Fundraiser jazz band? Yes, sometimes it seems we belong in that category, too, along with providing the right music for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, holiday parties, and company banquets.  Wherever people gather to celebrate whatever, that’s a great place and time for us to set the perfect festive atmosphere and help them enjoy the party.

Magnolia Jazz Band in HollisterFor example, here we are in Hollister, CA, last Saturday, at a dinner party to benefit the San Benito County Homeless Coalition, headed by Cindy Parr.  Actually, in this photo we’re sitting under the umbrella by the bandstand, listening to the evening’s program.  Thank you for this nice picture, Steve Loos.  This was our second year entertaining at their annual “Jazz Under the Stars”.  Afterward the organizers told me their fundraiser was a huge success, and we should save the date for next year’s party.  It’ll be a pleasure!

Thinking about this party, I’m pleased to realize that a significant portion of the Magnolia Jazz Band’s engagements are fundraising events to benefit local non-profit organizations — easily several every month.  And the same commitment is true for MANY of my colleagues in the wedding-and-party-planning business.

Let me name just a few of my friends: Liz Guthrie and Sasha Souza, who manage the San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway and Wish Upon a WeddingDebbie Quintana and Amy Frugoli, who produced the fabulous Benefit Party for Aaron Tanner last month;  Stacie Tamaki, who maintains an online Volunteer Philanthropy DirectoryLT Beaton, President of Silicon Valley NACE, whose meetings collect items to support a different charity each month; and Rich Amooi, a local DJ and radio personality who organizes groups of his colleagues to volunteer at Second Harvest Food Bank.

Would you like to get involved with these people?  Please contact any of them and offer to help.  This is just a brief list — the complete roster would be quite long, and I apologize for omitting so many of my friends.

I’m proud to be an active member of this community that takes care of it’s own.  It’s a welcome sign of civilized behavior in a time when compassion sometime seems in short supply. 

I salute EVERYONE whose efforts are helping to make a difference.  Please send me a comment about what you’re up to, and I’ll mention you in a future blog post or on my Facebook page.

Although we’re busy with these non-profit fundraisers, the Magnolia Jazz Band helps people planning party music for ALL kinds of special events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.  If we can ever help you, please call us at 408-245-9120.

Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for testimonials, music samples, videos, photos, and our public schedule, and catch us at an event soon.  Our next OPEN-TO-THE-PUBLIC appearance is on Saturday, July 24, in a Gala Awards dinner party in Sunnyvale, at an amazing conference for the Space Frontier Foundation.   See details and registration for this event on our website.

In the meantime, please join our Facebook “fans”, and you’ll get a reminder for each of our public events.  Thanks for reading my blog.  Please take a moment to SHARE this post, SUBSCRIBE, and send me a COMMENT.

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Planning Party Music

by magnoliajazz on July 14, 2010

in Events,celebration,party,planning,wedding

Robbie Schlosser in KindergartenPlanning party music?  Wedding music? Not the easiest job.  But it’s close.  Just ask yourself the right questions, and the answers will appear.  More in a moment.

I find planning ANYTHING seems to work the same way.  First, you need a vision of what you want.  That’s easy enough, especially if you’re like this fellow.  From what I recall, his kindergarten ambitions way back in East Rockaway focused on cookies and milk, naps, and getting a red crayon during coloring book time.

Robbie Schlosser in Toronto 1969Not too many years later he was playing trumpet in a zany outfit called the “South Happiness Street Society Skiffle Band”.  Photo taken in Toronto at the Mariposa Folk Festival, 1969.  From today’s perspective, that fellow’s ambitions weren’t much further developed, just more complex, and with more at stake.

Magnolia Jazz Band in San JoseWho could have predicted that six years later I’d be in California, making a living entertaining at elegant celebrations? I love saying “Everything counts”, whenever I look for the “dots” to “connect”, but I confess my journey through life appears at first glance to have followed a haphazard path.

Well I’m sure I had SOME notions of what I hoped the future would bring, but I hesitate to claim that I arrived here according to some grand plan.  Who could have planned all THIS?  But I exaggerate.  Gradually, all along the way, I learned to assess my situation, set an ambition, ask the important questions, and assemble the answers into a plan of action.

So, back to planning, particularly planning party music.

I’ve been helping people plan music for their weddings and parties since 1975, and by now the procedure is simple and straightforward.  Just like trying to solve almost ANY problem, asking the right questions is 90% of the solution.  Then assembling the answers is just “taking care of the details”.

