Jazz Festivals » Jazz Bands

Three More Instruments Which Play Music Using the Treble Clef

admin2 — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 07:03:12 +0000

The treble clef is a sign in music placed at the beginning of the treble stave and is used for right hand playing in piano / keyboard playing and for higher pitched instruments such as the trumpet, saxophones and xylophones. This article will give you more information on the above instruments which play music using the treble clef.

Instrument 1 The Trumpet:

The trumpet is among the oldest of the brass instruments and is the highest sounding.

It is made of metal and has a cylindrical bore, which in the last quarter of its length widens into a moderate size bell. It has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, as in other brass instrument, and the sound is produced by the player pressing the mouthpiece to his mouth and making the lips vibrate within it. The buzzing sound he makes in this way sets the column of air inside the instrument vibrating. Different sounds are produced by altering tension of the lips. Low sounds are produced when the lips are slack and high sounds are produced as players tighten their lips.

The tone of the trumpet can be altered in several ways with use of a mute placed in the bell of the instrument. A mute is a cone made of cardboard, fibre, felt or metal.

Trumpets are used in orchestras, jazz bands, military bands, brass bands.

Instrument 2 The Saxophone Family:

These are a family of wind instruments invented by Adolf Sax. By 1846 he had developed fourteen different sized saxophones. He wanted to make an instrument for the military bands that would sound well with both woodwind and brass instruments. Hence he came up with an instrument that is played using a single reed like a clarinet,
and has a conical bore like an oboe but with the tube made of brass curving up at the end like a horn.

All the saxophones use the treble clef. The tone is fuller than woodwind instruments and softer than the brass and blend in with these instrument types very well. It could be said that they have a flute like softness, string like richness and metallic stridency.

They are a common feature in jazz big bands where a section of saxophones takes the place of the symphony orchestras string section. They are most suitable to play the main melody of the piece. The alto, tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones are the most common.

Instrument 3 The Xylophone:

The xylophone is a percussion instrument consisting of tuned, wooden bars arranged as in the piano keyboard, and played by being struck with small hard or soft hammers held in the hand. It belongs to the tuned percussion group meaning that it can be used to play melodies ( as opposed to untuned percussion eg triangle or side drum ). You can notes ranging from middle upwards for three octaves.

Composers usually use the xylophone in orchestras to produce special effects as the wooden sound is easily heard above the other instruments.

Music using the treble clef is used for higher pitched instruments. The three instrument examples which play music using the treble clef of have their unique qualities. One thing is that they all have in common is that they are all instruments which play music using the treble clef.

By: Hilary Daglish

Jazz Guitar Has a Home

admin — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 05:15:33 +0000

The reason for early jazz bands using banjos and never guitars was simply because guitars were not loud enough. But by utilizing brand new recording and amplification techniques, Eddie Lang played his guitar in the movie “The Big Broadcast of 1932″ and banjo players immediately recognized that guitarists would soon be filling their chairs on the bandstand. Pawn shops soon filled up with banjos, and guitar craftsmanship produced lush sounding quality instruments that were in enormous demand.

The American Guitar Museum located in New Hyde Park, Long Island exhibits the finest work of craftsmen that poured their skill and love into this wonderful instrument. The museum puts us in touch with both the guitar’s history and its future.

It’s only fitting that the person responsible for establishing this museum would not only be a guitar player and collector, but as he is affectionately called the “Guitar Doctor” Chris X. Ambadjes is one of the finest luthiers in the business having conceived a guitar museum about 33 years ago, Chris was able to bring his dream to fruition about 16 years ago. Fortunately Chris’ friends, Demo Manolis, the late great Wayne L. Wright and a few others were willing to make this museum a reality. The friends pooled their resources and they formed a board of directors there.

The American Guitar museum possesses an authentic charm. Its home is a restored three-story colonial building that is one of the original farmhouses in the area. Stepping through the outer gates (which by the way are made in the shape of guitars) and entering the main door, you can’t help being caught up in the pictures that seem to be everywhere. These are pictures of the great players of both today and yester-year.

Moving on to the main room right in front at eye level stands one gorgeous oval-holed D’Aquisto New Yorker on loan from the talented player, Joe Carbone. Before his untimely death, luthier Jimmy D’Aquisto was considered the greatest guitar builder alive. For this beautiful sun-burst instrument he would charge about $50,000 with a three year wait.

