On Jambalaya, Weddings and Parties

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 the photo.  Yum!

I love preparing it, love eating it, love the surprise of tasting someone else’s recipe.

Like the music of a good old style jazz band, there’s a basic formula you customize to produce what you want.  In this case, it’ll be your favorite flavor, aroma, appearance, and texture.  Each batch is unique, reflecting the ingredients you select, how you combine them, and how you present the results (I usually recommend serving with a hearty red wine).

I think it’s the same with making practically anything — salads, stews, wine, bouquets, parties, jewelry, clothing, automobiles, buildings, you name it!  Everywhere, the procedure seems to be “First you learn the rules, then you personalize them.”

How about what you do for a living?  Do you elaborate your own fine touches on just a few fundamental patterns?  Finding these simple patterns can often help us navigate new, more complex terrain.

Here’s a pattern I often follow.  When the band prepares to entertain people at a party or a wedding, I do the most logical things.  First, I find out what the people want.  I learn their event’s purpose, the mood they want, and a few more significant details.  Next, from all my experience with similar events, I suggest a few options they might like.  Then I muster all my creativity and flexibility and help them refine their favorite choices.  Finally, I repeat this last step over and over, each time bringing their vision into sharper focus.

Hmmmm, sounds so simple.  Do you follow a similar pattern?  I follow this one all the time, and the band entertains somewhere nearly every day.

If we can ever help you, please call us at 408-245-9120.  Visit MagnoliaJazz.com for testimonials, music samples, videos, photos, and our public schedule, and catch us at an event soon.  Our next PUBLIC appearance is on May 9th, Mothers Day, where the trio will be entertaining at three locations on opposite ends of Silicon Valley — at the Mountain Winery, in Saratoga, at the Hilton Newark/Fremont, and The Toll House, in Los Gatos.  See the details on our website.

In the meantime, please join my Facebook “fan page”, and you’ll get a reminder for each of our public events.

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Tagged as: jambalaya

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