Reviews
We thank all of you fabulous clients for their gracious words and amazing reviews!
Yelp Reviews Google Business Reviews Wedding Wire Reviews The Knot Reviews
Yelp Reviews Google Business Reviews Wedding Wire Reviews The Knot Reviews
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3/24/20 - Karen V. - The Knot
★★★★★ Benny was amazing! We hired Benny as a one man band on violin for pre-ceremony, ceremony, electric mandolin & vocals with Benny BackTracks, full DJ/MC services with chair dance/hora, dance floor lighting rig and 10 uprights. He's so professional and a great and talented musician and exceeded our expectations in every way! Would highly recommend to anyone interested in having live music at their event. 8/31/2019 - Kathy W. - Yelp ★★★★★ We had our first of many Summer Parties at The Presidio Landmark with a guest list consisting of the management and onsite team, local businesses, and quite a number of our residents and their guests. Three Strings and a Mandolin have such a diverse repertoire and are extremely talented. The event could not have been what it was without them. And it was out-of-this-world! 8/22/19 - Leslie R. - Google Business, The Knot, The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ Wonderful/Very Talented Ecco La Vita We hired Benny B Music/Ecco La Vita to play Italian music during our Welcome Dinner at Castello di Amorosa during our wedding weekend. They made the event so wonderful and everyone loved them! I just wish we lived locally in California so we could use them again. I highly recommend them! Very talented! 7/27/19 - Paul C. - Google Business, The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ Super Friendly and Professional! Ben has been absolutely great to work with! We reached out to Ben for a string trio for our wedding. Throughout the process, he was very prompt and incredibly friendly in communicating, and he has been very accommodating with our requests. We look forward to working with him again. Thank you, Ben!!! 7/21/19 - Megan - The Wedding Wire ★★★★★ Dancing All Night! Benny and his team did a wonderful job at our wedding. I was so stressed that people would not dance but Benny got everyone into it and even I was dancing all night. He really played to the crowd well. We were so happy with how it all came out, thank you Benny and team! 6/5/2019 - Jen F. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was the DJ for our daughter's Batmitzvah this past weekend and couldn't have asked for anything more. He was very available to our family to talk us through the process of the evening festivities. We truly didn't know what to expect or plan and he kindly held our hand through the process and was fabulous in his interaction with our daughter regarding music choices and more. He definitely has a knack for reading the crowd and got folks up on the dance floor with true grace and ease - even had the grandparents up and dancing. His flexibility was fabulous as there was a point in the flow where we decided to abandon something on the agenda. Benny was immediately responsive and knew how to re-direct the crowd...not always easy with a large group of 13-14 year olds (and 80 year olds :). So thank you, Benny, for helping create a fabulous celebration. We couldn't have asked for any more! 5/7/2019 - Andria V. - Yelp ★★★★★ My team worked with Benny this past Saturday for a wedding in Menlo Park (at Allied Arts Guild) and he was spectacular! He was able to remain flexible with last minute changes (i.e. when our young flower girl decided to take 5 minutes getting down the aisle... laying one petal at a time ;) It was very adorable, but it also meant improvising and repeating the processional song multiple times. As a wedding planner, his consistent communication with emails/phone calls allowed my team to be confident heading into wedding day. Thank you Benny for all your hard work, and look forward to working together again soon! 5/6/2019 - Elaine S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was our entertainment at our major spring fundraiser. He is fantastic! Benny is easy to work with, has a great voice, listens to what you want and just does it. There is no drama with him. 4/10/19 - Serious B. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben is a talented musician and DJ. He is the one-stop shopping for all entertainment needs. He played live violin and DJ for our Art Gallery Opening. My guests and I were thoroughly amazed and enjoyed his talents very much. If you need live music or if you are in need of a great DJ, Ben is your man. Awesome! Thank you Ben! 4/5/19 - David D. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Benny to play at our wedding and the entire wedding party was amazed and surprised at the choice and range of music, as well as the quality of play. Benny spent a huge amount of time working with us on our song list, which was quite eclectic, but the best part is that he "got" us and worked in songs and themes that matched our backgrounds and background stories. It was just pure fun and Benny is wonderful to work with. My brother brought his alto sax with him from NY and joined in on some klezmer tunes. Benny let him fit right in and we all loved it. We had a combination of live music and DJ and it worked great. Don't hesitate. Benny is your man! 4/5/19 - Chip C. - Google Business, The Knot, The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ Great Experience! Benny was great! We hired Benny a few weeks out from the event and he was able to provide great service and direction during our planning process. He was very flexible and knowledgeable. He worked with a family member to provide accompaniment during during that family member's performance at the wedding. I whole-heartedly recommend Benny. 2/1/2019 - Esther L. - Yelp ★★★★★ Really glad I had Benny to DJ my wedding reception. I appreciated his prompt communication and willingness to plan for the event. My guests enjoyed the music and had a really good time. I'm very happy I decided to hire a DJ that could take care of the vibe! 1/19/2019 - Angela L. - Yelp ★★★★★ I'm writing this review on behalf of my cousin, who does not have Yelp account. Benny provided live music and deejay services for her wedding reception in October 2018 at a steakhouse, and did a wonderful job! For the first part of the event, he played live music with another musician. For the latter part, he was the emcee and DJ. He was very easy to work with in the planning, and had an extensive music list. It was very easy for my cousin to select not only the type of songs she wanted to be played, but also specific songs as well. Benny was also a fantastic emcee, with a great booming voice. He was very helpful in getting everyone to stay on time with the schedule, but at the same time flexible when unscheduled things occurred, such as adding an additional speaker. There were lots of compliments regarding his services, not just from wedding guests, but the restaurant staff as well. He is highly recommended! 1/3/19 - Breann P. - Yelp ★★★★★ I hired Benny BE to play violin at my wedding ceremony and DJ at the reception. He was AMAZING from beginning to end. Very professional. Really took the time to talk with me beforehand to find out what songs I liked and make some excellent recommendations for us. His playing was beautiful -- let me tell you, if you are on the fence about live music for your ceremony, do it, you will not regret it! At the reception he played a great mix of songs that I had specifically mentioned, plus some he chose that were just perfect. I could hardly stop dancing! I would highly recommend Benny for anyone looking to have great music at their event -- very special to have both an excellent musician and an excellent DJ in one! |
2018 |
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11/26/2018 - Ted O. - Yelp
★★★★★ Ben solo DJ'd our daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration. He was enthusiastic and engaged throughout the planning and the celebration itself. He was responsive to our requests but also used his professional judgment to keep people dancing. I appreciated his flexibility in designing a celebration that was indoor/outdoor and included multiple elements - blessings, hora, havdalah service, dancing, kid games, etc. He went to extra effort to make the lighting work for us. He struck a really nice balance of being active in the process, while letting us lead. Pleasure to work with. Thanks, Benny! 10/28/18 - Andrea P. - Yelp ★★★★★ We had a violin and cello duo for the first part of our wedding (pre-ceremony, ceremony, and cocktail hour), and they were wonderful. Harriet and Marcie played beautifully and our guests loved their music. Plus, Benny is a sweet guy and it was great coordinating the planning with him. Thank you! 10/25/2018- Cloudninephotobooth P. - Yelp ★★★★★ Awesome service. I will be recommending my family and friends. 10/15/2018 - Liz F. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was an amazing choice for our wedding ceremony and pre-wedding reception. He and a cellist played a strings duo with classical music and what they played was lovely. Benny was responsive, easy to work with, and reliable. Highly recommend! 9/25/2018 - Dwight H. - Yelp ★★★★★ Great DJ, very attentive, easy to work with, and would definitely recommend him! He DJ'd our wedding and was super nice and lots of fun! 7/9/2018 - Merele G. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben, was very responsive and especially helpful in guiding my wife and I in selecting the perfect music pieces for our wedding processional. I appreciated Ben's patience in working with my wife and I as we're not the most versed in classical music. He and his trio added the final touches to our special day, and we would highly recommend him and his band to anyone who needs professional musicians for their event. 7/8/2018 - Frank G. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny and Amy, the violinist and cellist, were amazing during our wedding pre-ceremony and cocktail hour, playing beautifully and NAILING the songs we asked them to play. Video game music :). Benny was very communicative, and my wife loves the customer service that Benny and his team provided. We were extremely impressed and already thinking of bringing Benny back for maybe a smaller get together in the future. Good job Benny and Amy, made our night very memorable! 5/11/2018- Gary M. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben was wonderful!! What a great Bat mitzvah night! we had a wonderful time and he was a great musician and DJ! Lots of planning and it all paid off. He helped with music for the slide show and the candle lighting ceremony and it went so very well. And, the dancing, dancing, dancing! we appreciated his eye for detail, planning, and the care he took in organizing everything. It helped us navigate seamlessly through the event. The music was great and the event was positive and joyful. We thank him for his work ...and we plan to see him at the wedding in 10 years! 