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UpFront Band
- Vancouver, WA
- Jazz Band
- Travels up to 90 miles
- Two hrs: Duo=$450 up to 6-piece=$1400 (varies)
Overview
UpFront Band is a versatile musical group and solo performers that have provided live music for events and weddings throughout Oregon and Washington. Their focus is on Jazz (smooth, standards, swing), Latin, ballroom dance and their own twist on classic rock-n-roll, roaring 20s, oldies and pop songs for receptions and classical music for wedding ceremonies. We will tailor our performance to your needs at reasonable rates.
Chris Bidleman (keyboard & vocal) and Steve Burpee (sax & vocal) the founders of The UpFront have been playing music together since Jr High. In 2002 they formed the Portland/Vancouver based band "UpFront". They are joined by Robert Schultz on drums and Jason Hafer on bass.
35 Reviews
Very thankful for a beautiful evening of a wonderful music. Very professional. We will be asking for a return visit. Our members enjoyed Up Front's performant. Thank you.
Jazz Band
I am the executive director for an environmental nonprofit called Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition (oregonshores.org). We hired UpFront Band to play at our recent fundraiser. UpFront Band played for 2.5 hours on board the Portland Spirit yacht, and our guests LOVED the music! People were dancing and had so many wonderful things to say about the band. They perfectly set the tone for a fun and upscale fundraiser. As a former jazz musician myself, I loved the set list, variety of instruments, and the exciting array of sounds that the only 3 musicians were able to achieve. We would hire them again in a heartbeat, and plan to for next year's fundraiser!
Jazz Band
I had the pleasure of having Upfront Jazz perform at my wedding, and I couldn't be more happy with their performance.
Their ability to capture the mood and elevate the atmosphere was remarkable. The band was incredibly accommodating, handling song requests from our guests. They brought their own sound equipment and even provided a microphone for our ceremony and toasts, which was a huge plus.
Chris's communication throughout the booking process was seamless and professional. Upfront Jazz truly made our wedding unforgettable, and I 100% recommend them for any event that needs a touch of style.
Jazz Band, Wedding Band
Had our Holiday Company Party at Coopers Hall with UpFront Band doing the music portion and they were fantastic. Great communication prior to event, was on time, attire was fitting for event, played beautifully, only great things were said about them!
Easy Listening Band
UpFront played at our client appreciation party and they were fantastic! A great selection of songs everybody enjoyed
Jazz Band
Really easy to work with, and played great tunes! We would absolutely have them back!
Easy Listening Band
Perfect mix of music for a party of 65.
Oldies Music, Saxophone Player, Swing Band
Lovely working with Chris. He's a real pro and is talented on the piano on many levels!
Pianist
We just hosted a large technical conference in Portland and booked the UpFront Band to play during our banquet dinner cruise for nearly 300 people. Chris and his group played a wonderful selection of jazz classics and hit the perfect balance of having a solid sound but no too loud which allowed people to still have conversations on the same deck.
I was so glad that I could trust Chris and the band to be set up on time, prepared. They were accommodating to the venue needs when we were unable to use certain spaces at certain times. They were fun, lively, and extremely professional. The music was a delight. They truly helped make our wedding what I had always dreamed of as a girl. Thank you!
Bossa Nova Band, Easy Listening Band, Jazz Pianist, Oldies Music, Pianist, Saxophone Player, Swing Band, Wedding Band, Jazz Band
The UpFront jazz trio was a nice touch to our 2-hour reception!
Jazz Band
Working with the upfront band was so easy, they were so punctual and kind. They were amazing musicians and even learned my parents wedding song to make their anniversary party that much more special. They had a huge list of music, set up all their stuff so quickly and nicely and I didn’t have to manage them at all. Thank you so much for an amazing event. We will definitely hire this band again for parties in the future!
Easy Listening Band, Oldies Music, Wedding Band, Jazz Band
They were great, provided an awesome atmosphere, and I recommend.
Wedding Band
Upfront band were so good. They played exactly the kind of music I had asked for and were so considerate of us and our guests! Would definitely call on them again!
Dixieland Band, New Orleans Style Entertainment, Jazz Band
Wow, what a great time. Steve and Christ played the night away for my husbands birthday. We got to hear a variety of jazz and were completed blow away. We cant say thank you enough for making a special night unforgettable!
Classical Duo, Easy Listening Band, Latin Jazz Band, Saxophone Player, Jazz Band
They were so professional, I didn’t have to worry about any details with them. They totally set the mood of the party. They were perfect for this event.
1920s Era Entertainment
Would certainly hire them again - had a great experience!