The main room’s ceiling is certainly worth a look. It’s designed like the inside of an archtop guitar with f-holes, cross-bracing and wood grain all painted into the ceiling. A Showcase at the front of the room holds some of the original punches used to manufacture picks around 1910. These punches were contributed by the D’Andrea Company of Long Island, which is still in business today. If you have a pick in your pocket, there’s a 90% chance that the D’Andrea Company made it. The picks were originally made by punching out little tortoise shell plates in different shapes.

The Guitar Museum is just chock full of luthier tools, various tailpieces, books, blueprints, biographies of various players and histories of some of the guitars gracing its walls. One piece impossible to miss sits on the right side of the room. This is a 400 lb. press from the Strad-o-Lin Company that was used to bend the sides and tops of guitars and mandolins. It dates back to the 1890’s.

One of the oldest guitars in the museum was built in 1861. Chris Ambadjes says, “We like to tell the kids that come for a tour that this guitar is from Abraham Lincoln’s time and they get a kick out of that.” It’s exhibited in its original hard shelled case.

Two guitars that always get a lot of attention are the 1965 Olympic White Strat that belonged to a friend of Jimi Hendrix which Jimi played on occasion; and the other eye-catcher is a mint condition dark wood-grained Les Paul which Les himself contributed to the museum containing the inscription “To Chris, from Les ‘Keep On Pickin’.”

In addition to Les Paul’s signature model, there are a number of cherished Gibsons on display. A few of the most valuable Gibsons belonged to one of New York City’s finest musicians, Jack Hotop. Jack played in the opening of such Broadway hits as “Oklahoma” and “Annie.” He fell in love with the sound of the first 1957 ES-175 with a PAF pickup (better known as the humbucking pickup). This guitar was used as a demonstrator model by Gibson and Jack begged Gibson for that particular instrument. He was forced to wait until it was shown around the country before Gibson would let him have it. Jack later used this ES-175 when he played for the opening of “West Side Story.”

Two of the newest items in The American Guitar Museum are a pickup winding machine that jazz innovator Attila Zoller made and the mixing board that was used in Woody Allen’s classic movie “Radio Days”.

What this museum boasts of is its wonderful collection of both rare and beautiful instruments – What Chris calls “the cream of the cream.” Ambadjes has a particular love for the D’Angelico archtop guitar and who can blame him. John D’Angelico is considered by many to have been the “Stradivari of guitars.” Appraisals place these guitars between $25,000 – $75,000 on the average, with some being even higher. Quite an investment when you consider their original price tag of about $695.00!

How fitting, that D’Angelico started making his custom guitars the same year as “The Big Broadcast of 1932.” 1,164 beautiful custom guitars and mandolins were built bearing his name by the time of his death in 1964.

At the museum there are roughly 10 D’Angelicos on display, two of which are “one of a kind.” Though it’s accurate to say all D’Angelicos are unique, they all are either guitars or mandolins; all that is, except for these two. Sitting appropriately in a baby’s cradle is the first of these unique acquisitions. It is an 18″ tall baby jazz uke. Benny Mortell pleaded with John D’ Angelico to build this to use as a wedding proposal to his wife. The finger board contains the inscription “To My Dearest Rose From Ben.” The newest addition to the museum is called a Cellar (pronounced ché lâr). This is John D’s largest masterwork and it is the only other instrument that does not fall into the category of either guitar or mandolin. Alongside these two priceless pieces you’ll find the 1942 Excel, which was played by its owner Benny Mortell, in the film “The Godfather” in both the wedding scene and on the soundtrack. Next to this is a 1946 New Yorker. There is a left-handed D’Angelico that has been used by Wayne Wright (rhythm guitarist for Les Paul, George Barnes, Judy Garland, Tony Bennett and Peggy Lee).

“Nothing in this life is free” – not true anymore, because a tour of the American Guitar Museum is just that FREE! Guitar aficionados, class tours and families alike have had mini-lessons on guitar building, how guitar pickups work, how fretboard in-lays are inserted and an overall history of America’s most popular instrument. Note too that Chris Ambadjes repairs fretted instruments of all kinds right on the premises and there are a number of excellent music teachers present also.

So pay a visit to this little treasure where the love of its owners is evident throughout. This is really a present to the world. It just so happens it’s been gift wrapped in Long Island, New York.

By: Michael Ducey

How To Play Jazz Piano With Style

admin — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:25:58 +0000

The piano is an important musical instrument for jazz bands since the origin of jazz music and it can be played in the style of a solo performance or as part of a band. Like the guitar, the piano is one of the few musical instruments in a jazz band which can play chords as well as notes instead just single notes only instruments such as the saxophone, trombone, trumpet or even the vibraphone (1 or 2 notes together).