4/9/2018 - Angela M. - Yelp ★★★★★ I am BEYOND happy to have worked with Benny and his team on Svetlina and Stefan's wedding at Hakone Garden. Given that this is my first Jewish wedding, Benny's guidance and attentiveness have been a great part of the whole planning process. I must say that I would not have done this without him. He's very professional and very calm! His attention to detail is superb! His music is just so amazing! If I can give him 10 stars, I would!! I have worked with many vendors and he definitely is now at the top of my list! Great job to you and your team!! 3/4/2018 - Jennifer K. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was great to work with, and the musicians are fantastic. He was responsive and accommodating, both planning for the event, and during the event. We had a specific set of requirements for the different kinds of music played, and Benny did all that we asked. We really felt that during the event Benny "had our backs." Benny was so great that after he played our wedding, we called him for our son's Bar Mitzvah 14 years later! 1/7/2018 - H T. - Yelp ★★★★★ We were looking for a all in one package that could be provide live music, be a DJ and do some light MCing and after talking with Benny on the phone, we felt he was the right person. He is responsive and easy to work with. We had some live music requests that were not in the original music selections that he gave us but he was able to easily incorporate them. He put together a fabulous sounding quartet that everyone loved and then provided great music through the rest of the evening as a DJ. We were really happy that we went with Benny. |
2017 |
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11/7/2017 - CC L. - Yelp
★★★★★ It was a pleasure to have Benny as our music director, sound director, DJ and emcee for our 150+ person wedding reception. He DJ'd the cocktail reception, played live solo violin for two hours during our reception's dinner time, then DJ'd the dancing portion afterward as well. He received many compliments from family and guests on his violin skills, and they were all well-deserved. Benny is different than other DJ's in that he is a professional musician and can cover all phases of ceremony and reception. He was also a delight to work with - he anticipates your needs and makes good suggestions. Thank you, Benny, for making the process easy and smooth for us. It contributed to an epic celebration that was memorable in so many ways. We are very happy with the way everything turned out! Thank you Benny and BBMP! 11/1/2017 – Sandra K. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was a pleasure to work with. He was responsive and extremely helpful when choosing the right services and music for our big day. Many of our guests commented on how good the live music was and it was the perfect addition to our ceremony. We would definitely recommend Benny for any occasion. 10/19/2017 – Emily S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny Be was the BEST!! He was professional and prompt, yet knew how to go with the flow! He was so much fun and really set the mood perfectly for our event- playing violin during our ceremony and great music during the reception. Not only did he play music, but he acted as the MC, moving the event along and working with our timeline. The worksheets he provided beforehand and phone calls we had were also very helpful- allowing for us to think about different aspects of our special day! We recommend him for any big event! 10/7/17 – Shaun O. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben was a real pleasure to work with. We had a wedding up in Woodside, and the combination of his string quartet and mandolin soloing made for a beautiful reception. He also managed our DJ sets and helped to MC the reception as well. He was very responsive and accommodating to our planning needs, and his quartet was able to work outside of their usual song list to play one of our favorite songs for our recessional. Thanks again, Ben! 9/26/2017 – Roni S. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired the Klezmania Quartet for my son's Bar Mitzvah, with Benny on violin, mandolin, trumpet, and vocals, and the other band members on guitar, acoustic bass, and drums. We also hired Benny for full-on DJ/MC services for the latter half of the event. They were amazing! Not just their musical ability, but their timing, enthusiasm, flexibility, pricing and general friendliness! We hired them for our wedding 14 years ago and loved them then, and loved them just as much for our son's Bar Mitzvah. 5 stars for everything--they were excellent and I highly recommend them for any event where you want a combination of jazz, klezmer, soft rock, hard rock, MC capabilities--pretty much anything! Thanks, Benny and Klezmania! 8/27/2017 – Jonathan S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Having Benny with us helped make our wedding so incredibly special. It was reassuring and it helped us relax to have someone we trusted and had full confidence in. Despite both being so overwhelmed with emotion during the ceremony, we could still hear the soothing and beautiful live performance. Many of our guests commented later on how wonderful it was and how much they enjoyed it. And because he was there throughout the ceremony and reception, the transition from ceremony to cocktail hour with live music and then to DJ was incredibly smooth, wholly unnoticeable. We couldn't have asked for more. He did an excellent job as DJ with the music and managing the timeline and taking cues for toasts and other microevents. We thought it all went very smoothly. Great job! 8/25/2017 – Matthew R. - The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ I've been to many weddings and I can honestly say there has never been a better band and/or dj than Benny. Now, in full disclosure, it is true that we had him for OUR wedding and so we might be a little biased. But I have objective reasons to give: 1) The acoustic band is as professional as it gets in the fact that these are all highly trained and skilled musicians. Their catalogue is extensive, but even if you have something that is not part of the standard repertoire - such as our recessional music - all they need is sheet music and it's good to go. Also, while I tend to be nervous about "cover" bands' vocals I can say that Benny added vocals to a few songs and they were great. One song in particular (it's been quite a while since so I forget the actual song it was) had a beautiful improvised long guitar intro that could have easily been heard at a concert and would have brought out serious applause. 2) Benny as DJ - Benny and I had a TON of communication well in advance of the wedding - I've seen too many DJ's at weddings not pay attention to the energy of the crowd and/or play songs that just do not fit. On this score I was very particular and Benny was very easy to work with. I can truly report that the dance floor was never empty or ever even felt empty - as in there was not just that ONE couple... :) It was great energy the whole night through. Being this was my first and only wedding (god willing) I would say to any other first timers that Benny is great because he truly does work with you to make it how YOU want it, while also exercising a degree of autonomy to keep things moving and keep the guests happy. It's also one of those things that you can take care of early on and feel like it is one less thing to worry about. Benny and I spoke a good 5-6 months prior to the wedding and I felt it was taken care of. The only thing I would have done differently is touch base with him closer to the event in a follow up phone call - there were a couple of items I missed and I am sure if I had talked to him closer to the event I would have cleaned that up. That said, even though I knew what I missed, in the end it really did not matter one bit as people are still talking about the best wedding they've ever been to!!! Thanks Benny!!! 8/10/2017 – Greg A. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Ben to play acoustic music at our wedding in August 2017 in Capitola, CA. Ben was easy to communicate with during the planning process of our wedding. He sent us a multi-page questionnaire to create a detailed music lineup for our day. He showed up early on the day of the event and played perfectly for us. We loved his service and we would definitely use Benny Be again for our future events! 8/9/2017 – Matt G. - Yelp ★★★★★ We just hired for our DJ, Benny (DJ BE), for our daughter's bat mitzvah celebration. What can I say? He came highly recommended by another friend of mine. From the first time I contacted him until the final song was spun, he was a complete and amazing pro! He was very responsive to my numerous emails and was very aware of our special needs as he is very experienced. There were some definite curve balls thrown his way the night of our event: from quite a few last minute song requests to a complex series of song edits for our candle-lighting ceremony, and much more. He handled himself with true grace under pressure. Most importantly, there was wide range of ages at this event, including my daughter's friends (early teens). Not the easiest group to get dancing, yet they danced the whole night. In fact, most of the night, people were dancing including me! I cannot recommend him highly enough for all folks who just want to have fun and dance the night away. 8/8/2017 – DL. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny recently played as part of the 6-piece Klezmania band at our traditional Orthodox Jewish wedding. During the Tish/Bedeken, his group provided strolling and "pied-pipering" back-up music for both men and women, including escorting the guests to where they needed to go. During the reception, Benny and his group played nonstop Jewish Hora music for two rounds of dancing, following that with some pop and jazz standards, and the guests couldn't get enough! I heard from a number of guests who came in from the East Coast that the band sounded way better than the most popular Jewish wedding bands even in New York City. Now that's saying something! Benny was very patient and responsive during the whole process leading up to the wedding, including coordinating with us on the rather complex wedding ceremony, a surprise flash mob dance, and the traditional Mezinka dance towards the end of the reception, which he sang beautifully. He emcee'd the event for us with lots of energy and fun! Everyone had a wonderful time, and we are so grateful to Benny for making the event so successful. 7/20/2017 – Megan G. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Ben for our June 2017 wedding in San Mateo and we cannot recommend him highly enough. We did quite a bit of research regarding wedding music but we were having a hard time finding a quality service within our budget. Luckily, Benny Be Music Productions was one of our venue's preferred vendors and he came with glowing reviews. First of all, he offers several different music packages and he was able to work with us to find a package that was within our budget. Second of all, he offers both live music and DJ services. It was always a dream of mine to have live string music at my wedding ceremony, but I never thought it was something I could afford. I was thrilled when I found out I could have Ben play live violin at our ceremony and cocktail hour, and then DJ for the reception, all within our budget. Leading up to the wedding, Ben was so easy to communicate with. Of all our vendors, he was hands down the quickest to respond. He met with us before the big day to go over all of the details. He really tailors the music to what you want. He even learned new songs for us for the processionals. The violin during the ceremony and cocktail hour was absolutely beautiful and just what we wanted. The DJing at the reception was perfect. Ben kept the dance floor packed the whole night. We had so many guests come up to us and tell us how fantastic our DJ was. Ben made the whole event flow seamlessly. My husband and I could not have been happier with his services. 7/9/2017 – Marianna P. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny is such an incredible musician AND so easy to work with. I reached out to him days before my parents 50th wedding anniversary. He had responded within the hour. Was able to provide demos of his music and had helped prepare a playlist specific to my parents taste. He worked with the restaurant manager, was flexible and just made things go smoothly. Did I mention how wonderful he sounds? He's really a class act. Amazing. Made my parents 50th anniversary very special. Thank you, Benny!!!!! 7/4/2017 – Lana B. & Rebecca B. - The Knot & Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Benny to perform at our daughter's wedding on June 30. We could not be happier with Benny's service. This was a destination wedding for us and we hired Benny without meeting him first. Always a little worrisome. However, Benny exceeded our expectations. He is a true professional. His meticulous planning and attention to detail blew us away. He coordinated not only with us but with all our vendors to make our day so special. He performs all sorts of music, from classical to Jewish to Russian. We asked him to learn Asher Bara for us which he did and sang beautifully. He provides both DJ and vocal and instrumental services and all were great. Most of all he is a pleasure to work with..always responsive, detailed oriented, always with a smile and very flexible. If you are looking for a wedding musician in SF, there is not one like Benny. 7/3/2017 – Violet S. - The Knot, The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ We were so lucky to have Benny and his string quartet perform at our wedding! We hired the String Theory Q played for 3.5 hours for pre-ceremony, cocktail hour and half of the reception (before the cake cutting). The live band made our wedding feel so classic and elegant, which is exactly the theme we wanted. We also hired Benny for his full DJ/MC package and he was awesome! We wasn't planned for dancing originally because we were worried about the space limitation and most of our guest might not want to. After the reception, one of our guests walked up to Ben and asked him if he could play some dance music. Benny accommodated the request and started the party. It was such a surprise to us and we ended up having so much fun! Thanks Ben! Overall, Benny is super professional, responsive and easy to work with. We'd highly recommend him to any couple who's looking for a wedding band! :) 6/30/2017 – Jessica W. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Benny to play violin at our wedding ceremony and to DJ and MC our reception. We couldn't be more pleased with his exceptional skills! Benny is a very talented musician and singer and performed beautiful live music at both out ceremony and reception. He is also a great DJ and MC. Additionally, he is very responsive and easy to get in touch with, which is a huge plus when planning a wedding! He worked with us before hand to make sure he knew everything we wanted at our reception and then took care of everything happen perfectly. We even had to keep him a little longer than we planned because our guests were having too much fun dancing to let the party end! I would definitely recommend hiring Benny for you next event!! 6/11/2017 – Kate B. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny and the String Theory Q group played for our garden wedding ceremony and luncheon reception at the end of May. Benny is attentive and thorough- the consummate professional. My father in law had composed a song for our wedding, and Benny and the group were able to provide accompaniment while he performed. It was incredibly special! String Theory Q delivered a wonderful musical performance during the daytime garden reception and all of our guests had great time. It really added a special celebratory feel to the atmosphere to have live music. This whole group is experienced and love what they do; you can feel confident in their abilities. 6/6/2017 – Judah M. - Yelp ★★★★★ My wife and I picked Benny Be Music for our wedding because we wanted a well-reviewed Jewish music service for our wedding. Benny was extremely attentive throughout and offered a package that fit our budget and compared very favorably to other services in the area. Our particular package included violin/piano classical/jazz duet for the ceremony and cocktail hours, DJ/MC/lighting services for the reception, and hora performed by Benny on the violin and voice along with a pre-recorded mix by Benny. The live music was wonderful, and Benny's playlist was all we could have asked for. Couldn't recommend Benny and his company highly enough for your own wedding! 5/8/2017 – MaKenna S. - Yelp ★★★★★ I coordinated a wedding last week with Benny playing and singing all of the music during the ceremony and he was simply wonderful! Even before the wedding day, he was quick to respond to emails and was on top of his responsibilities. He was an enthusiastic team player, easy to work with, and he and his cello player knew exactly when to play during the ceremony on cue. They were able to set up and move quickly from the ceremony to the cocktail hour where they also played and sang, and were wonderful entertainment to all of the guests. I would 100% recommend him to play at your wedding or event, and I look forward to referring him to my clients so I can work with him again! 4/21/2017 – Talia S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben Brussell is a wonderful human being. He responds in a timely manner and is willing to accommodate all requests! For our wedding he played a 30 minute long hora and we all danced so hard, everyone was laughing and loving life and simply enjoying the wedding to the fullest. For our package with Ben, we hired a 5 Piece KLEZMANIA! Band with Piano/violin duo for the wedding ceremony and a Jazz trio with bass, piano, and violin. We also ordered DJ/MC Services plus up-lighting and dance-floor lighting. The up-lighting really brought the room together. The whole package was worth every penny and let me tell you, Ben is very reasonable and willing to work with any budget. We are so happy we all worked together and recommend him to any other brides looking for a great wedding band :) much love! 4/4/2017 – Kenny S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was great. Easy to work with, talented, reliable and fun. Benny was a calming force in our hectic bar mitzvah planning offering seasoned guidance, ideas to choose from and flexibility. We knew we wanted an event that was a bit unusual, and Benny was able to lend his talents and professionalism to help us shape it into a special and unique evening. Benny played mandolin and violin the first hour as cocktails were served and gondola rides were enjoyed, then moved into dinner music, games, and lastly, a raucous dance party. Highly recommend. 2/11/2017 – Uri L. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny was our wedding musician and DJ. We had both live music with his great band (Klezmania) early in the evening and then transitioned to a DJ for the late evening dancing. It was great. Our guests raved about the band for weeks afterward. Benny was very responsive and easy to work with from the planning stages through the end of the event. We are very happy we chose Benny Be, and We are happy to recommend him. 1/15/2017 – Holly A. - The Knot & Yelp ★★★★★ One of the best things I did for my wedding was finding Ben and hiring Benny Be Music Productions. Ben literally made my wedding. From the first contact, Ben was super responsive whether by email or by phone. After our initial call, I immediately knew we had to have Ben at our wedding. He understood what I was envisioning for our wedding and especially understood what it means to hold a Jewish wedding. Ben patiently walked us through the day and really helped us plan our entire wedding. Without him and his calm demeanor, we would not have made it through this stressful event. Since a large percentage of our guests never attended a Jewish wedding before, I asked Ben to explain the traditions as we went through the evening and to walk our guests through how to do Israeli dancing. He did this so well, I even learned things I didn't know before. Feedback from my guests was that they thoroughly enjoyed themselves; especially the dancing. The dance floor was always full. Ben not only DJs, but also sings and plays violin. His talent is endless! Having one company provide both live music during the ceremony/happy hour as well as DJ the reception made my life easy. We also opted for uplighting from Ben, which added to the ambiance of the venue. The survey he provides couples before the wedding really helps plan out all the details. Benny Be Music Productions is a must-have for any wedding. I cannot recommend him enough!! 1/2/2017 – Connie C. - Yelp ★★★★★ It was a pleasure working with Ben for our wedding a few weeks ago. We went with both the String Trio (ceremony + cocktail hour) and his DJ services and I would highly highly recommend both! For those of you unsure about going with live music - let me tell you, it makes a huge difference and is something all of our guests complimented on. Definitely one of the things we are so glad we decided to go with! My only regret is I wish we could have been able to enjoy it ourselves - we were too busy taking pictures in another room. Out of all of our vendors, he was probably the quickest in responding to all of our emails (and there were a lot!) He was very patient and gave his best professional advice for the numerous questions we had. In regards to his DJ service, he was an excellent MC and was able to read the mood of the crowd and adjust to our crowd's music tastes. Thank you so much Ben! You made our night so very memorable. :) |
