Hiring a Jazz Band: 3 Things you need to Know

Jazz music is relaxing, it’s refreshing, and depending on who’s listening, can even be educational! There are numerous situations where you might be in a position where you’re about to hire a jazz band. You could be hiring a live jazz band to oversee the music at your wedding, you could be hiring a jazz band for entertainment at a corporate event or you could even be hiring a jazz band to partake in a parade!

Regardless of what you’re hiring for, here are a few things it would help for you to know beforehand!

Jazz Comprises of Numerous Styles

If you’re not a music enthusiast, you might mistake the word jazz as a description of one of the many styles that fall under the genre’s umbrella. Where styles of jazz associated with original or traditional jazz, ragtime, Dixieland and swing are conducive to most events, they aren’t the only ones out there.

You have other jazz styles like Hard Bop, Fusion, free and Latin style Jazz that though interesting in their own right would probably not be a good fit for most occasions and functions.

Different jazz musicians specialize and excel in different styles of jazz. When you’re hiring a live jazz band, make sure the musicians you hire specialize in the kind of jazz style that will add value to your event.     

All Bands for Hire are not Seasoned Entertainers

Though being a skilled musician and having high entertainment value are not mutually exclusive, every talented musician is not necessarily a seasoned entertainer. Many claim that if you want to hire a live jazz band, going for a college band or something of the sort is smart.

Though this might make sense in theory, any experienced organizer, host or event planner will probably tell you it’s a bad idea. The reason for this is, though a college band might actually have a good handle on their music and jamming together, performing for an audience at a specific event is a different matter. 

In order to provide entertainment, one needs to both excel at the talent in question as well as at reading and understanding their audience. Only a live band that has spent years entertaining audiences will have the experience it takes to do both these things and hence keep their audiences engaged! 

Make sure you hire a live jazz band with the experience and insight needed to show up on time, put on a good show and work a crowd!

Compatibility is Key

Finally, you need to know that it is important for you as a host or organizer to work with people who are compatible with you. All musicians and bands are not exactly known to be team players! The music or entertainment at your event is a major factor when it comes to how successful the same will be.

Where you want a band that is competent and knows their stuff, you also want to work with someone who is humble and willing to work with you to make your event more successful. Look for live bands that specialize in providing music for events, as such, bands will tailor everything from their playlists to their outfits to suit your event’s theme ideally.

Winding Down

As we said, having the right live band to work with can turn a great event into a spectacular one. Mess up on your band choice and that could be it! All this said, the points about should help you filter through bands that won’t work and find an appropriate band to work with.

Bands like the Razzmajazz Dixie Band have been successfully entertaining music lovers, enthusiasts and others for over two decades. Covering popular Original Jazz, Dixieland and swing jazz numbers from the 20’s to the 50’s, the band offers spectacular performances at corporate events, Mardi gras and other social functions.    

 

 

Off the Beaten Path: 3 Reasons Why You Should Explore Non-Commercial Music Today

You might have heard the terms commercial or mainstream and non-commercial or underground music but may struggle when it comes to differentiating between the two.  To break it down for you; mainstream or commercial music is music produced by big record labels and created by bands or musicians that have enjoyed widespread popularity and success.

Non-commercial or underground music on the other hand, loosely put is that which is not produced by big labels, that which is produced by bands that cater to a niche and so on. This brings us to the question; why should one explore non-commercial music?

The Commercial Trap

The first thing you need to understand is that everything commercial is not good. Where you may think commercial music equals good music, this is not always the case. According to one blog published on Culture Jamming, an online community, the production of commercial music is about business and making money before anything else.

For this reason, it is not about good music in theory, rather about what the masses want to hear. The masses however as opposed to deciding based on actual musical prowess. In many cases, people are easily influenced by the tastes of other people. Following this, trends catch on.

Commercial music producers then tailor and cut their music to line it with current trends. The result is a sort of watering down or anti-diversification of music available. In sort, commercial music does not equal good music.

Not Limited by Business

 

Underground and non-commercial music on the other hand is not limited by the boundaries of business and mainstream production. As a result, such groups, musicians and bands are able to diversify, evolve and experiment.

As a result, the musical scope of such bands and the sounds they offer in many ways out do the boundaries of what is produced commercially. Sure there may be non-commercial bands that aren’t great. At the same time, there are many non-commercial bands that are nothing short of brilliant.

The only thing that has kept such bands out of the commercial spotlight is the fact that they are devoted to their art and because they prioritize good music over business!

From Non-Commercial to Commercial and the Joy of Discovery

Last but not least, some of the greatest commercial bands today from a range of genres from rock to electronic started out on the non-commercial scene. It was only after their discovery that these bands picked up and became popular across the board.

It’s one thing listening to music that you and everyone else have heard time and time again. Stuff you’re told is good but haven’t found for yourself. Listening to non-commercial music opens you up to a world of tunes and compositions you might never have known. Better yet, you might come across the next big band and guess what – you’ll be the one who found it!

Winding Down

These three pointers are among the main reasons why no matter how much commercial music you listen to, non-commercial music and bands are something always worth appreciating. Don’t limit yourself to what the TV or radio suggest you hear. Get out there, look for fresh bands and musicians and expand that musical repertoire! 

RazzMaJazz Dixie Band has been successfully entertaining music loves, enthusiasts and others with their engaging performances for over two decades. The band plays originals and covers popular Original Jazz, Dixieland and swing jazz numbers from the 20’s to the 50’s. The band offers to perform at corporate events, Mardi Gras and other desired events and functions.