Gone were the days when a jazz pianist’s role is just to keep tempo with repetitive chord combinations. Nowadays, the pianist is free to choose any technique or style to accompany a band or a singer using both short and sustained chordal and melodic fragments called comping.

An accomplshed jazz pianist must not only be good at sight-reading as well as good at improvising chord symbols but also must be able to adapt to the different playing styles of various bands he jams with. Jazz pianists must balance this interpretation and improvisation to the musical style the bands are playing.

The jazz pianist is indeed a happy musician because of the extended range of the piano. The piano offers the pianist with a much greater number of choices and techniques for improvisation, much more so than any other instruments in a jazz band.

In a jazz musical style known as “striding”, the left hand of the pianist alternates positions very quickly playing notes in the bass register and chords in the tenor register. The right hand will usually play the melody, but might also play harmonic content, chordally or even in octaves.

Jazz pianists play the solo with 3 basic objectives to fulfill simultaneously. The techniques are as follows :-

a) To provide a clear and swinging rhythm. This style is usually done by striking a beat with the right hand just after a weaker beat with the left hand. The objective of this technique is to mimic the combination of a cymbal ride as well as the walking bass. This technique can also be executed deftly with the left hand alone, by imitating the weaker beat preparatory swing note that is played by a bassist just before he strikes some of the notes of the bass phrasing.

b) Play the melody or solo improvisation with the right hand.

c) Establish the guide tones for chord changes.

One method commonly used by jazz pianists for tackling this triple situation simultaneously is to hold the hands together in a fork-like shape with the index and the third finger joining the thumbs to form a central group, whilst the fourth and fifth fingers are spread outwards.

This is done so that the pianist can use the left branch fingers to play bass notes, the middle fingers to moderate the guide tones and the right branch fingers to play the upper lines of the melody.

It is indeed challenging for the pianist to meet all these demands at the simultaneously. However these skills are inherent in most competent jazz pianists.

What is commonly called the ‘circle of fifths’ is also an important element in playing jazz piano because it provides harmonic diversity through a well guided harmonic phrase. Playing the circle of fifths technique is very much related to chord “planing” techniques which shift a chord, often voiced in fourths, up the scale, while implying a repeated harmonic pattern of tonic-dominant-tonic-dominant.

If you intend to be a good at playing jazz piano, then mastering these styles and techniques is a required skill.

By: Chris Chew

Play Jazz Piano In Style

admin — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:16:22 +0000

By: Chris Chew

Jazz Piano and Style

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:42:34 +0000

The piano or keyboard is an instrument that can be played in a solo performance or it can be part of a band. Jazz bands make heavy use of pianos since jazz began. The reason for this is that pianos along with guitars are some of the few instruments in a jazz band that can play chords in addition to a melody or counter melody.

In the past, a jazz pianists main role was to keep tempo with a combination of repetitive chords, but in recent years this has changed. Jazz pianists now days are able to select from a multitude of styles and techniques that they will use to accompany a band or singer. Short and sustained chordal or melodic fragments are used.

Experienced jazz pianists are not only great at sight-reading, but can also improvise chord symbols and adapt to the various playing styles of jazz bands. A jazz pianist must balance this improvisation and interpretation with the music style of the band.

The extended range that the piano provides also helps a jazz pianist with creating unique sounds that other instruments in the jazz band can not create.

Jazz pianists have 3 goals that they aim to achieve while they are playing. The first is to provide a clear rhythm and swing. The second is to play a melody or improvised solo with the right hand. Jazz pianists are also expected to help guide the band into chord changes with the help of notes leading up to the chord change.

It is quite a challenge for pianists to meet these 3 demands at the same time. Most jazz pianists are quite skilled in this art and are able to maintain this while planning unique improvisations.

If the intend to be great at playing the piano in a jazz band, you need to master these styles and techniques.

By: Mary Nicole Hicks

Big Band Jazz Music- Entertaining Music Lovers Worldwide

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:14:57 +0000

Jazz music is a kind of popular music that is mostly liked by well established or the elite class. However, it has now become a popular taste for all kind of listeners. Big Band, a popular musical group, is widely known for its jazz music. From early 1930s to late 1940s, the group was one among the most famous jazz bands and has offered some of the best touching music pieces loved by everyone till date. Big Band Jazz music was played by musicians ranging from 12-25 in number.

