Year: 2009

Live Music for Weddings: Destination Moon!

The Guests Danced Before They Sat Down For Dinner!

I recently had a terrific time collaborating on a first dance with a dance instructor and a lovely couple whose wedding took place in late December in Arizona. There wasn’t a lot of time for dance lessons, but when the dancers are fast learners it makes things easier. We texted, e-mailed, sent carrier pidgeons back and forth and I timed the timed the sequence with the dance instructor over the phone, merging two distinct tempos.

Some weddings have a life of their own; this one was on fire! The bride and groom joined guests on the dance floor were on the dance floor seconds after they were announced — to the stirring strains of the Air Force Theme Song — dancing to “Cheek To Cheek” long before it was time for their official first dance.

Now THAT’s a wedding!

And it never slowed down from there.

Filled with heart and soul, lots of personality and and love, the lovely winter wedding was a thriller that united two very special families on an amazing night in a ballroom envisioned and designed by the father of the bride.

“We could actually DANCE to your music,” was a comment I heard all night.

And this: “We could actually carry on a conversation!”

“I felt like I was at a fairy-tale wedding,” one of the guests told me in the hotel lobby the next morning.

I’d have to agree. And the band had as much fun as the guests!

We’re classically trained jazz musicians with a swing sensibility and rock and roll souls. Known for playing the right music at the right time, we don’t use a lot of music onstage because we’re moving fast. Sometimes we’re moving REALLY fast!

We can take a bunch of songs that have nothing to do with each other, mix up the styles and genres, eras and decades and play a continuous medley of music for hours. Like our “forefathers”, the musicians who played in the Lester Lanin and Meyer Davis society wedding bands, we don’t have to slow down to turn pages in a book. We go with “the flow” and keep parties exciting, pacing with great tempos when people are dancing. Keeping the energy level interesting while staying under the level of conversation is a neat trick. We’re not loud, but we are a lot of fun. We improvise … because we can. And we never play anything the same way once.

Unless it’s your first dance.

For THAT, you’ll know exactly what to expect. Like a great song and dance team, you become part of us and we become part of you.

The song the couple chose to dance to was Michael Buble’s “Everything.” A FABULOUS tune. They learned rhumba steps to go with it. They also wanted to have a tempo change midway, so we planned that they would switch to a waltz as a surprise. We LOVE surprises; they are the stuff wedding memories are made of.

For the waltz, they decided on “Melody Of Love.” A beautiful, perfectwaltz, it was one of about a dozen I’d suggested, and my favorite of the batch. Written in 1903, with words added in 1954, it had been my parents “song” when they were married in the 1930’s.

Our three-way long-distance “rehearsal” had worked very well, and the result was flawless!

Of course, some people are just natural-born dancers.

We had a LOT of help in the form of musical creativity and planning expertise from the mother of the bride, who knows even more songs than I do!

Additional support and encouragement came from the father of the bride, who envisioned an intimate room rather than a sterile hotel ballroom and made it happen! The mother of the groom was a big help, too, rounding out the collaborative effor of putting together the “signature” dance songs.

For the bride’s dance with her father, we played “Young At Heart.” He is.

The groom and his mother danced to a rocked-out version of “Without A Song,” with the tempo choice specified by the musically-talented groom as he led his mom onto the floor.

It was GREAT!

For me, some of the most poignant and meaningful moments of the evening came when the bride’s parents danced to “Time After Time” — “time after time, I tell myself that I’m…so LUCKY to be loving you” — and the groom’s parents danced to “You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me.

For the last dance, we played “Destination Moon,” sending the couple off on the groom’s “rocket ship” for a “supersonic honeymoon” …wherever it was they were going.

Live Wedding Music: The Great American Songbook

We never play anything the same way once!

That’s a joke, ok?

But being something of an “original,” the standards we play are not at all in the “cover band” category.

To us, happiness is no longer having to apologize for not being a “Top 40” band. Evidently, a lot of people don’t want to hear that music anymore from a live band.

So we are thrilled when our clients say things like:

“I don’t want to be like other brides.”

“Please don’t play the same songs everyone plays at weddings.”

“DO NOT play that awful 1980’s crap.”

“If we hear ‘Celebrate’ one more time at a wedding, we’re going to SCREAM.”

“We don’t care as much about dancing as we do having an elegant party with great food and good conversation.”

“We just want our guests to have a good time.”

“We want our wedding music to reflect our personalities.”

“Help! We have no idea what we want…but we know we want it to be good.”

“We think music can carry the day.”

“Please make everything you play really your own.”

“We hired your swing band because it’s NOT a cover band.”

Clearly, something is changing out there.

People who have the taste level and desire to utilize live music for their wedding, special event or corporate function are looking for something really special.

There seems to be a trend back to….well, REALLy live music.