2016 |
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11/28/2016 – Jake W. - Yelp
★★★★★ Ben did a great job at our wedding! My wife and I had an interfaith, non-religious service, and we hired Ben to play the mandolin (it's electric, pretty cool) before and during the ceremony and for DJing at the reception. Throughout the planning process, Ben was very helpful and responsive. He had a lot of good advice for music choices and worked with us to plan the timing of our ceremony and reception. I'm really glad we went with live music for the ceremony. Ben played the mandolin beautifully, and it made for a wonderful atmosphere. As for the reception, Ben proved to be a talented DJ and MC as well. One aspect that we were particularly happy with had to do with the "anniversary dance." My grandparents have been married for 64 years, so we knew they'd be the last ones dancing. After we learned that they had played a song by the Andrews Sisters at their wedding, we thought it would be nice to surprise them with that song. Ben had the great idea to play a medley of the Andrews Sisters so that my grandparents would end up dancing to that song after all of the other couples sat down, and it ended up being a really nice moment. Ben also did a good job with setup and audio, and provided handheld mikes that we used during the ceremony. Overall, my wife and I are very glad we went with Ben and would highly recommend him. 11/17/2016 – Arille J. - Yelp ★★★★★ Working with Ben for our wedding ceremony was a pleasure. From our initial phone call just expressing interest, I was drawn in with his genuine enthusiasm and obvious passion for his services. My husband and I eventually chose a String Theory Duet (cello and violin) for Classical music played for a Catholic Wedding Mass (Santa Clara Mission). Benny approached our request with much appreciated organization, giving us a list of songs to choose from as well as help us design the overall flow of our ceremony. He's also extremely detailed, which showed in the specific questions he asked leading up to our ceremony - which only made us more confident in his efforts to do an excellent performance. He is extremely responsive via email (and probably phone). Choose Benny for your music services - you won't regret it! 10/14/2016 – Queen Q. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny and his team were super efficient! They were on time, performed the "String Theory Q," string quartet beautifully and captured the guests attention. There was a moment at the eve of the rehearsal where we needed a keyboard and instinct led me to ask Benny if he had any or knew someone who we could rent from. Well, he led me to a guy (Michael Hatfield) who was very helpful! Thanks Benny for saving the day - you are a true professional! 10/6/2016 – Santosh P. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben and Klezmania played at our wedding and it was truly amazing. It was a four piece band, everyone loved the music and had a ton of fun (including the owner of the venue) . Ben is super friendly and was a pleasure to deal with during the entire planning process. He walked us through a mock plan (we are both rookies to the wedding business), helped pick songs, kept in touch and gave us updates. We look forward to having him at our next event. Highly recommend him and the band! 10/3/2016 – Howard F. - Yelp ★★★★★ Klezmania!, this band, is the BEST! Authentic, well-researched, expertly played, genuine Jewish Klezmer music. They have studied Yiddish music and Benny can sing in Yiddish, Hebrew, or English. We had a similar group many years ago, called the Klezmorim, at OUR own wedding and the Klezmania! are equally authentic and wonderful. Versatile, they do many other styles of music competently also. Consummate professionals. Benny, the band leader, will listen to what you want for your event, and provide it well. They can do background music which does not overwhelm an event, then provide rousing Jewish jazz to dance to. If you can appreciate it, their music is also a draw in itself, in concert. In sum, KLEZMANIA! are a traditional continuation of the Jewish music theme through the generations, yet also play classical, a lot of jazz and pop. 9/14/2016 -- Theresa Thao N. - Yelp ★★★★★ For our wedding reception we hired Vibe Ambianz- a trio that consisted of the violin, electric mandolin, and voice, with guitar and bass. It was one of best decisions we've made! It was nice knowing that everyone was entertained while we did our rounds, greeting everyone. We chose to have background jazz/pop music, which was perfect because it didn't overpower any conversation. A small sound system was also included and Ben did a great job making introductions and for each micro-event that occurred during the reception. Ben, it was great having you and your team! We highly recommend this group for anyone thinking of live music, classy taste and a warm personality! 8/31/2016 – Igor B. - Yelp ★★★★★ This is my second time having Ben playing his amazing array of music for a B-Day party at my house. I can honestly say that I did not even entertain any other musicians other than Ben when planning a B-Day party this year. Our experiences with Ben both times were nothing short of fabulous. He is always our No.1 choice for a musical entertainment and I am sure we will have him back at our house in the future. If you are looking for a musician for your special event, please don't look anywhere else - hire Ben, I guarantee you won't be disappointed!!! 8/18/2016 – Laurie G. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben was the DJ for our wedding and he got us all rockin' and rollin' (and hora-ing!) from the time the party began to the last dance. What a great time....and everyone was having a ball-especially us, the bride and groom! Ben also played violin during the hora, along with the music, and that made that portion of the event even more special. He worked in all of our song requests into his set and we really appreciated that. In preparation for the wedding, Ben was quite accessible, always returning my emails and phone calls within a few hours...or right away! He was timely, professional, and a pleasure to work with. Many of our guests told me how much they enjoyed and were impressed by our DJ. We highly recommend Benny Be for making the music of any event and would enthusiastically hire him again should the occasion arise. Thanks Ben!!! 7/10/2016 – Lisa F. - Yelp ★★★★★ My husband and I booked Ben for our small wedding (60 people) in Muir Beach and I'm so glad we did. Ben handled the entire gig himself, playing live music (classical violin and electric mandolin) for our outdoor ceremony & cocktail hour, then acting as DJ/MC for the indoor reception. He also provided a sound system and mic for our officiant, which he set up himself. He made it all look easy! During the reception he played all of the music we wanted and people were up and dancing the entire night- something that was very important to me, as I love to dance! Although we did not have a chance to meet before the wedding, Ben had great communication with us through phone/email. We worked out the music timeline using worksheets he provided, and Ben also gave us great feedback on our song choices and what music would work best for the live portion of the ceremony. All in all it was such a smooth event and I think that working with some one as seasoned as Ben was a big part of it-- he arrived extra early to make sure everything was set up correctly, and he went with the flow as our timeline changed slightly during the wedding. If you are looking for some one to provide both live music and DJ services, look no further! 7/6/2016 – Gabriela K. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny provided all of the music for our wedding last weekend. He was spectacular! His band played during the ceremonies, cocktail hour and horah, and he DJed later in the night. The dance floor was on fire the whole evening. Benny was generous with his time, meeting with us in person on several occasions leading up to the wedding, and he accommodated a few special requests, which required compiling sheet music, learning and playing new songs. He was very responsive throughout the wedding planning process and his positive attitude made him a pleasure to work with. We highly recommend him for any special occasion! 6/19/2016 – Elizabeth C. - Yelp ★★★★★ I hired Ben and his string quartet to play at our wedding. They played during the ceremony, cocktails, and learned a song for our first dance. They were professional and lovely to work with. Many of my guests commented on how good the music was. I'd hire Ben again in a second! 6/2/2016 – David T. - Yelp ★★★★★ I hired Ben & Klezmania to play for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration. They were a tight four-piece band that lit up the room, playing sacred, secular & Klezmer music. Many people attending remarked how much they liked the band, and how much they added to the event. The Hora was jumping! They were great to deal with in setting up the gig. They were responsive to my questions, organized with planning, and flexible with picking a set list (right up to the end). They showed up on time, and followed the schedule. You can tell that they've been doing this for a while. They're pros. The venue required softer volumes for the first third of the set. The band obliged as requested without issue. Thankfully this was the last Bat Mitzvah that I had to arrange. But if I had to do another, I would definitely hire these guys again. No question. 5/24/2016 – Zhuo L. - Yelp ★★★★★ Professional musicians!! I highly recommended every bride to hire Benny Be Music Productions to contract your ceremony and reception musicians!!! I have received so many compliments from my guests about the music. The String Quartet, String Theory Q, made my entire wedding and ceremony classic and elegant. I am no expert in classical music at all. I simply enjoy great live classical music very much. Ben helped me choose almost all my reception music. His string quartet did a wonderful job on my wedding and words cannot express how thankful I feel right now!!! He made it soooo easy for a bride like me, who wanted to have a classic and elegant wedding. 