One of the specialties of Big Band is that the group utilizes all the musical instruments that are required in composing a jazz music. Whether it saxophone, trumpets, rhythm section or the trombones, Big Band jazz music group has some of the most renowned players.

Moreover, jazz midi files can easily be downloaded via Internet or CDs can be purchased that are available in markets at an affordable rate. Some people who have interest in singing can also get karaoke CDs that consist of only jazz music. By buying such CDs, the music lovers can enjoy the Big Band Jazz Music as well as sing with the famous beats composed by them.

Many offline and online stores provide Jazz midi files of Big Band and they offer maximum numbers of files with excellent quality. One could also practice jazz bass lines using these jazz midi files offered by Big Band. Walking jazz bass lines are the most melodious and the neatest sounding parts being offered. One can practice jazz bass lines by studying original music beats composed by Big Band.

There are also many sources that distribute pirated CDs and popular music files of Big Band illegally. So, jazz lovers should check the copyright and the authenticity certification in order to get the original version. Jazz, as a form of musical art, has expanded beyond its genre definition and it keeps on transforming to remain in tune with the changing era. It originated as a moody music from the African American communities residing in the southern part of America. Formerly, the jazz music forecasts the moods and the struggle of the African American living in New Orleans. Around 1920s jazz music spread over the northern part of US and most of the jazz bands perform before the common society.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Big Band Jazz Music: The Music Of Soul

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:19:51 +0000

If we trace the birth of big band jazz music we have to go back in history to the 1920’s. Jazz music probably originated in Louisiana which was then a busy port attracting people from all walks of life from the world over. This gave the musicians ready access to different forms of music. The cauldron of recipes from South American to the American blues and European classical to folk music from far flung areas saw the birth of jazz. Louis Armstrong was probably among the first to popularize jazz with his fine trumpet solos. It was obviously due to improvisation that jazz music quickly gained in popularity.

The advent of the radio gave a fresh boost to jazz music with popular jazz bands in big cities like New York and Chicago in the 1940’s. The rhythmic jazz bands ushered in the “swing era” and the big band jazz music immortalized by the likes of Parker and Gillespie. The popularity of jazz music even today is indicative of our diverse cultures and spirit of the individual. Jazz music is truly the music of soul.

Jazz music is now a part of our music scene. Though its birth was in bars you can now hear jazz music in concerts, in street festivals, in movies and in clubs. It has been accepted globally as a fine form of personalized and individualistic music. Big band jazz music is still popular with guitar, piano, saxophone, flute, keyboard, percussion instruments and the trumpet among others adding to the tempo. The immense revival in the popularity of big band jazz music is adding to the growth in the numbers of amateurs wanting to learn principally jazz piano and jazz guitar among other instruments.

For amateurs of all age groups the internet has spawned a cache of websites making available the finest online courses. These courses taught by professionals help an individual to play along video recordings of popular jazz through jazz accompaniment tracks. So the learner can be taken step by step through his popular music track with his own selection of music instruments.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Get MIDI Files And Jazz Play Alongs To Learn Jazz Music Faster

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:20:15 +0000

Jazz music is one of the most popular music forms, and there is a huge mass following of this kind of music than any other kind of music. Most people have started to admire the beauty of jazz music and even youngsters are in love with it. Moreover, there are many online service providers who offer a huge range of Jazz Midi Files of renowned jazz bands and artists. If you are thinking to learn some jazz music by your own then you can seek the help of these online service providers and get your favorite Jazz play alongs that will allows your to practice jazz quite effectively.

Jazz is primarily an American musical art that originated during the early 20th century in the African American communities of the southern part of the United States. Jazz music mainly comprised of blue notes, poly-rythms, swung notes, improvisation and syncopation. It is also very difficult to define Jazz music as it has many facets. Jazz music has gone through an evolutionary process and there are many types of Jazz that include Latin Jazz, Cool Jazz, Bebop jazz, Free Jazz, Modal jazz, Hard bop, and Dixieland Revival. Improvisation is one of the most important features of Jazz music and higher the rate of improvisation the better will be the quality of the jazz music. Jazz music is played with instruments like bass guitar, saxophone, drums and piano. However, many new sophisticated instruments have been introduced to offer greater improvisation to the music.

