Author: Judy

Live Music for Asian Weddings

A traditional Asian wedding means well-planned details. And it often means great live music.

Gracious, elegant and whimsical live music can be enjoyed by many generations.

Today’s elegant Asian bride loves mixing traditional details with personalized music.

Broadway and movie musicals, the standards of Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin and a lovely variety of Old Hollywood and vintage styles appeal to Asian brides and their families.

It’s the greatest music that’s ever been written!

Corporate Event Entertainment: Hire A Live Band!

Having an awards banquet and putting a dance floor down in front of the stage? Be sure to encourage people to dance between dinner courses, and don’t wait until after the awards ceremony to begin the danceing. Your guests will be long gone.

There’s an art to corporate event entertainment, and it doesn’t always have to do with dancing.

Live music, a great floor plan and delicious food…

That’s right, a great floor plan!

Sometimes that means not putting the band on a stage, especially if there is a hardwood floor or other kind of “natural” stage available.

But every event is different, every room is different — and every nuance of staging and table placement counts. Lighting counts, too. There’s a lot to think about.

Turn down those lights, relax and enjoy some live music.

Played by a live band, of course.

Hiring A Wedding Coordinator? Ask A Bandleader

Band in a box?
Boxing your band in?
Coordinator keeps grabbing the microphone to make announcements?
DJ takes over and everyone runs out the door?
Tsk.

“The field of ‘wedding coordination’ is a relatively new one,” says Judy Chamberlain, a bandleader who is also an experienced event producer.

“Coordinators probably don’t know a whole lot about live music, since most weddings these days have DJ’s rather than bands.”

“And anyone who pulls a band out of a bar to play music for their once-in-a-lifetime event may not get the results they’d like to have.”

“The musicians may be young and cute, but if they don’t know what a BEO or a power-drop is — or how to establish staging and floor plan details and create a timeline — you may wish you’d known better questions to ask than the ones touted by today’s flock of event website “experts,” says Chamberlain.

“A timeline shouldn’t ‘stick out’ and be obvious — nor should it be used to replace actual communication between vendors,” Chamberlain advises.

“Who needs to have a coordinator tell the bandleader to announce the first dance while the photographer is in the rest room because the timeline says it’s time to do the first dance?”

Yikes!

“Always have a “point man,” be sure the bride and groom — AND the photographers — are actually ready before you announce the first dance.”

“And when someone comes rushing up demanding to have the microphone so they can make a ‘surprise’ announcement, just say NO.”

Hiring a Live Band: Ask a Bandleader!

Live music for weddings and events usually requires more preparation than it takes to allocate a corner of the room to a DJ — or plug in a microphone and put a speaker’s podium on a stage for an awards banquet.

Ever wonder why DJ’s are so loud? “They probably don’t know as much about music as musicians do,” says Judy Chamberlain, an American jazz singer and bandleader who prefers sublety to volume.

“They’re there to make noise, and to M/C, not to make music.”

“When you hire a live band to entertain,” says Chamberlain, you may just be getting something better than noise — or an imitation of something. That’s why you hire a live band!”

And while most live bands can play a nice variety of live music — unless they’re a cover band or tribute band with a limited repertoire, it’s important to understand that some songs are best left to the artists who originally recorded them. If you like Anita Baker, Sade or Tiny Tim, you may want to hire a DJ. Or an “impersonator.”

And some artists really are inimitable.

Now, give us Sting, Rod Stewart, Norah Jones, Michael Buble, Kenny G. — and we’re delighted to research what it is you like about the music you’ve heard on their records and try to give you those same elements. They do the standards well, and have brought back some terrific obscurities. Buble and Jones are also talented songwriters. Besides, some of our musicians are actually on their albums.

One needs only to listen to Sting singing “You Were Meant For Me” to realize how viable the standards really are. We’re always inspired by creativity like his.

If you’ve rehearsed a special dance number to a standard — like any Frank Sinatra song, for instance — or Etta James’ “At Last,” a good band should be able to play specially-requested tunes for you, note for note. That’s easy!

There are so many wonderful standards!

Some of the best were introduced by Fred Astaire, who sang and danced and swung like mad even when he was simply walking across a room. Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday and The Boswell Sisters were also stunning performer of standards. They all learned from each other, and often recorded the same material. Each version was wonderful, and there was room for them all.

Standards, basically, can be sung by anyone.

Good music is…well, good music.

Live Music for Events…Vintage Themes

FABULOUS live music can transcend cultures — and generations.

Musical themes like Old Hollywood, the Roaring Twenties, Great Gatsby and the Rat Pack are perfect themes for landmark birthday or anniversary celebratiosn, Fiftieth Reunions and 1950’s cocktail soirees.

An Audrey Hepburn movie theme…Grace Kelly mid-century coolness…a private estate wedding…or a ring-a-ding-ding Sinatra Rat Pack party? Our jazz trios, bands and musicians are superb at setting the right mood for your event. Casino Royale! My Fair Lady…Breakfast at Tiffany’s…Sabrina…Funny Face…The Bandwagon…Flying Down To Rio, in Swing Time? It’s all great stuff!

