Holiday Party Entertainment – San Francisco Bay Area

Holiday party entertainment fills my days, nearly every day.  Of course not every day is Valentines’ Day, Fourth of July, or New Year’s Eve, but every day is a holiday for someone, somewhere here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Magnolia Jazz Band will be there with the perfect music. Question: Why are […]

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Holiday Party Music – San Francisco Bay Area

Holiday party music is appropriate throughout the year, not just around December. I’m talking about music for ANY holiday party. Widen your imagination.  Holidays seem to happen every few weeks these days.  Any event can become the focus of a holiday, you know?  And you can choose suitably festive music for any event. Be creative. […]

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Planning Wedding Music

Planning wedding music invites questions.  “Should I have music at my ceremony?  Or my reception?  If so, what kind is best?  And what are the best ways to include music in my wedding celebration?” You may decide to design and orchestrate your wedding yourself.  Or you may prefer to have a wedding coordinator arrange all […]

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Non Profit Donations in San Francisco Bay Area

Non profit donations occupy a significant part of the Magnolia Jazz Band‘s attention, as it seems with many of my colleagues in the wedding and special events biz.  Perhaps because this attitude reflects our habitual frame of mind:  We all do our best to serve our clients, with our main professional focus on “serving”. After […]

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Communication Listening Skills for Weddings and Parties

Communication listening skills drive my life and my business.  Everything stems from productive dialogues.  Not monologues, but the generous, thoughtful exchange of ideas and information. Every day I’m reminded of the importance of developing good listening skills, and I always try to learn something new by observing good practices.  Let me tell you about a […]

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A Blog Workshop for Weddings and Parties

Ever attend a blog workshop? Blogging is important for me and many of my colleagues.  Most of us work in small businesses, either self-employed or with just a few friends, and we’re often our own sales and marketing departments. You, too? These days many businesses are marketing with more and more social media — blogging, […]

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Tips for Cocktail Party Music

Cocktail party music usually requires just a little planning, compared with preparing wedding ceremony music.  For an example, consider how we prepared for entertaining in the cocktail reception at the NewSpace 2010 Awards Gala dinner party. Here we are, in the corner of a lounge bustling with scientists, entrepreneurs, social activists, politicians, adventurers, and their […]

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Fundraiser Jazz Band, not just for Weddings and Parties

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. For […]

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Planning Party Music. Just Ask the Right Questions.

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.  […]

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Elegant Party Music and a More Personal Blogging Style

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 in May 2010, jazzing up an elegant roof-top cocktail party in San Francisco. The photo is taken from a stunning video created by my friend Andrew Hsu — watch […]

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