We hired Bill Pollack to provide the music for our wedding. We wanted live music and we knew we'd pay more to get it, but I wouldn't exactly say that money was no object. From the beginning, the experience was extraordinary. Bill was responsive, honest, and focused on our needs from beginning to end. First of all, he really took the time to understand what we wanted. Since we wanted live music but for only about 100 guests, Bill suggested we use a 7-piece band rather than the full 11 piece orchestra we had originally heard about. The only difference, he explained, is that he drops the horn section and uses pre-recorded horns when necessary for a full sound. That suggestion alone saved us a couple thousand dollars, and the 7 piece band sounded fantastic. In addition to the band for the dancing, we wanted acoustic guitar music for the ceremony and for the cocktail hour, and dejay'd music for the dinner hour. He arranged all that as well. The musicians learned all the songs we wanted them to learn for our ceremony and did a great job on all of them. I also really appreciated his honesty and professionalism. He was truly interested in what kind of music we wanted to hear at the wedding, asking a ton of questions about what we listen to at home, what we liked at other weddings, what we didn't like, what we hated, etc. He was upfront that he didn't want to completely relinquish creative control to us because, let's face it, he's the professional and knows what the people want better than we do. They played exactly what we asked for at the ceremony, and then for the rest of the night they combined our specific taste preferences with their feel for the room to keep people engaged and having fun all night. Bill did the emcee responsibilities himself all night, introducing speakers, etc. He was very professional and personable, never over the top. He didn't verbally bully people into coming up to dance, he just kept tweaking the music until he won the whole room over. I just can't say enough about Bill and all of the musicians he brought with him. They were hands down the best vendor we dealt with in putting together our wedding, and they are a huge reason why the night incredible from beginning to end. read more

Recently, I had the pleasure of having Bill Pollack play for my wife and I at our wedding reception, and it truly made the night. The Bill Pollack Orchestra is the most professional collection of talented and energetic performers I have seen in this setting. Normally, wedding bands inspire thoughts of cheesy gimmicks, recycled play lists, and less than stellar performances. Bill Pollack breaks the mold, and then some. Starting at the cocktail hour, Bill and two other members of his band played upbeat, classic jazz standards to keep the mood light. They were smooth, jazzy, and on point with all of their renditions and already a big hit of the evening. During dinner, they performed again as background music for the meal, and Bill served as emcee of the festivities. As great of a musician as Bill is, he may be even better at emceeing, and he always was on top of things and easily broke in and out of music to make special announcements, keep the evening flowing, and seamlessly returning to playing beautiful tunes. Then, the real reception started, and the dance floor NEVER cleared. Using his full arsenal of performers, Bill wowed every single guest, and we are still hearing weeks later about how they were the "best wedding band" many had ever seen. Wanting our night to be truly memorable, Bill took every request we made and ran with it. We wanted my groomsman to sing the first song, and he made it perfect! That was truly the first "Unforgettable" moment of the evening. The first half of the evening they played standards, disco, and swing era music. The music was a perfect mix of dance, slow jams, and classic standards. Needing a break, the musicians took a 30-minute rest and Bill took over duties of DJ and kept the dance floor humming. Upon returning from the break, the rest of the night was a blur because I have NEVER seen a dance floor so lively! Once they started with a spot-on rendition of "Moves Like Jagger," it was on! Sweat was flying, grandmothers were dancing, and nobody was leaving the floor. Every single musician in the band truly poured every ounce of energy into each song, kept every guest engaged, and rocked their show. We can never truly thank Bill enough, but we will say that he comes as the most highly-recommended professional musician/DJ that we have ever witnessed. He is a joy to work with, easy to contact, and an incredible talent. THANK YOU AGAIN BILL! Dustin and Alyssa read more

We had Bill Pollack and his Tru Blue Band play at our post wedding party at the Orrington hotel on September 2, 2017. They were phenomenal! Our guests thought they were one of the best bands they have heard. They had 6 singers that got our guests up and dancing. They interacted with the guests and even if you did not dance you'd enjoy watching them sing & dance. Bill was so easy to work with. When we first met he listened and got a good feel and idea of what we liked and he came through with the perfect backdrop for our joyous event, He provided music during the cocktail hour, dinner, live music and recorded music to wind down the evening. If you want a great band that will make your event memorable, this is it! read more

Bill Pollack Music is outstanding! Having become known throughout Chicago as a "go-to" musical group, Bill Pollack Music (from which the talented the Bill Pollack Orchestra is created) has found itself highly in demand in both the social and corporate circles in Chicago. I have stopped being surprised when we "run into Bill Pollack" because his musicians are as creatively talented as they are prolific -- making the windy city blaze with music and soul. read more

Bill! Thank you so much for all the work and time in bringing a great club atmosphere to our Top Performers Awards Dinner! It was so great to know that piece was in great hands as I was pulled too early to the IMAX for issues over there. The set up looked amazing, I loved the added perk of the video - the guests loved it. We not only got guests dancing, we witnessed an Executive doing the dougie. Amazing. Multiple people came to me through the night to say how great the DJ was and were shocked anyone was on the dance floor (they weren't in years past). Thanks again for all the great work on this, I hope you had a great time too! read more

Honestly, I don't think five stars is enough. I can't begin to tell you how amazing and professional Bill Pollack and team are. We recently threw an event at the Trump Towers in Chicago and hired Bill and team to be our background sound and provide some fun ambiance to the event. And WOW! did they deliver. I was thrilled with their professionalism and talent- not to mention that with Bill's experience really helped me plan the event- (being in San Diego and throwing an event in Chicago, was a little difficult.) I can not recommend this talented team enough! read more

