Magnolia Jazz » wedding

Planning Party Music

magnoliajazz — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:07:26 +0000

Planning 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.

Not 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.

Who 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.

Jazz Band Music for an Elegant Wedding

magnoliajazz — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:54:28 +0000

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 and Shana Goldberg, and thanks for the wonderful photo, Coco and Tim Martin.

Cheryl told me our jazz music was “perfect” and very danceable, but especially because we included some of her favorite Broadway show tunes — “I Do I Do”, “Sunrise Sunset”, “People Will Say We’re In Love”, “Somewhere”, “What I Did For Love”, and many others. Although I wouldn’t tell her this, we’re probably not the only jazz band around who could create her perfect atmosphere. Yes, we’re excellent, but after all, who of us is unique in the world?

And that got me thinking. For curiosity, I recently spent a few interesting hours online, looking to see if I could find another Magnolia Jazz Band, and I found four! Who could have guessed?

Have you ever searched for your own name like this? Go ahead — I bet you’ll find something interesting, at least, and probably surprising, too.

Just for practice, I drafted the following Wikipedia article about my own research (which explains all the links to other Wikipedia articles). Who knows — I may modify and submit it someday.

I discovered I’m part of a hundred-year heritage of creating festive music for special events. I’m especially fascinated to see how each of these similar jazz bands adapts to suit its time and place. This is something all of us do all the time, and I hope you enjoy reading what I discovered. Please tell me how you like it.

The Magnolia Jazz Band is the name used by several well-known jazz bands in the past century. An occasional source of confusion, two of these bands are working currently — one in the San Francisco Bay Area and the other primarily in Norway. A third Magnolia Jazz Band worked for over a dozen years in England in the 1950s & 60s, and featured the trumpet player Mick Mulligan and singer George Melly. The earliest Magnolia Jazz Band I found worked in New Orleans around 1910, and featured guitarist Louis Keppard, trombonist Honore Dutrey, and the legendary cornet player, Joe “King” Oliver.

Today in America, one Magnolia Jazz Band entertains people at parties and weddings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Their fans enjoy popular standards, jazz classics, and Latin favorites, and the band ranges from a strolling trio to a swinging dance combo. Established in 1975 by Robbie Schlosser, at the time a graduate student at Stanford University, the many members over the years have included Squire Girsback, Bill Napier, and on a few occasions, pianists Art Hodes and Butch Thompson.

In Oslo, Norway, another Magnolia Jazzband has been entertaining at social clubs, halls, and jazz festivals throughout Europe’s thriving traditional jazz scene since 1972. Established and still managed by my friend, trombonist Gunnar Gotaag in 1972, this seven-man band specializes in playing the “traditional” style of New Orleans jazz, which emerged in the early 1940s, popularized by the bands of Bunk Johnson, George Lewis and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. The membership of Gunnar’s band has remained largely unchanged over the years, and both of these contemporary Magnolia Jazz Bands have recorded LPs, CDs, and videos.

In England, another Magnolia Jazz Band was a popular favorite among avid British Trad jazz fans at pubs, halls, and concerts (following the bands of Humphrey Lyttleton, Ken Collyer, Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, and Kenny Ball). Established in 1948 by charismatic trumpeter Mick Mulligan (1928-2006), this band finally broke up in 1962, mainly due to the growing popularity of rock and roll music. Noteworthy members included singer George Melly, trombonist Roy Crimmins and clarinetists Archie Semple and Ian Christie.

In New Orleans, probably the original Magnolia Jazz Band has been mentioned in books or interviews with trumpeter Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), bassist Pops Foster (1892-1969), guitarist Louis Keppard (1888-1986) and others. This band never recorded, and years later, Pops Foster recalled that the band played “ragtime“, rather than sweet music or low-down blues. Louis Keppard led this popular band, which entertained revelers at Pete Lala’s Cabaret and other nightspots in New Orleans’ notorious “Storyville” district.