By locating an online service provider, you will be able to get most famous jazz midi files loaded with many helpful tips for learning to play it at your home. Some websites also offer instructional videos for guitarists, pianists and bassists who are learning jazz music. Jazz play alongs, offered by online providers, are also very useful in building your improvisational talents. Many jazz play alongs track are available with different combinations of jazz instruments. It is also very easy to get started with these midi files and jazz play alongs tracks as they provide step to step procedures and detail information on how to use it. You can easily download them to your computer or store it in your iPod.

By: Akhila Choudhary

Jazz Piano and Style

admin — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:38:55 +0000

Choosing a Jazz Band for Your Party

admin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:18:20 +0000

In many years of arranging jazz bands for all sorts of events I am struck by the similarity of how the request is made by most of our clients.

It goes something like this: “We are looking for a jazz band to play at our wedding / book launch / family fun day / sixtieth birthday/ store opening etc.”…”oh yes, we say, what style of jazz band ?”…”Er, not quite sure. What styles have you got?”

It was because of this exchange I felt this article would be helpful in choosing the right kind of jazz band for your party, celebration or event.

Rather than go through a history of the development of jazz from the purists angle it would be easier to list a number of types of event and match them up to styles of jazz band with a short description of the jazz band most likely to suit the occasion. Lets start with the wedding.

You are most likely to want a jazz band at your wedding at two points in the days proceedings.

The reception. You and your partner have just left the church and your guests are nearly back at the place you have chosen for the celebrations. What better way than to have them met by a jazz band.

As champagne and Pimms is handed out the band just adds a perfect happy backdrop to the moment. There are two main types of jazz band that can suit the moment:

A Dixieland band or a swing band.

Dixieland Jazz. This is jazz from the early twenties. The musicians will happily dress up in stripy blazers or waistcoats and play lovely old jaunty tunes from that era such as “When the Saints Come Marching In” “The Charleston” “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home” and “Five Foot Two Eyes Of Blue”. The instrumentation is usually banjo, sousaphone (a tuba that you can wear) and a frontline instrument or two such as trumpet, sax or trombone. The band is mobile and acoustic and can move around the site entertaining guests in different locations. Artists associated with the genre include Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Fats Waller.

Swing Jazz. Names of musicians associated with this style of jazz band are Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. The music is mainly from the late thirties and early forties and is very melodic. Ella Fitzgerald started her career at this time in Harlem and had great success with the Chick Webb band. The jazz band will probably play lots of tunes from Broadway Shows from the time such as “Funny Valentine” “It Had To Be You” “Making Whoopee” “ It Don`t Mean A Thing If It Ain`t Got That Swing”. This jazz band can be acoustic but will probably include an electric piano, which the musicians will supply along with a speaker. They will need a power supply and logistics of this must be taken into consideration when choosing the jazz band. Are your guests near a power supply, is the reception indoors or outdoors, how does the weather
forecast look? Finally, how big should the jazz band be? For both styles a trio or quartet will be fine.

After the Wedding Breakfast. Your guests have sat through a gargantuan meal, fine wines and various speeches including a slightly embarrassing one from the best man! They are ready to stretch their legs, use the loos, have a cigarette and carry on chatting to old friends who they may have not seen for some time. They are not yet ready to dance. Your jazz band should know this and should be playing suitable accessible tunes in an unobtrusive way. You don`t want a modern jazz band at this point. Known variously as Be-Bop, Modern Jazz, West Coast and played by such artists as John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, this is music for the concert hall or jazz club. You want sophisticated smoky tunes, maybe with some vocals such as “Let there be love” “The Girl From Ipanema” “My Baby Just Cares For Me”. Artists associated with this kind of jazz include Stan Getz, Billie Holiday and Nat King Cole. Maybe also think about some Rat Pack tunes that the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin performed.

Music for dancing. If you are set on having a jazz band for the dancing ask your jazz band how many styles of jazz and swing can they perform. A jazz band that plays swing tune after swing tune all night is going to lose the attention of your guests. Variety is the key. I would suggest a mix of Latin, Jump Jive, swing, old style Rhythm and Blues and even Funky jazz bordering on Soul. Not many jazz bands can handle this variety. Ask at the point of booking what the jazz band proposes to play at this point. Do they have a suitable vocalist/vocalists? Can they play segue (one song after another) to keep guests on the floor.

My opinion based on many years playing for such parties is this. However much you love Jazz, Swing, call it what you will, at some point in the proceedings some one will want to dance to some classic soul or rock and roll. It is inevitable, it always happens. I see it week in and week out, year in and year out. When I have been employed as a trombonist to play in another bandleaders band at such an occasion it saddens me that the bandleader has not made provision for such an eventuality. It results in unhappy clients and frustrated revelers. Please take note if you want a full dance floor!

