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.