All these Magnolia Jazz Bands are similar, but oh so different:

We’re the only Magnolia Jazz Band around here. We’re very easy to find, and we entertain somewhere in the San Francisco Bay Area nearly every day. 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 two PUBLIC appearances are on June 26, in a ribbon-cutting celebration at the San Jose Airport, and on June 28, in a networking mixer for wedding and event pros at The PruneYard, in Campbell. See details for both events 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.

How I Plan Music for an Elegant Party

“Words to Live By” for Weddings and Parties

magnoliajazz — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:20:07 +0000

Do you recognize this logo for Wish Upon A Wedding? If not yet, you soon will.

First, a story. I’m usually an upbeat fellow, but sometimes life happens, and I temporarily lose heart. At these times I ask my friends how they stay motivated, and most people I know tell me they guide themselves with a few energizing words or sentences throughout the day. Words to live by. Does this work for you, too?

Call it “self-talk” if you like, several of these motivational aphorisms are running through my mind these days. Here are two: “You make a living by what you get, and you make a life by what you give” and “Give first — it creates the pathway for receiving.” Compassion and generosity are important attitudes for me, and I find “self-talk” like this keeps me focused. You might try it, too, if you don’t already indulge.

Now, I’ve noticed that people’s attitudes about generosity seem to range from “I gave at the office” all to way to “It’s the best reason for being alive”, and Wish Upon A Wedding stands near the latter. It’s a new organization, like the “Make A Wish Foundation”, but dedicated to fulfilling wedding dreams of people struggling with terminal illnesses. Launched in 2010 by event coordinator Liz Guthrie, Wish Upon a Wedding celebrates the courage, determination and spirit of these couples by granting their dream wedding wishes. The goal is having the chosen recipients inspire other couples facing similar situations to find hope and strength.

Plans are moving quickly, and currently twenty chapters are operating in the United States (Northern California, Orlando, Los Angeles/Orange County, New York, Seattle, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Washington DC, the Carolinas, Houston, Tennessee, Atlanta, Chicago, and more), and international chapters are already “in the works”.

The wish-granting process is simple. People in need apply to be considered, and all the services and products for their weddings are donated generously by top professionals in their fields, who apply to become donors. Ceremonies will be scheduled across the country.

I’m SO proud to be a founding board member and National PR/Media liaison. If you’re interested in helping Wish Upon A Wedding, please click here to learn more. Please, please participate generously every way you can.

On another note (a little musician humor there), my most valuable asset is TIME, and I try to budget carefully. Whenever I’m not entertaining somewhere, I’m often enjoying a networking event with my colleagues in the special event biz — whether at a casual mixer, or a professional business association meeting, or collaborating on a special project like Wish Upon A Wedding.

The Magnolia Jazz Band entertains somewhere nearly every day, and I’m always on the lookout for our next opportunity. If we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon. Our next public appearance is this Friday, March 5, 6-8pm, in the annual benefit reception for the Alzheimer’s Association at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View. See details on our website.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment.

Wedding Showcase at Palo Alto’s Crowne Plaza Cabana

magnoliajazz — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:14:08 +0000

Here we are last January 17, entertaining at a stylish wedding reception at Bonny Doon Vineyards Cafe, in Santa Cruz. (Congratulations Nicole and George Wu), and thank you for your dramatic photos, Akiko Nabeshima. With so many guests from out of town and overseas, this group preferred their conversations to dancing. We received many enthusiastic compliments, and everyone there enjoyed a memorable evening.

What a striking room! Exciting to be in that space, the acoustics are excellent, the staff is SO friendly, and I can hardly wait to return. We’ll be entertaining there again for Valentine’s Day Dinner on Sunday, February 14. It’ll be a wonderful, romantic evening. And dinner — well, stand back: with their award-winning chef, they’ve received over 125 great reviews on Yelp. For more information and reservations, please visit their website or call 831-425-6771. If you’ll be in or around Santa Cruz on Valentine’s Day, I hope to see you that evening.