5/6/2016 – Bobbi B. - Yelp ★★★★★ I hired Benny Be to come and play at our agency's Annual Passover Seder for our Holocaust survivors ( a tough crowd to please) and I could not have been happier! Benny and his accompanist Jerry were wonderful in every way! They both were professional, fabulous musicians and most of all easy to work with! They were able to engage our guests in singing along to the traditional Passover songs as well as lively klezmer music and even show tunes! Benny's melodic voice, amazing mandolin playing and knowledge of Jewish music is unsurpassed! Benny and Jerry not only entertained our Holocaust survivors but brought many of them back to the music of their youth!I! I highly recommend Benny Be to anyone for weddings, Bnei Mitzvahs, Jewish holiday events and to anyone who yearns for a trip back to the music of the Jewish people because Benny puts his heart and soul into each song he plays! We will invite him back again and again! 3/27/2016 – Anna F. - Yelp ★★★★★ When deciding on music for our wedding, my husband and I were torn between hiring a band versus a DJ. Luckily, we found Benny B who is both an incredibly skilled musician as well as a talented DJ and emcee. During our meetings before the wedding, Ben was always extremely professional, organized, supportive of our ideas and plans, and knowledgeable about fine-tuning the details of the wedding night. The results at our wedding were AMAZING -- a unique combination of beautiful classical violin solos during the ceremony, smooth jazz played by Ben and his band for the cocktail hour, lively klezmer music as performed by Ben and Klezmania! for the hora, as well as a great DJ set for late night dancing. Ben was great to work with -- extremely professional, organized, reliable, knowledgeable, respectful of our vision, fun, and enthusiastic! Furthermore, he worked closely with our wedding planners and was instrumental in successfully carrying out what became quite an elaborate wedding night schedule. We had many guests tell us how much they loved the music from our wedding night. We are grateful to Benny B and Klezmania! for providing such beautiful and soulful music for our wedding, and we give Benny B our highest recommendation! 3/26/2016 – Hjeanette G. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben is a absolute joy to work with: highly professional, extraordinarily knowledgeable, fun and enthusiastic. We wanted klezmer for a very formal, elegant wedding because of the musical sophistication and traditions of our guests. Furthermore, it was our goal to have the wedding music be experienced as a unique performance, valued by a widely disparate age group favoring everything from jazz to folk to classical to indie rock. Ben Brussell and Klezmania! delivered on everything we asked for and more. Musically, they are second to none. But I would be amiss if I did not mention that they also worked very very well with our event planner and contributed a great deal to 1) managing the flow of the various wedding "events" and 2) ensuring the sound set-up was perfect. Ben has the most lovely voice; I will long remember his a cappella rendition of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav. 3/2/2016 – Peter L. - Yelp ★★★★★ Our restaurant hired Ben and his accordionist (Ecco La Vita! Duo) to perform for our Valentines Day Celebration. He was easy to communicate and work with from the beginning. He also assisted with us with getting another ELV duo for our second location in American Canyon on that same night. We received lots of complements and fantastic feedback from our regular patrons and other guests regarding Ben's music. Recently, we recommended Ben to a wedding client of ours for their wedding reception that we hosted at our restaurant last weekend. Our client was very happy as well her guests with the music referral. We will definitely use him for our upcoming 20th Anniversary Celebration in July and will refer him for other events. |
2015 |
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11/19/2015 – Hannah R. - Yelp
★★★★★ We recently got married at the Sausalito Woman's Club and Benny Be was our DJ for our wedding reception. He did a great job deejaying our event--playing many of our song recommendations and making the dance floor come to life! Prior to our big day, Benny Be was timely with his email correspondence and even met with us in person to chat though the flow of our event. He's an approachable guy and we would highly recommend him for your next deejaying event! 11/12/2015 – Robert S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny and his band have played at both our son's Bar Mitzvah, and four years ago, at our daughter's Bat Mitzvah. I wish I had a third child so we could have him again. I told him that I'd see him at the weddings. Ben is amazing - he worked with us to do exactly what we needed. We brought in a folk dance teacher and he got him miced up, played exactly the right pace (very slowly) as he taught the dances. His band is excellent, his playlist great, his voice super. And when the band gets going (like with the hora) the crowd went wild - it was a time I'll never forget. And working with Ben is a complete pleasure - he's easy going, supportive, kind, and communicates wonderfully. I can not recommend him highly enough. 11/8/2015 – Bill M. - Yelp ★★★★★ Being a manager of Special Events and Private Dining is a cross between a choreographer and a general contractor; half construction and half production. I rely totally on my internal team and my vendors. Without them, I am nothing! When it comes to vendors, I separate the wheat from the chaff. It has been my privilege and honor to work with many talented, brilliant and gifted individuals over the years like Ben Brussell. He is not only an accomplished DJ, a multi-instrumentalist and consummate musician, but also a music history professor! Ben understands with passion where music comes from, its roots, and its beginnings. And this comes forth in all of his performances. He also surrounds himself with the best in the business to satisfy all his client's needs. Ben sits down with his clients to understand their expectations before every event. Call him a perfectionist, which is what drives him. In this world, you get what you pay for and I believe with Ben, there is real value. My clients thank me over and over when I refer Ben Brussell and Benny Be Music Productions. 8/25/2015 – Rebecca F. - Yelp ★★★★★ I hired Benny for our wedding this August. I also used him for the rehearsal dinner. We had a solo violin for the ceremony, a jazz trio for the cocktail hours, a big Klezmania band for the hoorah dancing and Benny dj'd afterwards for cross generational dancing! Benny was great at leading the Horrah and MCing the event. They were on time and totally professional. Their prices are more then fair. They did a great job despite the 90 degree heat! If you are looking to have an awesome Jewish Wedding or event- I highly recommend this music production group. 8/19/2015 – Janet K. - Yelp ★★★★★ You can't go wrong hiring Ben Brussel for your special day. We hired Ben to perform live violin and mandolin for our wedding ceremony and to DJ the celebration after. He was such a pleasure to work with, meeting with us in person, walking us through our choices for all the "micro" wedding events, and setting just the right tone for the reception, dinner and dancing. Our venue (the Sausalito Woman's Club) had many rules about decibel levels and such. Benny took care of all of that. Plus he learned a special song we requested for our recessional and worked with me to record the ceremony through the PA system. We used Dropbox to pass music files back and forth. Whatever curve ball I threw him, he picked up and ran with it - even playing the perfect song for my brother-in-law's juggling act. Best of all, the guests loved him! Highly recommended. 8/19/2015 – Stefan Z. - Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Benny B. for our wedding and we could not have been happier with his services. Initially, we communicated via email because we were half way across the country. We had our first face-to-face meeting with Ben just about 2 weeks before our wedding. As it turned out, we were far behind our logistical planning of the wedding (i.e. the timeline of events). Ben was EXTREMELY helpful at getting the plan for the timeline rolling. He has done hundreds of weddings and had a lot of great suggestions. From the top, here are the services we received from Benny B.: 1) One huge selling point was that Ben plays violin and has a seemingly vast network of professional musicians that he can call on. We used this service for our ceremony. Ben played violin during our ceremony with one of his band mates on guitar. What's more, is he transcribed the music of one of our favorite songs for the processional for a nominal fee and learned to play it beautifully in under a week! To top it off, we didn't even know we wanted a guitarist until a week before the wedding when we chose the processional song! This was not an issue for Ben and his musical connections! 2) When the ceremony finished, family members and the bridal party took pictures, but we didn't know what to do with our other guests! Ben to the rescue yet again! He violin pied-pipered from the ceremony venue to the reception venue. If you don't know what that means - he played violin down the street while leading everyone not scheduled to take pictures to the reception hall! Obviously we missed this, but our guests loved it! 3) Jazz guitar and violin at the reception hall for a cocktail hour while pictures were being taken. This was an instrumental event that kept the night flowing smoothly for all of our guests. 4) Bridal party introduction to the reception! This was a blast and we had never heard of it. Ben suggested that some wedding parties did this and it sounded fun. We gave Ben a funk tune and he edited it seamlessly for our introductions. He called the names of the bridal party 2 at a time until we were all in there - what a blast! 5) HORA HORA HORA! When we (bride and groom) were introduced to the reception, the hora began! Ben instructed everyone in the party how to perform the dance and it was great fun being lifted in the chairs for ~10min! The reception hall was a tad bit too small for all of our guests to perform the dance ... until, of course, Ben did some shuffling around of people and made it work. 6) MC for events during the reception (e.g. toasts, dinner, cake, etc). Ben made sure we got in all of the events we wanted to get in in the limited amount of time we had. He kept the party moving smoothly... let me tell you, you don't want to have to think about the flow of events during your reception and we didn't have to once! My wife wanted to dance for at least 2 hours and we only had a 4 hour reception! Seems impossible right? WRONG! 