My services in Cincinnati

Services

Suits Arts is Charlie Suits: a saxophonist, woodwind player and arranger working out of Northern Kentucky. I teach private lessons on saxophone, flute and clarinet, run three bands of my own for weddings and events, write horn charts for other people's bands, and give masterclasses and clinics.

In detail

Private Music Lessons

Lessons start from what you actually want to play. I teach students working towards school competitions and auditions, and I teach gigging adults who want to sound better on a Friday night, and those are different jobs. You get the theory and the technique the music in front of you actually needs, rather than a syllabus worked through for its own sake. I provide every teaching material except the instrument. If you are aiming to perform professionally, private lessons will get you there faster than a group class, because nothing in the hour is spent on somebody else's problem.

• Saxophone, flute and clarinet, all levels
• Music theory, improvisation, composition and arranging
• In person around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, or online
• $50 for 30 minutes, $75 for 45, $100 for an hour
• All materials provided; bring the instrument
• I also teach basic choreography for players who have to move on stage

Masterclasses and Clinics

I have given masterclasses on tone production, improvisation, section playing and arranging, and I would rather build a session around your players than deliver the same talk everywhere. Tell me the group, the level and what is not working, and the class gets built to fit. These are quoted rather than priced from a list, because the two things that move the number are where the class is and how many players are in the room.

• School bands, university studios, community bands and jazz societies
• Tone, improvisation, section playing, composition and arranging
• Quoted on location and class size - tell me both and you get a number
• Sax, flute and clarinet specialisms, but the material works for any section

Horn Charts and Arranging

Most bands that add horns end up limited to whatever charts already exist, which is why so many sets sound the same. I write horn parts for the tunes you actually play, voiced for the players you actually have. I play in these bands myself, so the charts are written to be read on a Saturday night by people who got them on Wednesday - playable ranges, sensible page turns, and cues where a horn section needs them. Charts are sold as a book of 40. Wedding bands: three horns $750, four horns $875, five horns $1,000, six horns $1,125. Every other kind of band is 20% less: $600, $700, $800 and $900 for the same books. Tunes up to five minutes are covered by the book rate; anything longer costs more, and I will tell you before I start.

• Books of 40 charts, priced by how many horns you carry
• Wedding bands: $750 for three horns up to $1,125 for six
• Every other kind of band: 20% less
• Tunes up to five minutes included at the book rate
• Written by someone who plays the gig, not only the part

Composition and Transcription

Composition to brief for whatever the project needs, and transcription when the recording is the only source you have. Transcription is a different job from arranging and I price it separately - tell me the recording, the instrumentation and what the parts are for, and I will quote it. Everything is delivered as clean, readable parts and a score.

• Original composition to brief
• Transcription from recordings, including horn section lines
• Clean parts and a score, delivered as PDF
• Quoted per project on length and instrumentation

Live Music for Weddings and Events

Suits Big Band plays weddings, private parties and corporate events, with two to three vocalists over bass, drums, keys, guitar and horns. The setlist is built for your event rather than handed to you, the band size flexes to the room, and the band will learn songs specifically for you. Emceeing the evening is included, so you are not hiring a separate host to announce the first dance. Book well ahead to hold a date - Saturdays in season go early.

• 2-3 vocalists with bass, drums, keys, guitar and horns
• Personalised setlist and band size to suit the room
• The band learns songs for you
• Emcee for the event included
• Weddings, private parties and corporate events
• Quoted per event - tell me the date, the venue and the room size

Fast Travel Video Game Music

Fast Travel plays the music people grew up on: Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Animal Crossing, Kirby, Chrono Trigger, Kingdom Hearts, Metroid, Minecraft, Undertale, Pokemon and more, arranged for a live band rather than played back off a record. It started as a saxophone and keys duo in Cincinnati sneaking game tunes into wedding dinner sets, and it grew into a band of people who genuinely love this music. Fast Travel plays three to seven pieces depending on the room, and the game footage goes up behind the band.