Two weeks later, we’ll be entertaining at another public event in the Bay Area. This time it’s a fabulous wedding showcase on Sunday, February 28, at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel, in Palo Alto. This showcase will feature a Wedding Fashion Show, 25 Top Area Vendors, a Custom Cocktail Creation Lounge, Tasting of Scrumptious Food, Green Wedding Planning Tips, Gorgeous Décor Inside & Out, and Fabulous Prizes (including free photography & overnight stays) announced during the Fashion Show. For additional information and a discount coupon, email weddings@cabanapaloalto.com

I’ll blog about this showcase again as the date approaches. What an afternoon this will be! Stop in if you’re even thinking about a wedding, and say hello.

We’re entertaining somewhere nearly every day, and I’m always on the lookout for our next opportunity. If we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment.

What We’ll Never Know About Tiger Woods, and Why It Matters

magnoliajazz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:48:44 +0000

Here we are chatting with a guest at last month’s “Soup Kitchen Dinner”. Thanks to Stacie Tamaki for the nice photo — more pictures on her blog.

In recent weeks, several of my best colleagues (Nicole Lisanne, Amy Frugoli, and Andrew Hsu) wrote wonderful, detailed accounts about the benefits they bring their clients’ celebrations. I recommend you read their thoughtful comments. And browse through their blogs, to find plenty of keen observations and helpful insights.

But first, a story.

I just don’t get it! Poor Tiger Woods got involved in an auto accident the other day. Or so I’m told, and the rumors began flying 15 minutes afterward. I didn’t witness the event myself, and eye-witness accounts are notoriously unreliable anyway, so please don’t mistake my words for the truth. I really don’t know first hand what happened.

Who does? You? Certainly not the people who offer their eager listeners opinions that begin with “Here’s my take on it…” or “Reliable authorities have reported…”

I believe no one knows exactly and completely what happened, or why. The participants and spectators have a vested interest to report whatever shadowy version suits them. No matter how sincere, they can’t escape their bias — it’s the way they look at the world. And whether or not we accept it, the rest of us are totally in the dark, as usual.

Yet here we are, standing in a hurricane of groundless speculations claiming to illuminate the unreported mysteries. Why are so many of us acting this way?

I just don’t get it! You have an answer?

Well, maybe the simplest answer is the best: We just like to wonder about the unknowable.

If so, why does it matter? Woods is a remarkable athlete, always will be, and except for temporarily tarnishing his reputation with all this temporary attention, I think wondering is harmless in this case. The notoriety will cost him some and reward him some. Just like most of the celebrity scandals you’ll recall — about the deaths of JFK, Anna Nicole Smith, and Michael Jackson, or the trials of Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, or Bernie Madoff, we’ll never know the truth. If we really MUST have an answer, then we believe whatever we believe.

Whoa! Here I am, speculating about the unknowable, too. But my certainty rests on how little we’ll ever know, rather than on the details of what most likely happened or could happen with Mr. Woods.

That’s OK, in my opinion. I’m comfortable accepting that there are some things I can never know, and I’d prefer not making something up, just to have an answer, right or wrong. Flying blind is no problem here, because I think whatever we believe won’t matter, and a crash landing has no significant consequences.

However, flying blind through life is a serious problem whenever the consequences of our decisions count. Sometimes we really need the voice of experience to guide us, or the eye of an expert to see what we’re missing.

Can you guess where I’m heading? Sure, I’m talking about where I’ve devoted so many hours of my professional life — celebrations, especially weddings and parties. For over 34 years I’ve seen countless examples where the vision of a professional expert either created a perfect event or prevented a catastrophe. And others where flying blind led to a disaster. Everyone has stories, right?

Everyone is an expert at something. Most of my colleagues are experts at some aspect of creating a special celebration — whether they manage the entire project, or capture images in a video or a photograph, or present sensational food, from appetizers to desserts, or create a stunning atmosphere with decor, flowers, music, and lighting. They are the experts every successful event requires, and without them things easily go wrong.