Bill Pollack and his orchestra were amazing! In the end we left it all in Bill's hands and he and his other band members did not disappoint. Bill recommended a perfect fit for our wedding (a 5-piece jazz inspired band with voice) and everyone commented on how great the musicians were! They got everyone up and dancing and truly provided the ambiance we were looking for. Bill was also very honest with us in where our money was best spent for instance suggesting adding the bassist earlier to the mix and saving money by switching to an iPod for the last half hour. Thank you Bill and band! read more

We have had the opportunity to engage Bill Pollack and his musicians 3 times in the last 3 years and each time we have been pleased beyond any reasonable expectation. We have given positive reviews in the past but our most recent experience was so delightful that we believe that Bill is deserving of another shout out. Let me start by briefly summarizing our 2 past experiences. We first worked with Bill Pollack Music in 2010 for our middle daughter's wedding reception at the Brookfield Zoo: the affair featured live music during the cocktail hour and a DJ (our daughter and son-in-law did not want a live band) for 4 hours of dancing after dinner. Bill Pollack MC'ed the whole affair, worked with the newlyweds to make sure the playlist reflected their wishes, and provided live backup music for our youngest daughter and her fiancé (who are professional vocalists) who sang Broadway show tunes for the audience during several interludes. We received many compliments from friends and family at the time about the quality and professionalism of the music. Last spring the entire Orchestra provided live music for our youngest daughter's and new son-in-law's (the professional Broadway singers described above) wedding reception at Pazzo's 311 in Chicago. My wife and I are not professional musicians like our daughter, but we consider ourselves to be fairly discerning when it comes to judging musical performing talent. The orchestra was nothing short of SPECTACULAR - the BEST live dance orchestra we have ever seen. Dancing started after dinner around 8PM and continued nonstop until 11PM. The dance floor NEVER emptied. The newlyweds had requested an eclectic playlist which the orchestra accommodated with aplomb. If there was something that they didn't know how to play or sing it was certainly not evident to our guests. Reflecting the newlyweds' musical background, the dance floor was filled with professional vocalists, musicians, and dancers - all of whom could not say enough about how impressed they were with the music and the positive vibe. It was my distinct impression that the Orchestra and singers were having as much fun as our guests - feeding off the energy and excitement in the room and returning it in kind. Most recently we hosted a post-nuptial dinner reception in a Wicker Park wine bar for the daughter and son-in-law of dear friends of ours. The gathering was intimate by the standards of our daughters' wedding receptions described above - only about 25 people. Dinner was served in a semi-private room which featured a charming, if slightly out of tune, old upright piano - inspiring us to ask Bill if he could provide music during cocktails preceding the meal. We had envisioned several hours of pleasant piano bar music which would make the occasion a little more special than the usual dinner celebration. What we got was SO much more. Bill arrived 45 minutes before the guests along with a pair of attractive young vocalists: a diminutive bright-eyed soprano and a smiling baritone. We had the pleasure of watching them warm up, but the actual performance was even more satisfying. For 90 minutes Bill accompanied his vocalists on a wonderful assortment of show tunes, Tin Pan Alley favorites, and love songs. Bill made the out-of-tune upright sound like a Baby Grand and his singers could not have been more talented or endearing. All three were clearly enjoying themselves as much as our guests - many of whom danced for much of the cocktail hour: something we had never anticipated. At one point, the entire restaurant joined in on a spirited rendition of "Love and Marriage". It was a truly memorable evening- what a joy! Only yesterday we received a long note from the mother of the groom who couldn't say enough about how special the music made the whole affair. An aside, but an important one - Bill is not only a talented professional, he is also an intelligent, warm, thoughtful individual; a true gentleman. We love Bill Pollack and his incredibly talented musicians! If you need musical entertainment for any occasion, big or small, you will not be disappointed. read more

Great sound - very accommodating. EVERYONE at our wedding loved their music and danced up a storm. Live music is so much better than a DJ and great music is the best! read more

Can I put 6 stars? We hired the Bill Pollack wedding for our daughters wedding, not only did they bring great music and energy to the wedding. From the 1st note, the dance floor was packed and everyone commented about the band was as good as it gets, none better. But not only did the Bill Pollack band provide the cornerstone for the best wedding ever, Bill's advice on timing and layout and what was important was spot on. Thank you so much. read more

Bill and his band were a great addition to our reception dinner. First, this was a talented group of guys with a broad playlist and good sense of what to play and when to play it. They easily transitioned from a jazzy start to the cocktail hour, into a more subdued vibe during dinner and finally livened-up the end of the event with some music to get people up and moving. More than that, Bill handled all the set-up and sound details with the venue, so I could focus 100% on our guests. Thanks, Bill, for making it a great evening. read more

This is my first-ever Yelp review and there is a reason - I absolutely loved the Bill Pollack Orchestra -- and I am not the kind of person who ever gives somebody perfect marks. I have seen many bands at many events and Bill Pollack is the best of the best. They played at a black tie gala for which I am the coordinator and in the many years I have worked this event, I have never - and I mean never - seen the dance floor packed at it was when they played. Their music choices were perfect: they played songs that were familiar but not tired, had fantastic energy and were very tuned in to the guests. The feedback we received from the guests was overwhelmingly positive - the Bill Pollack orchestra was one of the components of the night that made the event both special and memorable. Working with Bill was equally fabulous - professional, responsive and willing to accommodate some unusual requests, Bill never flinched and I would work with him again in an instant. read more