7) DJ for 2+ hour dance party (in addition to keeping the music going throughout the reception). People were on the dance floor for the duration of the dance party. Ben knows how to read a crowd and keep the dancing going, all the while playing songs that we had hand selected prior to the event. Don't ask me how he did it, he just did. There were more than a handful of people soaking wet with sweat by the end of the night! Oh and BTW, lights that go along with the music? Sure why not! Another great thing to have at a dance party that Benny B can provide. Other logistical aspects of our experience - Ben was on time to our meeting and early to the venue day of to set up. He was nothing but a professional from start to finish and as stated above really helped us focus the structure of our party in about 1.5 hours, 2 weeks before the party! We were so excited after this meeting that we had found an outstanding DJ for a fraction of the price of other DJs we had received quotes from, it almost seemed to good to be true! Our initial excitement was not misplaced! Ben was in constant communication with us before the event, he was very understanding to the level of stress my wife and I were under during the preparation, and did everything possible to minimize the amount of stress we had to deal with. To sum up this review - Anyone would be lucky to have Ben and his team at their event. PERIOD. It is hard to imagine how a DJ/MC can be better! 8/19/2015 – M. S. - Yelp ★★★★★ Benny Be and his troupe are amazing musicians and have an incredible knowledge of Jewish music. I would recommend them for any Jewish event. They run the whole gambit of traditional to klezmer to cross-generational hits. Make sure you specify the kind of music you want before your event (for instance, only Klezmer), so that you and this group are on the same page. They have a huge amount of equipment and set up like a big name band. They are not fazed by tough weather conditions or rough terrain and keep the party going. They are available after hours at a reasonable price (they will announce they are leaving and you can ask them to stay) and are willing to DJ somewhat more contemporary music as well. 7/5/2015 – Emma G. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben did the music for our wedding and it was absolutely phenomenal! He was accommodating to our many special requests and creative ideas. During the event, he was joyful and fun! We also used his lighting and it made our plain space look elegant and lovely. Ben has a great musical variety in his archives and helped us. 4/15/15 - Sophie S. - Wedding Wire ★★★★★ I just hired Benny and his team for a kiddush luncheon, and they were the perfect addition for the event. They kept the music playing for two hours straight and created the perfect atmosphere for people to enjoy their food and each other's company. They kept the music at a consistent level that allowed for conversation, but at the same time filled the room. As a party planner, I need to have dependable vendors, and Benny and his team are as good as it gets! 4/13/2015 – Robert S. - Yelp ★★★★★ I truly can not recommend Ben Brussell and his band highly enough. Every single aspect of working with Ben was easy and actually a joy -communicating and planning my daughter's Bat Mitzvah celebration. The band's music was extraordinary - beautiful and motivating and energizing. Ben and the musicians understood the mood and energy level and we literally had 100 people (children, teens and adults; Jews and non-Jews; dancers and non-dancers) all holding hands and twirling and swirling together on and on. It was a once in a lifetime experience. (Maybe twice in a lifetime - we will definitely hire them again for our son's Bar Mitzvah!) 4/10/2015 – Julia M. - Yelp ★★★★★ Thank you Ben! You made the kiddush lunch come alive! Your music added so much to the event. It would not have been the same without you! Thank you again! 3/18/2015 – Heidi S. - The Wedding Wire & Yelp ★★★★★ We hired Benny for the Osher Marin JCC's annual Purim Palooza family carnival, and were delighted with the entire experience. He played traditional Jewish music with an interactive sing-along component, and accompanied his vocals on solo violin and mandolin. His music struck the perfect tone for the event, and played well in both our large theater space, as well as in our smaller atrium. Benny's music and engaging personality was a hit with our visitors of all ages! Benny was an absolute pleasure to work with, before, during and following Purim Palooza. We will absolutely hire him for future events, and at some point, I hope to have the opportunity to hear his full band! 1/20/2015 – Ron S. - Yelp ★★★★★ As a Wedding Planner we work with many Entertainers, Bands and DJ's. Benny Be Music is professional in every way. We haven't had any complaints from our clients. We welcome calling Benny Be Music for our events. 1/19/2015 – Micahel D. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben was a pleasure to work with as we planned the music for our wedding. He met with us multiple times and was gracious and enthusiastic in offering suggestions and advice for how our event would come together. He learned special requests for our ceremony and put together a great group of musicians tailored to our day--a klezmer core that branched out into Irish folk, the American songbook, country, pop and more. Then he put on a new hat (literally!) and DJ'd the rest of the event, working from a list of songs we had put together and keeping the reception flowing. Ben is a true pro, and it's easy to see why he's so successful at what he does: He's having fun, which is key to everyone else have fun, too. Highly recommended! 1/14/2015 – Dayna M. - Yelp ★★★★★ Ben is great! We hired his band to perform for a graduation ceremony and were very pleased. Very accommodating and professional, not to mention the music was outstanding! |
2014 |
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11/16/2014 – Mark S. - Yelp
We hired Ben for DJ, MC, and Lighting services (stage and up-lighting). He doesn't just press play and speak into a mic -- hes a band leader and a violin player in a Klezmer band, so in addition to run-of-the-mill DJing, he played solo jazz, and Jewish violin pieces too! (yes, he pulled out a Violin and played along with a seperate live band, as well as with a Hora soundtrack!) It was more than we could have asked for. The wedding was cross-denominational -- it was flattering to see we had made the right choice, as our guests, Jewish and Gentile, were both commenting (to us and to him) how amazing he was! Did I mention, he ROCKED THE HORA! With Live Violin!?!?!?! He DID! We can't say enough good things about him. He was very professional both before, and during the event. He was very flexible and accomodating to our specific needs, in the way you can only understand if you have to go through the wedding planning process -- wedding planning is not easy, and his flexibility made it that much easier. We can't wait to hire him again, but I think we'll try him along with Klezmania the next time around to take it to the next level... 11/16/2014 - Mark S. - The Wedding Wire We were delighted to have had an opportunity to work with Ben again for our most recent simcha. This time we began with Klezmania but then transitioned to having Ben as the DJ during our event. As with our last event, Klezmania filled our room with energy and joy. I wasn't sure before the event how well the transition to DJ would go but, to my relief and delight, Ben artfully made the shift and, before long, kids, teens, and adults were all dancing up a storm. Everyone was extremely pleased with the event and, as in the past, Ben was a pleasure to work with in all of our dealings. Todah Rabah! 11/3/2014 – Yehudit S. - Yelp From start to finish, Ben Brussell of Benny Be Music Productions was a joy to work with.My clients hired Ben to DJ, as we already had a band hired. As the wedding planner, I was given the task of bringing together two different music groups for my clients of both Brazilian and Jewish heritage. Ben was so helpful, patient and professional with all the planning details. He was a great asset to the event team. On the day of the wedding, he arrived promptly and set up the lighting and equipment. Everything looked great. When it came time for him to lead the hora dance, everyone joined in and he did such a great job leading the group. They all had so much fun! This was first time the Brazilian bride had experienced a Hora. She had such a good time and can not stop talking about how much fun she had with the hora dance.. Ben is also a great MC, as well. I will be recommending Ben and his band Klezmania highly to all my clients who want to have a Klezmer Hora dance experience. Very talented violin player too. 9/24/2014 – Masha L. - The Wedding Wire & Yelp Great to work with, very easy, memorable performers! We hired Benny & band for our wedding. We had them play our ceremony, processional, & music during brunch. We wanted a mix of jazz, more classical violin, and Kleitzmer music for after the huppah. Benny really delivered! The music was just what we wanted, and to this day our guests can't forget what a stellar performance they had witnessed. On the business end of things, Ben was great to work with. He understood my needs, and was easy going - yet organized. He was not too pushy, and understood that I needed time to make my decisions when it came to the wedding. He made great recommendations based on my needs and was a true pleasure to work with. I would recommend him to anyone planning a wedding or a special event! 9/20/2014 – Katie L. - Yelp Ben and his team provided both live music and DJ services for my wedding. I cannot tell you how fantastic everything was. The klezmer and folk music played for our cocktail hour and ceremony was one of my favorite parts of the wedding. Ben also did a fantastic job leading the hora and chair dance, especially since most guests had never been to a jewish wedding before. Ben is professional, well organized, easy to contact and generally a nice guy. I give him my highest recommendation! 9/9/2014 – Shareena C. - Yelp Ben and Klezmania were amazing! Ben was very careful about song selection, and paid close attention to how our guests were feeling. The hora was a hit and folks danced until they split their pants and skinned their knees (this is a good thing). Hiring Ben and or Klezmania is one of the best decisions you can make for your event! Thanks for making our wedding reception so special! 