So when someone plans an important event, they could ask a pro to assure everything goes perfectly. Or they could wonder about things they simply don’t know and hope for the best. That is, fly blind and risk crashing.

I love participating in successful events, and I hate having to solve preventable problems, so that’s why I always look forward to working with a team of pros. By the way, the band still entertains somewhere nearly every day. I’m always seeking our next opportunity, and if we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment. I’ll reply right away.

Videos for Weddings and Parties

magnoliajazz — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:50:08 +0000

Here’s a question for you. Who do you know who does weddings?

“Look, I’m the only one here who actually does weddings. The rest of you — event planners, wedding coordinators, photographers, videographers, caterers, florists, or DJs — just help.” So jokes my friend, Rev. Layne Kulwin, and he’s a minister, so I guess he’s right!

Lots of us are aboard the bandwagon of claiming to “do” weddings. I’ve been there, too, and I’m finally jumping onto a different bandwagon. For months now I’ve been hearing that online video isn’t going to be the next big thing — it already IS the big thing.

Hope I’m not too late, but at last I’m starting to collect little candid video clips from our “on the job” performances, and the best ones will show people enjoying our music. I’ll post them on my website, and right now this one is on my blog. Click on it!

This is the first video in my collection, taken by my friend Rich Amooi, while the trio was creating a soft background at a casual benefit dinner party last Thursday.

Now you’re able to see and hear us in action. Well, there’s plenty of music to hear, but not lots of action to see, actually. We play sitting down, and I like to tell people that when the San Francisco Symphony stands up to play, we’ll do it, too.

So if you ever have a little video clip of us, please email it here or have me download it or send me the URL on YouTube. I’ll post it right away, with a link back to your website or your blog, to send you some traffic as a “thank you”.

In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving! The holiday season is nearly upon us, and the band still entertains somewhere nearly every day. I’m always seeking our next opportunity, and if we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment. I’ll reply right away.

Something New to Jazz Up Parties and Weddings

magnoliajazz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:08:09 +0000

Here I am with two friends. We’re demonstrating a relatively new addition to the arsenal of party “supplies”.

In recent years, photographers, DJs, and others have begun offering photo booths to liven up special events. (You, too? Not me, but stay tuned.) The good-looking fellow with me is Scott Vlha, of Doorstep Photo, one of the busiest photographers in the SF Bay Area. I bump into Scott at private and corporate functions all the time.

Here I’m with Linda Kinsella, whose company, Screenbooth, provides a combination photo & video device (she calls it a “digital guestbook”) that’s been a sure-fire hit at anniversary, birthday, graduation, and retirement parties, as well as at weddings.

Ever see one of these photo booths in action? They can be great for keeping a festive party loose and hilarious. They can also preserve a more somber, reflective, poignant mood. Most people can’t resist, so next time to see one, just stand back, watch, and you’ll be joining in soon enough.

There’s always something new at parties these days. Yet tradition demands some things stay unchanged. Who knows better where to draw the line than a wedding coordinator? Her job is to blend the old with the new (as well as “something borrowed, something blue”). I work closely with many top coordinators all the time, and the band recently entertained at the APCWC graduation celebration. That’s Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants. They enjoyed a wonderful brunch that day, and my friend Amy Frugoli, of Twitterpated Weddings, took this photo.

The band will be playing at two big fund-raising events this Saturday, and we entertain somewhere in the SF Bay Area nearly every day. I’m always on the lookout for our next opportunity. Holiday parties are coming up, and if we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment. I’ll reply right away.

Oh, so THAT’s why people have children!

magnoliajazz — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:48:40 +0000

A valuable perspective on communicating with social media. But first, a personal note: Here’s my wife and her mother, who is now living with us. My mother-in-law is pretty ill. Taking care of her gives me lots of opportunities to practice organizing details, listening carefully, and planning ahead. I also learn valuable lessons of kindness, compassion, patience, humility, and gratitude for my blessings.

You know, all the good advice from the world’s holy books. The qualities that make us civilized.