• Three to seven pieces, sized to the venue
• Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Kirby, Pokemon and a long list besides
• Video game footage projected behind the band during the show
• Conventions, bars, breweries, private events and weddings
• Arranged for a live band, not backing tracks

Jazz Combo for Dinner and Cocktails

The small group plays jazz, R&B and funk for dinner service, cocktail hours, gallery openings and receptions - the parts of an evening that need music people can talk over without it disappearing. Standards from the Great American Songbook alongside Roy Hargrove, Vulfpeck, Cory Wong, Thundercat, Hiatus Kaiyote, Grover Washington Jr and originals from the band. It scales from a duo up, and it pairs naturally with the big band for a wedding that needs both.

• Jazz, R&B, funk and Great American Songbook standards
• Dinner service, cocktail hours, receptions and gallery openings
• Duo upwards, sized to the room
• Pairs with the big band for a wedding that needs both halves of the day

Where I work

Suits Arts serves Cincinnati, Covington, Newport.

• Cincinnati
• Covington
• Newport

What you can count on

• Fifteen years performing and more than fifty bands, across most of the styles you would want at an event
• Five years of Jazz Studies and two of Audio Production at Northern Kentucky University
• Lesson rates published on this site, which most schools around here will not do
• Every band I run is booked and answered by me, not by an agency taking a cut
• I write the horn charts myself, so a band I put together is not limited to what is already published
• Based in Northern Kentucky and playing across the tristate, with a standing Thursday in Newport

Common questions

What do lessons cost?

$50 for 30 minutes, $75 for 45 and $100 for an hour, for saxophone, flute or clarinet, in person or online. Materials are included; you bring the instrument. Most music schools in the Cincinnati area do not publish a rate at all, so if you are comparing, you will usually have to ring them to find out.

Do you teach beginners, or only advanced players?

Both. I teach school students working towards competitions and auditions, adults picking an instrument back up, and gigging players who want to sound better on a Friday night. Lessons start from the music you want to play rather than from a fixed syllabus.

Where do you teach?

In person around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, at the Toedtman School of Music in West Chester, and online. Online lessons work better than most people expect for theory, improvisation and arranging.

How much does a band cost for a wedding?

It is quoted, because the honest answer depends on the date, the venue, how long you need the band and how big the band should be for the room. Tell me those four things and you will get a number quickly. National surveys put the median spend on a live wedding band at around $1,900 to $2,050, which is a reasonable frame for what a full band costs anywhere.

How far do you travel?

My regular work is within two to three hours of Cincinnati, which covers the whole tristate. I have played as far north as Pennsylvania and as far south as Mississippi, so further is possible - travel outside the Cincinnati area is quoted with the booking.

What does a book of horn charts cost?

Charts are sold as a book of 40. Wedding bands: three horns $750, four horns $875, five horns $1,000, six horns $1,125. Every other kind of band is 20% less: $600, $700, $800 and $900 for the same books. Tunes up to five minutes are covered by the book rate; anything longer costs more, and I will tell you before I start.

Can you write charts for songs that are not standards?

That is most of the work. If your band plays it, I can chart it, voiced for the horns you actually have rather than for the section on the record. I play these gigs myself, so the parts are written to be read on a Saturday night by somebody who got them on Wednesday.

What is Fast Travel?

A three to seven piece band playing video game music live, with the game footage projected behind the band. Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, Sonic, Kirby, Pokemon and a long list besides, arranged for a live band. It suits conventions, breweries, private parties and weddings that want something nobody else in the room has seen.

Can I hire more than one of your groups for the same day?

Yes, and it is common. The small group covers dinner and cocktails, the big band covers the dancing, and it is one booking and one point of contact rather than two.

Do you play regularly anywhere I can come and hear you?

Every Thursday at Sis' on Monmouth in Newport, from 7 PM to 10 PM, with Rick Kinman and Friends. That is the easiest way to hear how I actually play before you book anything.