Remember, when using live music for an event there is a big difference between an actual live band and one that is performing with pre-recorded tracks.

Anyone can plug in an iPod and play some music.

But a great band really makes a party.

Simple or Opulent Wedding Style: Band or DJ?

Is your wedding style simple or opulent?

Either way, personality is a key element of a wonderful wedding.

That means YOUR personality!

Never underestimate the difference between a wedding…and a WEDDING!

The subtlety of making magic happen is an art form.

DJ’s do NOT make magic…they push buttons.

Live bands make magic.

Well-planned spaces are important, too — especially if you’re considering utilizing the excitement of live music for your event.

Don’t take any chances with your precious moments. Before you book a location for your destination wedding or event, be sure that the room will set up well for entertainment, partying and fun.

And if the venue tells you they will only allow you to have a DJ…find another venue!

Swinging Live Music for Parties & Events

What makes live music more than just a band showing up and playing some tunes?

One of the key elements of live music — as opposed to bands that play to “tracks” and DJ’s pushing buttons — is an undertanding of the words and melody that the composers wrote.

It’s one thing to memorize a song — and far yet another thing to understand the “shape” of the music and how it should be expressed.

With a great band — and not one that is reading from some BOOKS onstage — the music is going to swing like mad, making everything that is played REALLY danceable. But “meter” and “time feel” are words many bands today have never even heard about.

Melody. Words. Vintage Jazz and Swing. Live Event Music. Dance Music.

These words don’t always go together. Which is why people sometimes think they have to hire a DJ to get a party happening on the dance floor. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And there is nothing — absolutely NOTHING — that’s as much fun as having a professional, experienced, musical, talented, GREAT live band entertain at your wedding or event.

Music you can DANCE to doesn’t mean cardboard-rigid phrasing, which is what we hear with a lot of today’s big bands. Oh, the bands are playing nicely enough. But Count Basie and Duke Ellington they ain’t. Most of them just don’t swing.

Swinging is an art.

Singing with meaningful, engaging phrasing while the band is swinging is also an art.

Sinatra did it. Ella Fitzgerald did it. Billie Holiday, even when stoned out of her mind, did it. Ellington, Basie, Bing Crosby — these people all swung like mad.

It’s what you hire a live band for, especially a live band playing music for dancers at a wedding or other important event. To have anything less is inconceivable. But that is what you often get, even with — especially with — some of the VERY high-priced “wedding band options” that are out there in the marketplace. Why? Because they don’t know the history of the music, or of the composer – or even the right words or melody to the song. Maybe they’ve never even played it before and are reading it from a book.

Perhaps they are actors trying to play the part of musicians and singers, and simply do not know the music well enough to interpret it with style and meaning.

But it is so important to respect and revere what the composer wrote. To accurately present the words, to the melody. We don’t take liberties with something that’s already perfect. It’s not cool to “re-harmonize” Cole Porter.

A great band may sometimes fool around with tempos. Bands of yesteryear used to do that all the time. It’s why a lot of this music is called “standards.” Anyone can play standards, interpreting styles and tempos to make the songs unique and interesting.

A great band will also be able to set perfect tempos for dancing!

Not everyone can do that these days, so don’t settle for a group of “jazzers” playing for themselves…or reading from “fake books.”

Louis Armstrong would roll over in his grave!

Hiring a Live Band

When it comes to great performances, phrasing is everything. It’s what makes Tony Bennett so delightful, and Frank Sinatra had it in spades. So did Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and others from their generation, mostly gone now.

And when you hire a band to perform live music as your corporate event entertainment, you want a great performance, right?

But how can there be phrasing, and a really great LIVE performance, when the band, singers, horn players and even the drummer are performing with pre-recorded “tracks,” lip-synching and playing along with a record as so many corporate event bands do today?

The following excerpt from a note I received this morning is an insightful perspective on this phenomenon:

Dear Judy,

We spoke earlier on the phone today. I just wanted to say again how nice it was to talk to somebody in the music business in this town that wasn’t immediately dismissive to a newly-arrived musician looking for opportunities. Kindness and compassion seem to be a rare commodity in this town from time to time, so thank you again.

As for the issue of “tracking” in performances here, I have to say I am pretty surprised that music has deteriorated to that level. Back home I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone using pre-recorded music in a performance – it was always assumed that if you needed more music than you could play yourself, you got another musician to help out… so here are my thoughts on this issue:

In order for music to be emotionally effective, it needs to be able to breathe and flow depending on the energy in the room, but more importantly by the energy and emotion pouring out of the performer. By using tracks, the performers have locked themselves into a static rhythm of expression and phrasing, and cannot allow for the subtle changes in tempo and dynamics that are required to really make a performance memorable and lasting. The push and pull in between the pulse of the music needs to have an elastic quality that allows for it to bend and shift as the phrase requires. Tracking seems to me no better than simply putting on a CD… at which point you should just hire yourself a DJ and call it quits.