Jazz Band
UpFront Band played wonderful jazz music for our annual Holiday Party. They were extremely professional, friendly, and easy to work with. I highly recommend this band!
Jazz Band
UpFront Band was amazing to work with. Chris was responsive and helpful during the planning process. On the day of the event they were punctual, friendly, and their music was fabulous. Our clients loved the event and the fact that they could request songs. Thank you UpFront!
Swing Band, Jazz Band
Prompt, professional, and perfect! We hired UpFront to provide a jazz duo to set the mood during a silent auction fundraiser. It couldn't have been better.
Jazz Band
Chris and the guys performed for our St. Paddy's Day Party and were just terrific. My guests thoroughly enjoyed everything about the group. Up Front Band were highly engaged with my folks and kept the music lively and festive for the party. I would highly recommend for any function you may looking to have some great live music played. They were punctual and highly communicative prior to the event. Pleasure to work with! Thanks guys!
Jazz Band
The Upfront Band was a perfect fit for my husband's Celebration of Life event! He wanted a Louisiana Jazz style theme. Chris and Steve provided exactly the music my husband would've wanted also throwing in a few other pieces that represented his life. Chris also explained a little history behind a Louizanna style funeral prossessional so people understood the flow of music.
The Upfront Band was the Best fit for my Event!!!!
Thank you Chris and Steve
Jazz Band
It was great having the Chris finthe house with holiday Isis on a lovely piano that mevet gets used. Your website was easy to use. Thank you!
Pianist
Excellent musicians , great coordination and an absolutely beautiful enviroment with this band!!
Pianist, Swing Band, Wedding Band, Jazz Band
I rented a small hall and hired this band to celebrate the graduations for myself and my son. Chris was great to work with. His message to me was 'this is your party and our band will accomodate whatever you like.' He sent me out a list of their pieces and I could choose the order of them if I wanted. I could also request the type of music that I prefered.
Their performance consisted of a sax and piano/voice with a synthesized drum. We had background music with dinner and danced following to absolutely great music. The band even stayed later because our party had a late start. They are really great performers who are personable and a pleasure to hire. I highly recommend this band although I hesitate to make this public statement in case they will be booked when I want them to play for our next occasion :)
Pianist
Five stars all the way! Talented, great to work with, wonderful variety, punctual, proffessional and classy! Made our Gatsby themed party one to remember! So accommodating and even dressed to era;p Thank you for all you did to make our anniversary so sweet!
1920s Era Entertainment
Chris and the UpFront Band performed for our wedding reception. They performed as a 5-piece jazz/swing combo. They were outstanding! We are swing dancers and we wanted the music to swing. They delivered exactly what we requested. They sounded great and were fun and professional. During the planning process, I corresponded with Chris by e-mail. Chris was easy to work with, responsive to our requests, and ready with ideas and suggestions. I highly recommend the UpFront Band for special events for dancers and jazz lovers.
Swing Band
I am the event coordinator for a large retirement community and I Hired UpFront band for my "Welcome to the Speakeasy" 1920's party. I was originally a bit worried about hiring a band with no singer. It really ended up not being necessary. The music on it's own was perfect. The residents tapped their toes and got up and danced, and told me all night long how much they where enjoying the party and the music. The band showed up on time and ready to play in no time. I will be hiring them again.
Jazz Band
I booked Steve and Chris (jazz duo) for the 2016 Portland Rose Festival Kick-Off Party that is held annually for Festival sponsors, partners and friends. I cannot speak highly enough of these two--not only were they an absolute pleasure to work with in getting them booked for the party, but they were a huge talking point at the party itself! They were such a huge hit. Every party attendee I talked to just raved about the outstanding music they were hearing--everybody loved the band! I would highly recommend UpFront for any occasion that is need of some seriously amazing tuneage!
Jazz Band
UpFront Band is the consummate wedding band. Specializing in jazz, their playlist is varied, including swing, old time rock 'n roll, pop, and even country. They follow the response of the crowd, and take requests. The guests have raved about their music, and the band was a major factor in our reception dinner and dance being a real party. They corresponded with us by email to get a sense of what we wanted, and accommodated our special requests... and were patient with some indecisiveness and changes of mind on our part. They provided a specific quote, and stuck to it, and were willing to stay for extra sets if the party went overtime, for an hourly rate. Not only that, these were just nice guys, who wanted to make sure we made memories to last a lifetime, and that everyone at our party had fun.
Oldies Music, Swing Band, Wedding Band, Jazz Band
We hired Up Front for our wedding in early December 2014. Attentive, friendly, great repertoire, classy in dress and style, They have the talent to perform many different genres which is important for a wedding with guests aging 2-95. My wife and I like dancing, ballroom, Latin, blues and rock n roll; and they delivered. Not only was the music and talent outstanding but working with them through the whole seamless process was easy. We had seen them at 3 previous events and in all they were a hit and pleasant to listen and dance to. We highly recommend Up Front for any function! Everybody loved them.