Recently a friend half-seriously suggested the main benefit of raising children is learning how to care for our parents as they grow older. She said taking care of someone who needs your help is an important skill we use throughout life. It’s not just a technique we learn once and keep polished, but an attitude to illuminate how we treat people.

Does this make sense to you? I have no kids, and I’m not so sure this is the MAIN benefit from raising children. Still I’d say it ought to be high in the list.

“I live to serve” is a worthy perspective on life. Wouldn’t it be nice if some lessons like these would be more prominent in U.S. foreign policy? Or in the halls of Congress? Or in the boardrooms of major corporations, labor unions, and local civic groups?

Hey, you folks got something more important to do?

Well, fortunately for us, these ethical qualities distinguish the best person-to-person relationships. These days, almost every business I know is striving to “personalize”. All my colleagues and I are no exception. We’re successful to the extent that we treat our clients (and each other) kindly, develop satisfying personal relationships, and provide an outstanding product or service. We hear lots of chatter these days about effective marketing with social media, but it always comes down to nourishing a good person-to-person relationship.

Say you’re organizing a special party. You want to work with people able and eager to make your dreams come true, right? You can find plenty of us, and if you need more help, we’ll be glad to recommend some friends we work well with. Here’s a fine group of some of my best colleagues, involved with the San Francisco Dream Team Wedding Giveaway. Photo by my friend, Lilia Ahner, Lilia Ahner Photography.

For me, this generous attitude has always been effective. The band entertains somewhere nearly every day, and I’m always on the lookout for our next opportunity. If we can help you, please call us at 408-245-9120. Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon. Here’s the next one: Saturday, October 17, 2-4pm, at Macy’s Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please take a moment to share this post, subscribe, and send me a comment. I’ll reply right away.

Practicing for Weddings and Parties

magnoliajazz — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Here we are two weeks ago, at the beautiful Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, in Sonoma. Starting with “It Had to be You” and ending with Pachelbel’s “Canon in D”, the wedding processional included bridesmaids, the ring bearer, and the flower girl, who paved the way for Kim and her Dad. Congratulations Kim and Chris — you starred in a lovely evening, and thanks for including us.

Thanks to Jere Visalli (Visalli Photography) for the beautiful photos. Visit his stunning website.

Like so many successful events, this wedding required lots of planning and coordinating, and we were delighted to work with Lisa Parker-Kim (Parker-Kim Events) and Melanie King (Jacuzzi Family Vineyards).

Every day we’re reminded that success follows thorough preparation. For example, my friend Amy Frugoli (Twitterpated Weddings), an outstanding wedding coordinator, is one of the busiest networkers in Northern California. She seems to be everywhere, and she‘s just been selected to serve as the primary coordinator for the $100K San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway, to be announced tomorrow. What an honor!

Upon hearing the news, I reminded her that her good fortune is really no surprise — the more we practice, the luckier we get.

With Amy, it’s never “Same old, same old.” She always creates new touches for her events, and, like many of our colleagues, she’s ready for anything, She’s constantly exploring, observing, inventing, and rehearsing, all with an open mind.

For all of us, this is a great habit to cultivate. What’s your favorite way to keep your mind fresh and agile?

The Magnolia Jazz Band continues to keep busy. Nearly every day, we entertain at memorable celebrations ranging from large, elegant wedding receptions and banquets to small, casual garden parties and picnics, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Labor Day and Halloween. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your next celebration. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for our schedule, and catch us at a public event soon. We’re playing on Wed, August 26, at a pre-holiday party showcase at the Crowne Plaza Cabana, Palo Alto, and I hope to see you there. (Call 650-628-0138 to RSVP).

Please take a moment to find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. Please visit our Facebook Page, register as a “fan”, and you’ll receive a quick email reminder before each of our public appearances.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please send me a comment (below), and I’ll reply promptly.

Networking Tips for Everyone

magnoliajazz — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:15:00 +0000

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy thinking about my ideas. Please tell me how you like the experience.