9/2/2014 – Milena S. - Yelp Ben and his team are amazing! He created a magical atmosphere at our wedding. We hired him for solo violin, solo mandolin and voice during the ceremony, 3 Piece KLEZMANIA! band for background dinner music and dancing the hora; DJ/MC services for the entire wedding. Everything was perfect. Our guests were amazed by the quality of musical entertainment. During the ceremony the music added to a very special atmosphere, during the dinner it was smooth and quiet and when it came to dancing -- it was a blast, nobody could stay away from the dancing floor. Ben is a very talented musician and singer. Also a great person to work with: responsible, reliable and attentive to details. We highly recommend him! Thank you, Ben!! 8/17/2014 – Sniper D. - Yelp On time , professional, and flawless !!!! My wife n I hired Ben as a solo violinist for our wedding- we could have not been more happier!!! Numerous guests complimented his performance and his dedication to put on a great show!! Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to hire for their wedding !!! No complaints whatsoever! 5 yelp stars all the way!!!! 2/19/2014 – Sherie Lyn H. - Yelp Benny Be Music Productions and the band Klezmania performed at our client's wedding this past January. They performed simcha Jewish celebratory music, jazz, world and pop which the guests and our clients danced to all night long. They especially had a great time dancing the hora. The music selection was perfect as guests were able to enjoy conversation and at the same time get up and dance. Ben was our MC for the wedding reception. He was very professional, punctual, easy to work with and kept the audience engaged all night. As an event/wedding planner, we had a great time working with Ben and his band Klezmania. We will definitely recommend Benny Be Music Production to our future clients' events! 2/7/2014 – Maayan C. - The Wedding Wire & Yelp Benny and his crew create simply amazing music and their performances are always top notch. As an event planner, I have had the pleasure of working with Ben and he truly provides nothing but extreme professionalism and talent every step of the way. They work with crowd, get them up and dancing and leave everyone in a fantastic mood. I love working with Ben because I know my clients will be well taken care of. You will not be sorry if you hire him for your next event. He is the best! 1/6/2014 – Sophie M. - Yelp I just hired Benny and his team for a kiddush luncheon, and they were the perfect addition for the event. They kept the music playing for two hours straight and created the perfect atmosphere for people to enjoy their food and each other's company. They kept the music at a consistent level that allowed for conversation, but at the same time filled the room. As a party planner, I need to have dependable vendors, and Benny and his team are as good as it gets! |
2013 |
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11/18/2013 – Liz L. - Yelp
My husband and I hired Ben to perform the violin and DJ for our wedding earlier this month. He did an amazing job. He kept me on track, helped develop a playlist for the ceremony and worked with myself and the other vendors in developing our timeline. He was responsive to emails, professional, easy to work with and on time for the event. The music at the reception was a huge success. He can read a crowd well, played a wide range of music and I think he got everyone, including my 97 year old grandmother, out of their seats! The wedding was a blast! I couldn't have asked for a better DJ and musician! 11/17/2013 – Eytan B. - Yelp Benny Be performed at our wedding in Piedmont in October. We had originally chosen Ben because of all the positive reviews on Yelp and the fact that he seemed to have a lot of experience with Jewish weddings. Ben and a backup cellist did live music for the entire wedding: they played violin, mandolin, and cello for the ceremony, cocktails, and dinner, and then Ben MC/DJed for the toast and dancing. Ben is professional, patient, approachable; he made sure we had a shared understanding of music we wanted, and explained the different traditional songs that we might want for ceremony. They played both classical and traditional Jewish/Israelli music at the wedding ceremony. He also transcribed and adapted Sigur Ros' "Staralfur" for my wife's processional, which was great. Ben also sang before and after the ceremony, and as my friend Solomon said, the performance "gave the ceremony a certain air of authenticity". Ben was very responsive to the crowd and played a good range of music. We had requested gypsy jazz for the cocktail hour, and also whatever the crowd wanted. He exceeded our expectation on both accounts. There was even a few minutes where he was playing and singing Israelli folk music along with my mom and her friends! The duo also played classical and jazz music during dinner. Ben also did a swell job of MC/DJing later in the evening. We would highly recommend Ben, and feel like we really lucked out by having him at our wedding. 10/16/2013 – Peter S. - Yelp Ben was the DJ and musician at our wedding in September and he was amazing. He was super responsive building up to the big day, worked within our budget and helped us come up with a song list that would keep the crowd going. During the ceremony and cocktails he played violin, too. Ben is super talented and was able to play any song we requests. After Benny played at our wedding, we had numerous guests tell us that they now wanted a Klezmer band to play at their wedding, with a few even admitting that they wished they were Jewish. That was the kind of impact Benny had. He was warm and empathetic from the very start. Some event musicians try to aggressively sell you services, equipment and extra add-ons you may not need, but you get none of that with Benny. It is clear that Benny does this for the love of his art and heritage. He treated us with the respect and TLC of a wise friend, in planning meetings, emails and the day of. He handled the PA system for our entire wedding day and was a consummate professional. He had everything under control so we didn't have to. Klezmania really got the guests dancing, as did Benny B's DJ segment later in the evening. You don't have to be Jewish or a hipster to break a sweat on the dance floor when Klezmania plays. We recommend him! 7/17/2013 – Miriam S. - Yelp After Benny played at our wedding, we had numerous guests tell us that they now wanted a Klezmer band to play at their wedding, with a few even admitting that they wished they were Jewish. That was the kind of impact Benny had. He was warm and empathetic from the very start. Some event musicians try to aggressively sell you services, equipment and extra add-ons you may not need, but you get none of that with Benny. It is clear that Benny does this for the love of his art and heritage. He treated us with the respect and TLC of a wise friend, in planning meetings, emails and the day of. He handled the PA system for our entire wedding day and was a consummate professional. He had everything under control so we didn't have to. Klezmania really got the guests dancing, as did Benny B's DJ segment later in the evening. You don't have to be Jewish or a hipster to break a sweat on the dance floor when Klezmania plays. We recommend him! 7/16/2013 – Raquel C. - Yelp Ben and his partner did such an awesome job at our wedding on July 13, 2013 they played the violin for our ceremony it was beyond my expectations. Having them played the violin made it extra special. Ben was very kind and always on top of emails!!! I was the busy bride and he was always the one checking in on the song list. I am very happy with his work!!!! THANK YOU Ben 4/26/2013 – Mark M. - Yelp Benny Be and the gang played some amazing music this past Sat eve at B'nai Emunah. Im sure that 46th and Taraval and the SF Sunset hasn't heard music like this ever! Not only was Ben great to work with from start to finish, but we're ready to book our next gig with the band. The music truly was a magical portal connecting us to our Jewish heritage and culture in a way that only music can. With Ben and the band in the driver's seat, the show was an adventure into the past, present and future, simultaneously. It really moved me and my family, and we're on board to catch the band again and again. 3/25/2013 – Horacio V. - Yelp After searching for some time, asking different quotes and listening to different samples, I hired Ben to play the violin and the mandolin at a surprise wedding proposal to my girlfriend at the Tulip Garden within the Golden Gate Park. As I live outside the US and had never been in San Francisco, Ben was my local source of information, 'wingman', and consultant for our once in a lifetime proposal. Since the first email, several phone calls and different request made by made (the Godfather love theme with the mandolin is a MUST!), Ben was very professional and yet caring for us to achieve a Yes from my girlfriend. The event occurred on a Saturday, that was my birthday. Ben organized the whole scene with the people around, as a wedding reception was going on, was very patient as I got late to the park, and played the tracks I have asked (and many others) majestically. If you want to make a special wedding proposal, have musicians playing with their hearts at your reception or just do something romantic for your special girl while in San Francisco, Ben and his company are definitely your best choice! |
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12/14/2012 – Marcail K. - Yelp