If you’ve never planned music for a significant event before, the job can appear daunting, but trust me, it needn’t be.  The most important first step is Clarify Your Vision.  So, at last, what are the right questions? I encourage people to keep it simple and answer just a few, and everything else follows.

  • What mood do you want for the event?  And is it one mood for the entire time, or several moods at different times?  For example, a garden party, a wedding ceremony, a cocktail party, and a dinner party, followed by a dance party.
  • What favorites do you or your guests have?  Songs?  Musicians?  Composers?  Singers?  Musical styles?  Would you like me to recommend more examples in any of these favorite categories?
  • Do you wish to select every song to be played, or just a few for significant moments?
  • Are there personal preferences that need to be addressed?  Will other people need to be involved in planning the music?
  • Finally, a few simple practical issues:  Is there enough room for the musicians?  Do we need electricity for amplification?  Do we have time to find or learn new music?

That’s it.  Can you suggest another question to include?  Please tell me.

The Magnolia Jazz Band helps people planning party music for events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.  I love making a living this way, and if we can ever help you, please call us at 408-245-9120.

Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for testimonials, music samples, videos, photos, and our public schedule, and catch us at an event soon.  Our next OPEN-TO-THE-PUBLIC appearance is on Saturday, July 17, in a dinner party in Hollister, to benefit the San Benito County Homeless Coalition.   See details for this event and more on our website.

In the meantime, please join our Facebook “fans”, and you’ll get a reminder for each of our public events.  Thanks for reading my blog.  Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment.

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Elegant Party Music and a More Personal Blogging Style

July 8, 2010

        Elegant party music, anyone? Nearly every day since 1975, I’ve led the Magnolia Jazz Band entertaining people at their celebrations.  Here we are at a typical afternoon last May, jazzing up an elegant roof-top cocktail party in San Francisco.  The photo is taken from a stunning video created by my friend [...]

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Jazz Band Music for an Elegant Wedding

June 22, 2010

        Can’t you almost hear our jazz band music (in the photo’s lower left corner)?  Here we are last May 22, beginning the bride’s processional in a lovely wedding at Brix restaurant, in Napa.  What a gorgeous afternoon, and congratulations Cheryl and Tim.  What a treat to work with coordinators Dee Merz [...]

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How I Plan Music for an Elegant Party

May 28, 2010

        An elegant party requires focused planning, as well as thoughtful inspiration.  In my experience, the fine touches creating elegance are more likely deliberately crafted decisions, rather than the happy result of random chance, although both are important. Over the years, I’ve found that practice develops the skill of combining these two [...]

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Getting Fresh Ideas for Weddings and Parties

May 18, 2010

        Here we are last January 9, greeting Joyce and James’ grand entrance in their elegant wedding at the Stonepine Estate, in Carmel Valley.  I found this photo (from Andrew Hsu’s wonderful video) on Stacie Tamaki’s blog, The Flirty Guide. This fabulous wedding reception required coordinated work from many people — planners, [...]

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“Searching” for Weddings and Parties

April 29, 2010

        Here we are last Monday evening, creating a soft background for a business reception at the Capital Club, in San Jose.  Thanks for the nice photo, Ross Mehan. We’d been recommended to the event’s planner who immediately searched for our website, found us, and the rest is history. The internet is [...]

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On Jambalaya, Weddings and Parties

April 24, 2010

        I love jambalaya! Reminds me of many good times, and for my own parties, no celebration is complete without this New Orleans specialty.  What a magical blend of ham, chicken, smoked sausage, shrimp, oysters, crab, rice, flour, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, celery, cloves, thyme, allspice, and cayenne.  Thanks to hubpages.com for [...]

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“Franchising” for Weddings and Parties

April 9, 2010

        . Sometimes I feel like this fellow.  . Not because we each began our future careers as hobbies while in elementary school.  Not because we each held a variety of apparently unrelated jobs before finally settling into our successful careers. But because Michael Gerber is a favorite business author of mine.  [...]

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“What’s Your Fee?” for Weddings and Parties

March 12, 2010

        Here we are one day last summer, entertaining at a lovely afternoon garden wedding in Watsonville.  Thank you for all your wonderful photos, Rebecca and Orbie Pullen. Like you see here, brides and grooms often add drums to the trio, when their celebration calls for lots of dancing.   They can also [...]

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