Next we come to the corporate reception. This manifests itself in many guises. It could be a jazz band for a book launch, a jazz band for a thank you drinks party, a jazz band for a reception prior to going into dinner. Last year an insurance company asked me for a number of jazz bands that could play for the giving out of its employers bonuses! We had never seen such happy parties and not a drop of alcohol in site!

Think what is being asked of the jazz band in question. The band is being asked to reflect something of the company, a sense of fun or sophistication for the event. Attention needs to be focused on how you want the band to dress. Tuxedos? Lounge Suits? Are your guests networking or being thanked for their year’s business? Most bands that get asked to do this type of work need to be impeccably dressed and have a sense of the occasion. They need to appreciate that guests are there not just to listen to them but for all sorts of
other reasons. A quiet background Dinner Jazz band lends just the right tone to this type of engagement. Loud enough to create a mood but not to drown out what maybe very important and lucrative conversations! The style of music will be Bossa Nova, light swing and Lounge. In my experience a quartet or quintet is a perfect size band. Vocals are unnecessary and can distract your guests.

Store openings. Every year we open or reopen a number of supermarkets, computer shop outlets, video and dvd stores all over the country. The jazz band has always been a visual and audible part of the promotion. The jazz band in question tends to be a Dixieland trio or quartet. They are perfect being, as we read above, acoustic and mobile. The music is optimistic and uplifting and with a sense of fun. The jazz band dresses in stripy outfits, which help create the right mood for the day.

Corporate Entertainment. This is a large term and covers anything from Henley, Ascot, Car Racing days, as well as themed events in spectacular settings. The Dixieland band is perfect for the almost period feel of Henley and the swing band works just as effectively. Think “Dixieland jazz band” for happy, spirited, fun image. “Swing jazz band for a more sophisticated, laid back and chilled vibe. Do you want your guests to dance? This can be quite rare. Decision makers tend not to break into a frenzied bop half way through the afternoon! However if family members have been invited this is quite common. A Latin Jazz band can be very effective in this situation and it is difficult to ignore the infectious beats.

A note of caution. Is your event for a number of dignitaries and celebrities? If so they will not want to be photographed by the jazz band or even talked to by the jazz band. You need a band with a certain discretion or, dare I say, a certain blasé` approach to the world of celebrity. As a musician I come across stars of stage and screen, royalty, politicians, public figures and minor soap stars every month and I think it is appreciated when they are given a certain amount of space and not ogled. Use a jazz band who are used to playing for such audiences. They need to be sociable, articulate, smartly turned out and not fazed when approached by a familiar face!

Time for a recap:
1. Choose the jazz band from the perspective of what is required from them. Do you want background music or do you want to dance?

2. How many guests do you have? Is the band the right size? Is it dressed correctly?

3. Is the band outside? Do you have access to power? Can they play acoustically if need be?

4. What tunes can they play? Ask them for a repertoire list, do you recognize the . titles?

5. Are they professionals? This may seem obvious but there are many musicians out there who have retired from full time work or are in between jobs and are making their hobby a source of income. How long have they worked as professionals? Who have they played with in the past? What experience do they have in performing for the type of event you are having?

6. Ask for a sample cd. What is their publicity like? You need to be confident that you are getting a reliable professional outfit that will turn up in plenty of time, look the part, be totally co-operative to your needs and play suitable music. The right jazz band can make your party, the wrong one can spoil it to some lesser or greater degree.

7. Are they flexible? You do not want to find out half way through a dance that the band you have booked can only play one style of jazz. Ask them when you are considering booking them. Can they play some Classic Soul? Can they do some Latin tunes? Don’t be fobbed off with “We do a bit of everything” Ask them for a repertoire list.

8. Discuss a rider with the band. Are you supplying refreshments for the jazz band? Although not expected refreshments are very much appreciated especially if the band is on site for a while with no access to food and drink. If it is not convenient don’t worry. If the jazz band knows in advance they can make their own arrangements.

9. Have you articulated to the band what type of music you want to hear? Don’t worry if you are not knowledgeable about jazz. Tell the jazz bandleader or agent the tunes you like and the artists you like. This will give the leader/agent an excellent idea of which bands to recommend. Look through your cd collection for ideas; ask friends and family for suggestions. When the jazz band turns up it will be properly briefed and able to give the performance you wanted.

By: J Williams