Anyway, that’s just my two cents. Thank you again, and it was a real pleasure meeting you.”

The Music of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin & Kermit the Frog

It’s my fantasy, a one-woman show:

“Judy Chamberlain sings the hits of George Gerswin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin & Kermit the Frog”

Hmmm…and maybe Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren & Kurt Weill.

Yes, definitely.

The intimacy of this music is an extraordinary element. This is music that can make us laugh and cry for all the dreams left undone, all the people who left us too soon… and remember all the blessings that we do have in our lives. Our partners, families, friends and children.

And the music…

Songs like “Swanee,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” and the fine Harold Arlen paon to Winston Churchill, “My Shining Hour.”

Midway through the evening, a Kermit song — sung very sparely and not always in green face paint, either. My favorite is The Rainbow Connection.”

I mean, who doesn’t love Kermit?

A little Cole Porter, a sentimental Harry Warren tune like “This Heart Of Mine” and maybe some Ellington. Songs that take you back to a happier time, a time when you were young or hadn’t even been born yet but just know you would have loved.

“Prelude To A Kiss.” “Take The A-Train.”

And then it’s time for some sweet, sad music. Music to recall a lost love, the story that didn’t have a happy ending. The remembrance of pain and longing we thought we’d gotten over.

It’s killer stuff.

It tugs at your heart strings. It takes guts to listen to sad songs, but they are so good for the soul.

“The Man That Got Away.”

“It Never Was You”

“Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.”

To sleep, perchance to dream…..

Cole Porter in Hollywood: What A Swell Party It Was

Cole Porter, the musical toast of Peru Indiana, Paris and New York City, also had a profound effect on Hollywood and the movies.

Like his peers Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein, Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, his songs brought Broadway and Hollywood together in diverse and wonderful ways. Mary Martin, for instance, became an overnight star on Broadway in the Porter vehicle “Leave It To Me!” The woman who would eventually fly thru the air on wire cables as “Peter Pan” stopped the show with a mock strip tease performed on top of a cabin trunk while singing “My Heart Belongs To Daddy”. She would later appear as herself in the 1946 Porter biographical musical epic “Night and Day,” auditioning for Cary Grant, who played Cole Porter in the film.

“DuBarry Was a Lady,” which starred Bert Lahr and Ethel Merman on Broadway in 1940, was made into a 1943 movie with Lucille Ball and Red Skelton in the leading roles, but used very little of the original Porter score.

But Hollywood would soon be further Porter attenuated. His “I Concentrate On You” was one of the big hits from the movie “Broadway Melody of 1940,” while the 1943 film “Something to Shout About” contained the lovely “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”.

Another Porter tune, “Don’t Fence Me In” provided enjoyable moments in the 1944 film “Hollywood Canteen.” That same year, Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” was heard on Broadway in the 1944 show, “Seven Lively Arts.” It would become Ella Fitzgerald’s favorite song of all time.

The amazing “Kiss Me Kate” opened on Broadway on December 30, 1948, starring Alfred Drake and Patricia Morison. The fabulous score included “Why Can’t You Behave”, “Wunderbar”, “So In Love”, “We Open In Venice”, “Too Darn Hot”, and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare”.

Hollywood, not to be outdone, followed with the movie version in 1953, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel and Ann Miller — with a cameo appearance by one Alfred Viola, dressed in a strange costume and playing the guitar. When I asked Al why he had never told me about his bit part in the movie when I had heard all of his other stories many times over, he replied: “How could you tell it was me?” and Howard Keel. “Kiss Me Kate” is and was one of my favorite movies ever, followed closely by the 1956 film “High Society,” which would be one of Porter’s last projects.

The film stars Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm and Louis Armstrong as himself. Musicians appearing as part of Armstrong’s band included Edmond Hall (clarinet), Trummy Young (trombone), Billy Kyle (piano), Arvell Shaw (bass), and Barrett Deems (drums).

Notable not only for Grace Kelly’s last acting role before she became Princess of Monaco, and for being the first on-screen pairing of Sinatra and Crosby, it was also Porter’s first new film score in more than ten years. Nobody who has seen the film will ever forget the scenes and scoring of the classic “True Love,” “Well Did You Evah?” and “Now You Has Jazz,” a bonafide improvisational take on the interaction between singer and instrumentalists that has not been topped yet in a movie. Orchestrators Conrad Salinger and Nelson Riddle and bandleader Johnny Green must have had a lot of fun recording the soundtrack. Armstrong looked like he was having a deliciously time throughout, especially when he and the band launched a glib “High Society Calypso” in the movieland version of a band bus road trip to the Newport Jazz Festival, then in it’s debut infancy stage and the catalyst for this extraordinary romp.

Now you has jazz…jazz…jazzz.