We hired Benny Be for our wedding in November. From the first meeting with him I immediately got a great vibe from him. He was very calm and easy to work with. He and I spoke during one of my many thousand questions leading up to the wedding and every conversation he was extremely helpful with guidance. Now comes the wedding day. I had to do absolutely nothing with regards to Benny's plans. He was true perfection. He stared out our ceremony playing violin, which was beautiful, and continued through the cocktail hour. So elegant and relaxing, it made the guests very comfortable. Now comes the party!!!! He did such a fantastic job, played exactly the songs I requested and took a few recommendations from our guests, which I advised was ok prior to the event. Everyone said it was the best reception music they've ever heard and everyone had such an amazing time. If I have another event or a friend asks for a recommendation, I'd refer them to Benny any day!!!!!!! Thanks Benny Be, you made are day AWESOME! 10/5/2012 – Mike C. - Yelp Marsha and I got married in Sept 2012. I was tasked with finding the DJ. I attempted to be a little more ambitious and wanted to find a live band, string trio, and dj. I lucked out finding Benny Be Music Productions. So we did not have a true wedding planner. That was a mistake. Anyone thinking you can do it on your own and have it go off without a hitch with a wedding larger than 20 people is crazy. Get a wedding planner. It is worth the money. That being said Ben really helped our wedding be a success. I can say without any hesitation he smoothed over several areas so everything ran much better. Areas normally handled by a wedding planner. Ben stepped right in and knew how to keep everythign moving with music. He did a really good job. I had Ben set up a string trio for 30 min prior to our wedding, they played for about 30 min during our ceremony, and then for about an hour after the wedding while appetizers were being served. This was all classical music, and it was great. I got a lot of compliments about it. Mainly because no one does it anymore because they think it is too expensive. But having it really made people realize how beautiful live music is. Especially when it is played well. It really put the wedding over the top. After the appetizers he cut lose all but one of his team and they then set up a dj booth for after dinner dancing. While dinner was being served he pulled out a mandolin and walked around singing Italian songs. The old timers at the wedding loved it. Although I did not utilize everything he had to offer he is a full one stop shop for your music needs. There really is no need to try to piece everything together yourself. Ben can do it all, and he is proficient at doing it. What I really liked is that with minimal instruction he knew exactly what needed to be done. We had about five 4 min phone calls and a 45 min meeting at a coffee shop. We picked 2 or 3 songs we liked and based off of that he put an entire program together that maintained the style and theme throughout. I did not know he could sing and play mandolin until the last 30 min of our final meeting. He causally said "if you like I can sing some Italian songs during dinner" At first I hesitated because singing with no instruments is tricky. But he added "I will bring my mandolin since I will not be doing anything anyway while you are eating. " It added a very nice touch. It was absolutely perfect. He is not some mindless DJ playing mp3's though a sound system. He is a properly trained musician. He understands music and knows its composition and how it comes together. I can tell you with complete certainty, he can play a violin, mandolin, and he can sing. I do not mean throaty renditions of a Frank Sinatra song. He has a good voice. I was really impressed. I want to mention we ate dinner in a wine cave, He knew exactly how to place the PA for acoustics. He really knows what he is doing. I really could not tell you a single bad experience about him. As long as he keeps doing this I will use him for any and all future music gigs. He was so impressive my sister is also using him for her wedding. 10/5/2012 – John K. - Yelp Benny and his trio played at our wedding on 08/10/12. Their versatility and professionalism made our special occasional very memorable!! The ability to sing in italian and play classic mandolin really impressed our families. "Volaire" turned into a sing along during the dinner portion of our event and brought smiles to all. I can't say enough about his vast repertoire, instrumental skills, and sense of timing. We will definitely be hiring him again!!! 9/13/2012 – Alex F. - Yelp We hired Benny B. to play at our wedding in August after a long and frustrating search for a violinist. Obnoxious people and insane prices - we seen and heard it all. We were just about to give up on the whole violin idea when we accidentally discovered Benny on CL. From the first time we called Ben we knew that this guy will be playing our wedding and no one else. In every sense our experience dealing with him is nothing short of remarkable. Ben is a professional of an utmost grade (musicianship and business both). His music list is a mile long and when my wife asked for an old Jewish tune for our ceremony that he did not know, Benny voluntarily learned it and played it beautifully. First he entertained our guests by playing throughout the cocktail hour. The highlight was when Ben and our wedding band guys (they never met each other prior to that) started playing along like it's nothing and they do it every night. Our guests were happy and entertained and dancing before the actual wedding even stated. After that Ben played during our ceremony taking turns with our Cantor who he again never met before. Beautiful. There was not a single heart in that place that Benny's violin did not touch that night. What else can I say? Benny is a true mensch. He will spend as much time with you and give you all attention you need without rushing you or looking or acting irritated. Incredible guy. Astounding musician. I will recommend Benny to anyone in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact already did. Thanks again Ben and the best of luck to you! 7/10/2012 – Dan L. - The Wedding Wire & Yelp My wife and I had Benny's Mandolin/Violin combo play in our ceremony, and the KLEZMANIA! Quintet play at our reception. We were very happy with the service provided by Benny B. Ben worked with us to come up with the music we wanted at each phase of the wedding -- the ceremony, cocktail hour, lunch, and live dancing music. His mc'ing during lunch (introductions of toasts, etc.) was very smooth -- we just provided the schedule ahead of time and he made sure it happened. The ceremony music was beautiful, and the 5-piece band fronted by Ben was great. The best part of all was that Ben and the band got our guests on their feet doing an energetic chair dance and some frenzied circle dancing, which is exactly what we wanted -- lots of laughter and people having a good time. I recommend Ben to anyone looking for a complete package of music/dance/mc services for their wedding -- we were glad that he was there. 6/25/2012 – Sebastian F. - Yelp Benny Be and his musicians played at our wedding at Stinson Beach a few years ago. Their performance was nothing but fantastic. Their music was so well aligned with the feeling of the event. I give a lot of credit to their artistic style. During the ceremony, their music set up the perfect climax. The Klezmer was a blast. The music inspired all the guests to be part of the dancing and celebration and they managed the timing so well. Ben Brussell is very professional. We met with him at our house for planning and he was always very friendly, flexible and respectful of our expectations for the wedding. Benny Be: Thank you so much! You guys are amazing talented musicians and artists and super nice people! 6/21/2012 – Liya Z. - Yelp Benny Be and his band played at our wedding in Sonoma a few years back and we couldn't be more pleased! We wanted to have classical, klezmer, jazz, latin and pop music as part of the ceremony and reception and these guys tackled them all exceptionally well. Ben Brussel is an incredibly talented musician. He is professional, dependable and a pleasure to work with. Not only did the band play during our ceremony and reception ( The hora part was amazing! everyone got out of their seats to dance) , but Ben was also our master of ceremonies and DJ for the second part of the party where we requested top 40 music for the younger crowd. I would not hesitate in recommending these guys to anyone! 6/19/2012 – Tori B. - Yelp KLEZMANIA isa by far the best Klezmer/Israeli/jazz/blues/rock band in the bay area. Not only are the band members professional and easy to work with, they are SUPERB performers! I have hired them for large dance parties and for more intimate functions and have never been disappointed. Ben Brussell, the manager, has been at this for years and is an great resource for planning your event, gauging the type of music desired and maintaining a level of professionalism not often seen with vendors who book their own gigs. They have always arrived on time with all equipment set to go. If you are looking for a band that will get folks on their feet, and a built in MC to help run the schedule of events then this is the band for you! They are affordable, trustworthy and lots of fun. I have recommended them to all my friends. 6/17/2012 – Maria H. - Yelp KLEZMANIA made our wedding great. Benny was extremely helpful before and during the event. Both my family and my husband's family are full of musicians, and everyone loved the band. Highly recommend! 6/14/2012 – Libby H. Before my husband and I were even engaged, we had seen KLEZMANIA! perform at another friend's wedding, so we didn't hesitate to call Ben Brussell as soon as we decided that we wanted a band at our own wedding. We picked our wedding date around this band's availability, and luckily for us, it worked out wonderfully! The guys in KLEZMANIA! have a way of reading the crowd and determining what kind of music is appropriate for the moment, and their talents do not end there. The band's renditions of many popular songs sound a.m.a.z.i.n.g. -- even better than the originals, according to some of our guests! The wild hora set was a huge hit at our party: we heard rave reviews from those who are very experienced in Jewish dancing and also from those who'd never before witnessed a hora. Ben and his band-mates are inspiring musicians; their performance of a few songs during our wedding ceremony had guests in tears, and their background music during the cocktail hour was also very fitting for the occasion. My wedding day went off without a hitch (except for that of mine to my new hubby), and we owe a huge part of its success to KLEZMANIA!: for taking requests as appropriate as the reception schedule changed slightly throughout the evening, for reading the crowd and being flexible with musical selections in the band's repertoire, and for playing fabulous music. We couldn't have been happier with our choice in wedding band! 6/14/2012 – Mark S. - Yelp Many thanks to you for adding so much spirit to our celebration. We both truly loved the music, as did our guests, who were just thrilled to listen, to dance, and to clap along. You were also a pleasure to work with, both before and during the celebration. We could not have been happier with our having chosen KLEZMANIA for our celebration! 6/14/2012 – Tammy P. - Yelp I loved Benny Be Music as DJ for our wedding. Benny let us pick out all our songs from an amazingly long list. He was totally flexible with the amount of time we wanted (unlike some other DJs we checked out, who had set minimum blocks of time). Benny is warm, professional, and a heck of a good musician (I've had the pleasure of seeing him play Klezmer too). You won't be disappointed! 6/14/2012 – Mike S. - Yelp Thanks so much for making it a great day for us, everyone had a blast! 6/13/2012 – Masha G. – First To Review - Yelp Ben Brussell and Benny Be Music are a pleasure to work with. They have provided klezmer music for many events for Jewish Family and Children's Services over the years, and they never disappoint. They are responsive, punctual, gracious, AND they play beautiful music. I unhesitatingly recommend them as consummate event music professionals. |