Recognize this logo? It’s important to you, and I’ll tell you why in one minute. First, a story. I recently saw a cartoon of a herd of cows. One lifts his head and says, “Hey, you guys, this is grass. We’ve been eating GRASS!” Well, I’ll be that cow right now, and I’ll tell you what I think we’re doing. Namely, we’re living in the center of a monumental communication revolution that has changed our lives forever. Let me explain.

I was chatting with my friend Stacie Tamaki last Saturday. She created that logo as part of her campaign to generate help for a cousin who desperately needs a bone-marrow transplant. Stacie told me incredible stories of the contacts she’s been making world-wide — with individuals as well as donor programs. Nearly all online. She’s primarily using Facebook, Twitter, her various websites, her blog, and email. Her project shows how far we’ve come from the days of communicating with smoke signals and town criers. Stacie’s logo is important in two ways: First, for rallying support for the worthwhile program it represents, and second, for symbolizing the enormous power of online communication.

By the way, click on the logo to learn more about Stacie’s project. Maybe you can help her directly, and maybe her example can show you how to run a similar project.

So, how about Networking? Well, here you are, reading my blog (online, I presume), so I may be “preaching to the choir”. Nevertheless, let’s find the big picture here. We’re past “amazing”, by now, and these online tools are no longer just for teeny-boppers who ask “What are you doing now?” Smart, creative people in all lines of work are finding these tools unbeatable for exchanging all kinds of messages — the only limit is our imagination.

Social applications like Facebook and Twitter, through their connections to websites and blogs, let us spread our ideas faster, farther, and wider. We ought to stay aware of these developments and use them for our own networking messages — discussing ideas, asking questions, offering help, updating plans, and spreading news, just to suggest a few.

We’ll notice how our access to more new information helps us understand more and accomplish more every day. Of course, we need to balance that against how much the trivial portion of all this new information wastes our precious time and distracts us from more important issues in our lives.

What important issues? Ones that matter most. The current explosion in online communication creates options for making our face-to-face encounters more effective, rewarding, and productive. In other words, making our life more worthwhile.

Obviously each of us has many unique needs, and for me one of the strongest is to constantly keep in touch with many friends. Better online communication helps me network better. For example, last Saturday I met Stacie, and many other business friends, at a swinging networking event called “Martini Madness”. It’s coordinated mainly online, through Facebook and Evite, and what a night it was! The brainchild of my friend Duncan Reyes, this movable mayhem meets quarterly at some notable facility in the SF Bay Area. Members socialize, deepen our friendships, and strengthen the basis for working together even more effectively.

What an extraordinary happening this is! What a boon to all of us, and to our clients, as well. We all benefit from Duncan’s imagination and talent for organizing. He is a fabulous wedding and event coordinator (formerly social events coordinator at the Westin St Francis, where I first met him), and he uses the newest online resources to organize “Martini Madness”. I haven’t had an opportunity to work with him now that he’s on his own, but based on how he handles “Martini Madness”, I’m really looking forward to it.

Now, what should we do? No matter what business we’re in, we can all follow Duncan’s inspiration. Let’s go out and create opportunities for our colleagues to meet and develop deeper personal and professional relationships. Maybe add entertainment and educational aspects to these opportunities. As a result, we’ll all work together better, and our clients will love THAT. While we’re at it, let’s support not just our own program but similar programs our colleagues create. We’re all in this together, and we’ll find the more our colleagues prosper, the more we’ll prosper.

Speaking of prospering, the band has been keeping busy this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. For instance, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Friday, April 3, we’ll create an elegant mood at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, during cocktails at a reception and art auction to benefit the Alzheimers Association. On Sunday, April 12, we’ll be entertaining during Easter brunch at The Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. Two days later, on Tuesday, April 14, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for the annual “S.V.C.A. Hospitality Awards” at Club Auto Sport, in San Jose. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Please tell me what you think about any of my ideas. I’ll reply to all your opinions and comments.