WEDDING VENDOR GUIDE: NYC & THE HAMPTONS “A live band is a great way to achieve an intimate feel.” Urbanette: How do you prepare for weddings? Do you have a set that you normally play for such events and how much of your set list is client-driven? Jack: We prepare for a wedding the same way we prepare for any party/event. A client gets an indepth questioning about their party/ event: number of guests, age range, ethnic background, do they want dancing, announcements, mild or wild. Then, we handpick the right musicians and the musicians are informed what a client is expecting. There’s never a set list since it’s usually not a set band. As soon as the musicians arrive, they check out the audience, assess the situation, begin with a few appropriate tunes, watch the reaction and then pick the right tunes to create the correct mood for the moment. That mood or style of music might change each hour, and then the song selection will change accordingly.
“We have good instincts and keep people from making bad choices.” Clients are always asked for the general feeling they want the night to have: a list of tunes that are requested and then a “do not play list.” Each client is treated as an individual. Many of our competitors play the same tunes for every client, whether they want them or not — Aretha, Barry White, Earth Wind and Fire, Black Eyed Peas etc. These are fine if the client wants that, but we do not assume that’s what they
want. Maybe they want Miles Davis, John Coltrane, the Beatles, the Stones, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Bruno Mars, the Who, Bob Marley- Mozart, etc.
“If the agency gets lazy, you will hear the same tunes for every client’s party — how boring, how repetitious, how sad…” Urbanette: How do you manage unusual requests from clients? Jack: We ask a million questions to find out what they want — if they know exactly what they want, they get it. But, often, they don’t really know what they want — so we help figure it out. Sometimes, what they ask for may not be a great idea. One couple who was Russian asked us to play a lot of Russian music. When we asked how many guests were coming, they said 250 people. When asked how many guests will be Russian, they replied 6. We then tactfully asked if it might be a better idea to have
most of the repertoire consist of standards, jazz classics, Sinatra and then during the breaks, play some authentic Russian tunes through our sound system w/out iPod. They agreed and it worked out spectacularly! Some clients ask for 4 hours of bagpipes, harp, steel drums, and we gently try to persuade them to do something that will appeal to all of their guests for an entire night. We have good instincts and keep people from making bad choices. One client asked us to have a classical duo play their ceremony. When asked for the tune they wanted to be married to, they said the “Theme from Star Wars”. We explained that a duo might not be able to do “justice” to such a song that was written to be played by a large full orchestra. They insisted, our men played their best and the client’s loved it! For more info on Jack Morelli Music, check out www.jackmorellimusic.com www.urbanette.com
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