Carl is an Austin-based jazz band that deals in standards from the 1940s and 50s. Michelle's flexible vocal style shifts from song to song, changing skillfully from a soft and pure intonation to a throaty challenge-me-if-you-dare growl. We create performances that range from experimental and improvisational to sweet and familiar takes on the classics. Our repertoire consists of classic jazz, bossa nova, swing and more! We have experience playing at diverse venues around Austin, so no matter if you want Ella at your bar's Gatsby party, Mingus at your wedding reception or Sinatra at your corporate holiday party, we're the right band for you.
Very accommodating and great musicians and singer
The Carl Institute played cocktail hour for our wedding and were phenomenal. Their Jazz selections really livened up the atmosphere and got people up and mingling. Very responsive, professional, and well rehearsed.
We had an excellent experience with the Carl Institute and highly recommend them. They were on time, professional from the very beginning in pre-function communications right through to tear-down. They are very talented and sounded fantastic. We were blending families and made a special song request of the band in advance. Even though it was outside their typical style and not on their song list they learned it, played it wonderfully and made our event especially memorable. Our wedding reception had guests from age 4 to 90 and this band entertained and delighted all ages. They made our event elegant, yet fun, and certainly added to the 1920's theme feel. We highly recommend them!
Response from The Carl Institute:
You are so sweet! This was one of our favorite gigs. There’s nothing better than family taking the dance floor and loving the music. We would play for your family anytime!
If anyone is looking to have a good time I would 10/10 recommend this band! Great performance, I had a wonderful time! Thank you all!!
Response from The Carl Institute:
Thank you so much! Your Friendsgiving was wonderful! Definitely one of our favorite gigs.
Very pleased with our experience. Everything went smoothly!
Response from The Carl Institute:
Thank you so much! It was truly a lovely event :)
Carl was awesome! A great group of wonderful and talented people. They performed at our corporate event and everyone had an amazing time.
Thank you!
Response from The Carl Institute:
Thank you so much Sierra! We had a wonderful time playing for y'all :D
We hired Carl for our brunch wedding and couldn’t be happier! We had so many compliments about how wonderful they were. They were able to accommodate a special request for when the bride walked out that brought everyone to tears, then kept the party lively with beautiful music throughout the reception. We would hire them again in a heartbeat. Thank you for helping make our day everything we dreamed it would be!!
Response from The Carl Institute:
We loved playing your wedding so much, it was an honor to be apart of such a beautiful occasion.
"Carl" was fantastic. Not only do they have a great sound, but they were absolutely the perfect band for a small room. They kept an extremely watchful eye on the guests and moved seamlessly between vocals and "jamming" to more quiet background music in response to the subtle shifts in the room throughout the night. They needed zero direction. Highly professional. I can't thank you all enough!
They did a wonderful job! The music was perfect for our party and the smooth tones definitely set the mood for my guests. I would love to have them again. :)
I booked Carl for cocktail hour during my company holiday party and to be honest, I wish we would have extended our booking time. The music was absolutely lovely and I received so many compliments on their song selection. The band was on time, professional and courteous, not to mention they are such talented musicians. I can't wait to book with them again!
The whole band looks and sounds SPECTACULAR!! They were willing to work around our schedule being that it was a wedding. They were super professional and so fun. Music was GREAT! Everyone loved them.
Price Range: $300 and up
Gig Length: 60 - 240 minutes
Languages: English, Spanish
We have the lovely vocalist Michelle Rueda singing the classic jazz standards you know and love, backed up by the rhythm section lead by guitarist Weldon Fulton and featuring drummer Ben Cunningham with a rotating roster of bass and horn players.
We are a group of friends and students who are jazz enthusiasts. We get together to practice and play simply for the love of jazz and live performance. Once we started playing friends' weddings we decided to make it official. This was the birth of this version of Carl.
The band handles their own equipment. We have our own backline including drums, amps, keyboards, cables, mics and speakers.
| January 29, 2024 • 3:00pm - 3:45pm | Birthday Party |
| December 29, 2023–December 30, 2023 • 9:00pm - 12:00am | Birthday Party |
| April 01, 2023 • 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Wedding Reception |
| August 12, 2022 • 4:00pm - 5:00pm | Birthday Party |
| December 31, 2021 • 6:30pm - 8:30pm | New Year's Party |
| December 18, 2021 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Wedding Reception |
| November 20, 2021 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm | House Party |
| November 15, 2021 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Nonprofit Event |
| November 05, 2021 • 6:00pm - 8:30pm | Corporate Event |
| February 08, 2020 • 5:00pm - 9:00pm | Corporate Event |
| December 20, 2019 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Christmas Party |
| December 12, 2019 • 5:30pm - 7:00pm | Corporate Event |
| November 02, 2019 • 10:30am - 2:00pm | Wedding Reception |
| September 27, 2019 • 5:30pm - 8:00pm | Cocktail Party |
| September 14, 2019 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Birthday Party |
| July 20, 2019 • 7:30pm - 9:30pm | Launch Party |
| May 14, 2019–May 15, 2019 • 9:00pm - 12:30am | Birthday Party |
| May 04, 2019 • 2:00pm - 4:30pm | Birthday Party |
| April 26, 2019 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Cocktail Party |
| March 16, 2019 • 6:00pm - 6:30pm | Anniversary Party |
| January 31, 2019 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Nonprofit Event |
Agua de Beber
All of Me
All the Things You Are
Autumn Leaves
Black Coffee
Blue Bossa
Boplicity
C'est Si Bon
Cherokee
Darn That Dream
Desfinado
Dream a Little Dream
Easy Living
A Fine Romance
Freddie Freeloader
The Girl from Ipanema
How High the Moon
How Insensitive
In a Sentimental Mood
Isn't it Romantic?
My Funny Valentine
My One and Only Love
One Note Samba
Out of Nowhere
'Round Midnight
Satin Doll
Sunday Kind of Love
Take the A Train
Wave
You Don't Know What Love Is
Ella Fitzgerald
Charlie Parker
Chet Baker
Billie Holiday
Electricity
Austin, TX 
Jazz Band
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229 Verified Bookings Kiki M. said “Absolutely amazing ensemble! I am so thrilled with this group. It was everything that I could have hoped for. They go above and beyond and made it an…”
Pflugerville, TX
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2 Verified Bookings Max M. said “Helped me get a super talented group of musicians together for a video shoot. The group was fun to work with, easy communication, and musically TOP TOP…”
San Diego, CA
Jazz Band
Happy Jazz provides the perfect background jazz music for your event. Weddings, Cocktail Hours, Corporate Events, Birthday Parties and more!
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