The music we call “the good stuff.”

And they want it played the way it’s supposed to be played…the way we’ve always played it…with passion, spirit and skillfully improvised originality. Fresh takes on the standards.

The standards!

Yay!

Rat Pack Fun, Vintage Live Music

We’re saving the planet, one Cole Porter tune at a time…..

Everybody loves glamorous modern vintage retro Old Hollywood music.

For weddings, parties and events there is nothing more engaging, romantic, fun and exciting that the music of the mid-Twentieth Century. Liike the furniture, clothing and movies that came out of those years, mid-century moderne music is a hot item!

No music has ever captured the heart, soul and imagination of the world like the standards, ballroom, novelties, Rat Pack, Jet Set, Old Hollywood and vintage swing music of the Roaring Twenties 1920’s, 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s.

Mid-century is the “sweet spot” of all of tht music. Some of it was first recorded in the ’20’s and ’30’s, then re-visited in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It’s fabulous music, and perfect music for weddings and events because it speaks to EVERYONE!

It’s turning up everywhere: in re-mixes you hear at the mall — and on the records of Rod Stewart, Sting, Michael Buble and others.

The records are great. But imagine the thrill of hearing — and dancing to — this kind of music performed live!

Live music for a wedding or event is pretty exciting when it captures the timeless, universal appeal of the Great American Songbook, ballroom dance music in songs sung with feeling, especially for you.

At the high end, Los Angeles wedding entertainment of the vintage variety means live, organic and in-the-moment…it’s the hallmark of this music, the depth of it — that is being performed especially for YOU, the way it used to be when Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Stan Kenton were household names.

A large part of the appeal of vintage music is that it has the capability of connecting with your soul in a very personal way.

Records are nice. But they don’t really convey the personal elements that live music does,

“Canned” performances from bands and singers who are imitating someone aren’t very exciting, either. You might as well be listening to karaoke.

Anyone who has ever heard Tony Bennett in concert knows what I mean.

At a recent holiday party in the living room of a fabulous pool house in California, we cleared a space next to the fireplace and everyone gathered around us as we performed the music of Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, Irving Berlin — and Brenda Russell, Barry Manilow…pure 20th Century. It really was like a scene from a movie. Nobody wanted to leave, especially us.

We don’t sing along with tracks or imitate Frank Sinatra — or anyone else. We just play the music the way we’ve always played it, with passion and feeling.

There’s nothing cookie-cutter about what we do. That just doesn’t work well with modern vintage hip live swinging timeless retro Old Hollywood music. We never play anything the same way once, anyway.

In celebration of having played the Great American Songbook it since it was popular the FIRST time around — at least quite a bit of it — we make it look easy. And for us, it is. We’re not turning pages in a book. Our performances are directed toward giving you…yourself. Does that make sense? It’s the way things used to be done, the way music — REAL music — should be played. We’ve been performing this music all our lives.

For glamorous parties and events, there is simply nothing finer.

“Singer/bandleader Judy Chamberlain has mastered the art of mesmerizing both the audience and her own band.” All Music Guide

Unforgettable Vintage Live Wedding & Event Music

One of the nicest things about the magnificent styles of vintage Twentieth Century music — including retro, deco, mid-century moderne, early swing, big band swing, Old Hollywood and the Great American Songbook is that it’s perfect music for the most memorable wedding and events.

Even when the song is over, the melody lingers on.

We like that!

Dear Judy, thank you for being such a beautiful part of our wedding. Andrew and I fell in love with your timeless voice from the first time we heard it, and we had a great time over the last year getting to know you and working with you to plan our special day! We’ll never forget the way you sang the Everly Brothers’ “Let It Be Me! All the best, Jennifer and Andrew Hung

There’s nothing as memorable as a GORGEOUS wedding with vintage live music. These are the events that live on in memory long after everyone has forgotten how many sequins there were on the tablecloths, or what was on the buffet table — or at the candy stations.

“If we could re-live one night over and over again for the rest of our lives, if would be the night of our daughter’s wedding.” Rand and Barbara Drake

Whitney’s wedding really was a lot of fun. We re-created the feel of an elegant nightclub right out of a movie. A late-model Old Hollywood movie, actually — one that had encouraged those at home to hold on just a little bit longer during the last days of World War II. “Casablanca” was our inspiration. We wanted it to be a surprise for the guests, so for the longest time, the theme was a little secret she and her parents and I shared as we plotted and schemed to delight and thrill a diverse group of families and guests. Our code name for the plan: Stealth Egyptian.

From the “host” who greeted arriving guests in a tall red fez to the table placement and special touches Barbara sewed into the bride’s and bridesmaid’s dresses, everything about that wedding was a work of art. The live early swing Era music the band and I performed all evening put it over the top.