Wedding Band
I hired Upfront to play for a ballroom dancing crowd...and was impressed with their talent! They were incredibly flexible with music selections, great at taking requests and brought great energy to our party. I would definitely hire them again!
Jazz Band
The UpFront band was fabulous for a our company event. Their choice of songs were perfect for our group. They were very professional and a pleasure to work with.
Jazz Band
UpFront Band played for our company holiday party at Aquariva Restaurant on January 18, 2014. From the start, the band was quick to respond regarding services, pricing, and availability. I mainly coordinated with band member, Chris Bidleman, and he immediately established a trust that I could count on.
We decided to choose the four-piece configuration (keyboard, drums, sax, and guitar), and it was well worth it! All of the band members were friendly and eager to please; they followed our event timeline perfectly and took requests with ease.
I highly recommend UpFront Band to anyone who is planning an event, and I look forward to using them again in the future.
Jazz Band
The UpFront Band recently played at the Clark County Wedding Show and they are fantastic. Friendly, personable, easy to work with and extremely talented musicians! We look forward to working with them again and again!
Jazz Band, Wedding Band
Booking Info
Price Range: Two hrs: Duo=$450 up to 6-piece=$1400 (varies)
Gig Length: 120 - 300 minutes
Languages: English
Insurance: Yes
About
UpFront is a versatile musical group and solo performers that specializes in professional, live music and entertainment for any special occasion or holiday event. Whether your special day brings together family from many age groups or your company wants to impress with top-notch entertainment, UpFront can help to make it an event you’ll always remember. Our band brings over 70 years of combined professional performing experience together in a way that adds a touch of class to any event.
Chris Bidleman (piano, keyboards, vocals) and Steve Burpee (saxophones, vocals), the founders of the band, have been playing music together since junior high school and in 2002 formed UpFront. Chris and Steve are joined by Robert Schultz on drums and are often fused together with good friends Ed Couture on bass and Larry Pindar on guitar. UpFront can provide different configurations of musicians--a duo of piano and sax for small events or wedding ceremonies, a jazz trio for the company meetings or a larger band that can get people out of their chairs and dancing to swing, latin, R&B and classic rock & roll.
UpFront has been featured on Portland's (link hidden) local music spotlight radio show. While we often focus on Jazz, there are no single labels to describe the wide range of musical styles we can perform. We can play oldies and pop tunes from every decade. We love to play cultural favorites, seasonal standards, and even classical music. Our play list currently has well over 400 songs, but we can play many, many more and we love to take song requests from the audience.
Your satisfaction is our first commitment. We can perform as a solo, duo, trio or larger band to meet your needs and budget. We will travel within the States of Washington and Oregon but are based in the Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area.
Please enjoy listening to our sample music online at our website. Your satisfaction is our first commitment. UpFront would love to be part of your special event and to personally tailor a performance to your specific needs at reasonable rates. Please feel free to call or email anytime.
Upcoming Booked Events
December 11, 2024 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Nonprofit Event |
December 19, 2024 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Cocktail Party |
Past Booked Events
November 12, 2024 • 2:00pm - 5:00pm | Retirement Community Event |
September 12, 2024 • 3:00pm - 5:00pm | Dinner Party |
August 24, 2024 • 2:30pm - 4:30pm | Wedding Reception |
December 09, 2023 • 6:00pm - 10:00pm | Corporate Event |
August 27, 2023 • 3:30pm - 6:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
July 05, 2023 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Birthday Party |
May 12, 2023 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm | Cocktail Party |
November 10, 2022 • 4:00pm - 6:00pm | Corporate Event |
September 28, 2022 • 6:30pm - 9:00pm | Convention/Trade Show |
September 13, 2022 • 4:00pm - 6:00pm | Wedding Ceremony |
August 15, 2022 • 8:00pm - 10:00pm | Corporate Event |
August 14, 2022 • 5:00pm - 9:30pm | Wedding Reception |
