want to avoid that “wedding band” sound? It’s because a hokey wedding band makes everything sound the same—whether it’s jazz or 80s pop. We never want to be that band.

When we play a classic romantic song like “It Had to Be You,” we know how to make it sound like it did in a Manhattan supper club in 1935. But five minutes later, you might want the German eighties pop song 99 Red Balloons by Nena. We’ll nail it with all its synthesized funk, manic double-time energy, and political art-rock sentiments.

We are style masters—students of the arts of jazz, rock, and pop. We want each song to have the right sound and the right feel, from the retro Latin trumpet solo to the Saturday Night Live soulful sax solo, from the rocking male vocal to the waif-ish alternative female vocal or the smoky ballad. Our musicians and vocalists are masters of their craft. We will never sound canned. If you want that, you could use a DJ, but we think you’ll enjoy our live energy much more!

Our flexibility means that we can create the perfect music for your occasion and help you have the party you want. Great dance music, fun rock & roll music, beautiful listening music, sophisticated cocktail music, the biggest selection of ethnic music available in Connecticut, cabaret shows, classical music, and jazz, from a solo piano to a full 10-piece band, we can provide musicians and entertainers for all kinds of events.

But our contribution can go beyond providing exceptional music. We work with you on planning and logistical details before your event, and then when you are surrounded by your guests and busy having fun, we make sure things go as planned. One reason we get so much repeat business is that our clients feel comfortable with the ways in which we help the entire event flow smoothly, beyond “just” playing!

Ready to get started? Get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to discuss your event!

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