As time goes by (pun intended), the spell that was cast on the occasion of Whitney’s wedding lives on. We have the pictures, and they are of a bunch of people having the time of their lives. And so it is with these lovely events. Whitney is a mother herself now, raising children of her own. But for one lovely, dreamy night…..

This, from a New York City fashion editor. For the last dance, we had played our own ethereal re-mix of New York, New York:

I wanted to drop you a note just to say hello and thank you again. I find myself telling my friends and co-workers about the wedding often. Just yesterday, I was talking about the music with a co-worker and it just brought back so many great feelings and memories, I had to write you a quick note. I clicked through the many pictures and imagine my surprise when I found some of our own wedding, right there! I really cherish the long talks we had leading up to our big day and I truly appreciate everything you and your band have given us. Many thanks and take care, Lyn Montagna Lynch

Music is a very powerful ingredient in the mystery of remembrance.

Vintage Live Music for Weddings: Retro, Glamorous Fun!

Live music, with a terrific band playing to an exuberant crowd of party and wedding guests; what fun!

What makes for a great plan utilizing live music at weddings and events?

To me, the repertoire’s the thing.

There is nothing that’s as much fun at a wedding or party than the special INTERACTIVE relationship between brides and grooms, wedding and party guests and a live band — especially a live band with an enormous repertoire.

And how boring that music would be if it were all just swing, or a steady diet of big band dance music from the 1940’s. The music of the 1950’s 1960’s and 1970’s is SO HOT! Our eclectic jazz-pop-swing repertoire has become very contemporary in it’s retro moderne vintageness. We know thousands of songs — our enormous repertoire is actually legendary — and not everything we play is an “obvious choice.” It’s this uniqueness that’s part of the excitement of having live music at a wedding or an event.

Songs like Destination Moon, Song Of The Jet and Hotel California are fun, mood-provoking, sleek and cerebral, flirty and deep, light and elegant. We love the kind of live music that thrills and delights wedding and party guests. By pre-arrangement with the client, of course!

We LOVE to set the scene at a wedding or event. And we are especially loving the creativity of the music we think up to do for modern retro- vintage, mid-century space-age jet set events. We’ve been playing these songs for years; now we’re hearing them on the radio as a new generation realizes there’s more to music than….well…that OTHER stuff.

From Roaring Twenties theme parties, 1950’s doo-wop and oldies music for mid-century retro events, Old Hollywood glamour for estate and ballroom weddings — to hip, jet set Atomic Lounge vintage music for a great 1960’s pool or lounge party — Old Hollywood glamour for events and weddings with LIVE MUSIC is big time fun!

The Great Gatsby…Audrey Hepburn…Grace Kelly…Palm Springs Weekend…a Sinatra Rat Pack lounge party… Casino Royale! My Fair Lady…Breakfast at Tiffany’s…Sabrina…Funny Face…The Bandwagon…Yay!

And outdoor weddings; gotta love ’em. This is why we live in California!

If you can think of it, we can play it. And if you can’t think of it, we can!

We even take requests from the dance floor! If it’s good music, you can bet it’s in our repertoire. It’s all swing to us!

Live Vintage Music “Makes” A Wedding. The Theme is YOU!

“You and your band absolutely made our wedding!”

This is music to our ears! We love hearing it from our brides and grooms and their families.

We also love it when your guests tell you: that was so you!

Because your wedding or event is not about us. It’s about you…

We’re just there to give you a pink cloud to float on.

Music is a great way to express feelings and emotions.

Colors, seasons and settings count, too!

Wedding Jazz Orchestra Diary: It’s Supposed To Swing!

Let’s talk about the best wedding band in America.

Huh?

OK, let’s talk about reality.

Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Dorothy Fields and Nelson Riddle would all be rolling over in their graves if they’d heard what I just heard….

Fields wrote some of the best live music for weddings, Astaire sang it..and in later years Sinatra did, too, with arrangements by Riddle.

Did they “do” weddings? Probably.

If you were a friend to them, definitely.

How about today. Is there such a thing as the best wedding band in America?

Who knows?

One thing’s for sure: there certainly are a lot of bad ones.

People tell us that finding the right music for their wedding or event is the hardest part of the planning experience.

To be a seriously good wedding band it’s important to have a great repertoire — and actually understand the history and the lyrics of the songs, not just the titles. That’s where DJ’s fall apart, after the most obvious selections. So do many bands. Phrasing counts, and musicians who are out of their element in all but one or two of the genres they’re playing probably don’t have the phrasing skills needed to put over the others with any credibility. Maybe they are a “cover band” that plays 80’s rock. Standards? Please….

I was just on the website of one such band, and listened in horror as as the singer absolutely had a field day — and not in a good way (please pardon the pun) — with the Dorothy Field lyrics to “The Way You Look Tonight,” adding words and cute little phrases and completely screwing up the time and the meter.