July 23, 2022 • 4:30pm - 5:30pm | Wedding Reception |
June 04, 2022 • 3:00pm - 6:30pm | Wedding Reception |
May 28, 2022 • 7:30pm - 10:30pm | Cocktail Party |
May 11, 2022 • 6:00pm - 8:00pm | Corporate Event |
December 08, 2021 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Corporate Event |
November 20, 2021 • 2:00pm - 4:00pm | Birthday Party |
October 22, 2021 • 12:00pm - 5:00pm | Corporate Event |
July 10, 2021 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm | Birthday Party |
December 17, 2020 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm | Birthday Party |
December 12, 2019 • 6:30pm - 8:00pm | Corporate Event |
December 08, 2019 • 4:00pm - 6:00pm | Christmas Party |
December 05, 2019 • 5:00pm - 8:00pm | Christmas Party |
January 27, 2018 • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | Funeral/Memorial Service |
December 21, 2017 • 6:00pm - 9:00pm | Christmas Party |
July 22, 2017 • 3:00pm - 6:00pm | Wedding Reception |
July 22, 2016 • 4:00pm - 8:00pm | Dinner Party |
June 18, 2016 • 12:00pm - 2:30pm | Nonprofit Event |
April 16, 2016 • 5:00pm - 9:00pm | Wedding Reception |
June 06, 2015 • 4:00pm - 8:00pm | House Party |
August 30, 2014 • 12:30pm - 2:30pm | Funeral Service |
April 04, 2014 • 8:00pm - 11:00pm | Private Party |
Set List
Sample songlist of styles. Well over 400 songs in our book:
JAZZ STANDARD
All of Me - Simons & Marks
Beyond The Sea - Bobby Darin
Fly Me To The Moon - Frank Sinatra
Misty - Erroll Garner
New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
Over The Rainbow - Harburg and Arlen
Satin Doll - Duke Ellington
Star Dust - Hoagy Carmichael
Summertime - Gershwin / Heyward
Take Five - Paul Desmond / Dave Brubeck
CONTEMPORARY JAZZ
Affirmation - Jose Feliciano
Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione
Harlem Nocturne - Hagen & Rogers
Mister Magic - Grover Washington
Morning Dance - Spyro Gyra
Revelation - Perry & Ferrante
Shaker Song - Spyro Gyra
Spooky - David Sanborn
The In Crowd - Ramsey Lewis
Watermelon Man - Herbie Hancock
CLASSICAL & MUSICALS
Ave Maria - JS Bach
Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin - Wagner
Canon in D - Pachelbel
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring - JS Bach
Themes from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - Mozart
Trumpet Tune - Purcell
Wedding March - Mendelssohn
I Dreamed A Dream - Les Miserables
Music Of The Night - Phantom of the Opera
Tonight - West Side Story
CULTURAL FAVORITES
Beer Barrel Polka - Brown, Timm, Zeman - Polka
Danny Boy - Traditional - Irish
Hawaiian Wedding Song - Traditional - Hawaiian
Irish Washerwoman - Traditional - Irish
La Vien Rose - Traditional - French
Lovely Hula Hands - Traditional - Hawaiian
MacNamar's Band - Traditional - Irish
O Sole Mio (My Sun) - De Capua - Italian
Tarantella - Traditional - Italian
Volare - Domenicio Modulas - Italian
POP, R&B
Another Star - Stevie Wonder
Classical Gas - Mason Williams
Copacobana - Barry Manilow
Dock Of The Bay - Otis Redding
Fields of Gold - Sting
I Feel Good - James Brown
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffett
Mercy, Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
Pick Up The Pieces - AWB
Saturday In The Park - Chicago
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
CLASSIC ROCK
Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones
Desperado - Eagles
Feelin' Alright - Joe Cocker
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis
In The Midnight - Wilson Pickett
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis Presley
Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
Let It Be - The Beatles
Peg - Steely Dan
Sea Of Love - Phil Phillips
SWING
Chattanooga Choo Choo - Gordon / Warren
Come Fly With Me - Van Heusen / Cahn
In The Mood - Glenn Miller
Kansas City - Various
Moonlight Serenade - Glenn Miller
Orange Colored Sky - Nat King Cole
Pennies From Heaven - Burke / Johnston
Puttin' On The Ritz - Irving Berlin
Stompin At The Savoy - Chick Webb
Take The "A" Train - Duke Ellington
LATIN
Besame Mucho - Velazquez
Black Orpheus - Louis Bonfi
Blue Bossa - Dorham
Corcovado (Quiet Nights) - Jobim
Girl From Ipanema - Jobim
Night and Day - Cole Porter
One Note Samba - Jobim
Spain - Chick Coreaa
Sway - Luis Demetrio
Summer Samba - Sergio
Team
Chris Bidleman | Keyboards, piano, vocals - leader |
Steve Burpee | Steve Burpee — Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Alto Sax, vocals - leader |
Robert Schultz | Drums, percussion, cajon |
Larry Pindar | Guitar, flute, sax, vocals |
Jason Hafer | Electric Bass, Guitar vocals |
Setup Requirements
Cover for outdoor event is preferred
Electrical Power within 100 feet of performance area