X-Ploration JazzA Touch of Class for Your Business Event
Live jazz for corporate events and private gatherings.
A three to five piece group I lead, with over fifty years on the bass. Available around South Florida.
The group
Sized to the room, from a duo to a quintet.
A duo, bass and keys, suits a cocktail hour or a small reception where the music belongs under the conversation. Add drums and you have the trio, the configuration I book most often: enough to swing, small enough to keep a room talking.
A quartet brings in a horn or a vocalist for a longer evening. The quintet handles an awards night, a gala, or a feature set that closes out the room after dinner.
The repertoire covers jazz standards and contemporary instrumentals, drawn from a deep book. I will work with you on a setlist that fits the event: background music through dinner or breaks, something with more energy later in the evening, or a full performance to cap off the night.
How it plays
Set the tone. Never overwhelm the conversation.
Receptions and cocktail hours. Corporate meetings and conferences. Holiday parties, award nights, product launches, executive retreats, and private dinners. The musicians I work with have years of experience playing for corporate and private clients, and they know the difference between a room that wants to listen and a room that wants to talk.
Energy when you want it, out of the way when your guests need to talk. The group travels. Tell me the date, the room, and the mood you are after, and I will tell you what fits.
Who leads the group
You are booking a working musician, not an agency.
I built my career in Atlanta. I founded the Bass Program at the Atlanta Institute of Music in 1985 and spent close to three decades on the city's jazz and session scene, including eight years as the house bassist for the Ritz-Carlton Jazz Trio, along with studio work on national radio and television spots.
Then twelve years in the Washington DC region, working across DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. It is one of the toughest rooms in the country for a working jazz player: the bar is high, the players are serious, and nobody keeps calling you back unless you can hold your own every night. That is where X-Ploration Jazz took its current shape.
When you call, you reach me, not a booking desk. There is a fuller account on the bio page, and the artists I have recorded and performed with are listed on credits.
Booking
Tell me about your event.
Whether you are booking background music during breaks or a full performance to cap off the evening, the group scales to fit. To talk through what your event needs, reach out directly:
- Call or text
- 404-386-0983
- russrodgers@gmail.com
Explore
Book jazz for your event.
Live jazz for receptions, galas, and private dinners around South Florida. A phone call or an email is all it takes.