Even worse, it took a twenty piece group of them to do it. Screeching, out-of-tune-horns, dated arrangements… and while they weren’t down in the bottom-feeding element of bands that use tracks and just look like they’re playing, it was still awful. There was no musical phrasing. These guys couldn’t swing if Benny Goodman jumped up and kicked them in the butt.

Who could dance to that?

The videos are all staged, by the way.

It’s entirely possible that there are a lot of people who don’t know how to find a good band, or think that such a thing even exists anymore. I’m beginning to think they’re right.

Limited repertoires, reading from books on music stands. Amateurs trying to imitate Frank Sinatra.

Lester Lanin and Meyer Davis would roll over in their graves, too.

I think people who hire a live band deserve better. I think they deserve the real deal, a bunch of terrific musicians who play a lot of styles of music very well. Just like it used to be.

2010 Wedding Trends: What’s Hot & What’s Not

2010 Wedding Trends – What’s Hot and What’s Not….A Style List for Modern Brides

My friend Sheryle Ulyate, who is one of the most elegant women I know, suggested that we compile a list of what the editors of Modern Bride might well be touting as their trendsetter ideas for 1010…if only there were still a Modern Bride, which there isn’t.

Sheryle knows a thing or two about trendsetting; she was one of the founders of Three Day Blinds, a company that nearly single-handedly revolutionized the window covering industry.

Like me, Sheryle is a believer in the old less-is-more Oscar Wilde adage that puts style into perspective. He said, “I am a man of simple taste. The best will always do.”

Here it is, our “What’s Hot and What’s Not” list of wedding trends for 2010 brides. In simple good taste, of course:

HOT………………………………………NOT

Live Wedding Music ……………………iPod
Bandleader ………………………………M/C
Deco………………………………………Disco
Mid-Century Moderne…………………..Punk
Doo-Wop…………………………………The Blues Brothers
Garden Fresh Blooms……………………Flower Towers
Food Stations……………………………Ice Carvings
Natural Makeup………………………….Eyelashe Extensions
Poolside Lounge………………………….Banquet Hall
Family Table……………………………..Sweetheart Table
Home-Baked Sweets Table…………….Cupcake Tree
Organic Everything………………………Fake Anything
Event Designer…………………………..Timeline Police
Swing Band……………………………….Cheesy DJ
Wedding Orchestra………………………Cheesy Wedding Band
Canapes…………………………………..Cheese Platter
Standards………………………………….Top 40
“The Way You Look Tonight”……………”Brick House”
Ballroom Dancing………………………….Rocking The House
Your Backyard……………………………..Harbor Cruise

Gourmet, Modern Bride & Print Media

Gourmet and Modern Bride are gone. This is not good.

I was one of the first “content providers” trained by the Los Angeles Times to write for the internet.

Years ago, ok?

Keep it short and sweet, they told us. Nobody wants to wade through more than a hundred words.

Over a decade of writing content for online news sites, I moderated a message board for Cox Interactive Media.

In depth? Hardly.

In its first foray into online news, the LA Times hired a whole bunch of people, trained them and then fired them. One morning, with a story assigned by each in the works, I called three of my editors who had been in their offices the day before and was told that each was “no longer with the company.”

And that was before breakfast.

There are so many kinds of viral media these days that wading into the melee has become a full-time occupation. Sneeze, and you miss the juicy news of the second. But in this new democracy that encourages everyone to be a critic, anyone with a computer qualifies.

The more free content the viral sites attract, the more they can charge for advertsing. Write hundreds of reviews and you get to be an “elite” reviewer. No matter that you don’t know a truffle from tartufo.

Sauces? Who needs ’em? Or at least who needs to be electrified by descriptions of what’s in them, or how they’re made.

Nobody, evidently.

Vintage Live Music: A Lifetime of Listening and Learning

You’ve heard of never playing the same thing twice?

We never play anything the same way once.

That’s because we are literally the finest improvisers in the world, and can turn a hip hop song into a wedding processional — or a classical tune into rock and roll in an instant if we want to.

Most of my musical colleagues started making music professionally when they were about thirteen years old.

I was a “band singer” at that age. Stand up, sit down…

We’re a little more creative these days.

It’s Benny Goodman meets Bobby Darin, Lena Horne…and Shirley Horn.

Throw in the best of Anka, Sinatra, Bennett, Buble…and vintage doo-wop.

Peggy Lee, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, The Beatles, rocking re-mixes, soul, funk, traces of hip hop and classical, mega-ballroom and The Rat Pack…sometimes all in the same set.

What we do seems so easy now, I sometimes forget how long it took to acquire this repertoire.

A lifetime.