How to choose your ensemble?

Where do we begin? There are so many wonderful musicians willing to play for you, and we have a direct line to them. You want an specific band? Your favorite sax player from records and clubs? That wonderful solo pianist you heard when you were out on the town or on a movie soundtrack? How about a big ticket headliner to wow your guests?

Or you might want our recommendation as to who would fit your event the best. That is exactly the point. We will work with you carefully to find out who would be just right. And best of all we will make the whole process easy and painless.

The step by step process is broken down HERE

Most importantly, we understand the process, your needs while planning a complicated event and the needs, musical and technical of the musicians. With us taking care of everything you will simply have one less thing to worry about.

The featured musicians and groups on this web site are just a sampling of the choices which are available. Any sound clips which might be provided are for illustration of the quality of the ensembles and may not be the exact instrumentation or style you are looking for. We will tailor the style and instrumentation to YOU and the room in which your event is going to be held.

Step By Step
How to choose and book an LA Jazz Bands ensemble:

Step 1) Band Size
Consider your event venue and the sound and style you are looking for to choose the band that will suit you the best.

Considerations:
Is it a small or large room.
Are you accommodating a small or large group of people
Is it a bright/live room (lots of hard surfaces) or a dark sounding room with drapes and carpet.

Do you want lively entertaining music or understated background music

Do you want specific tunes, recognizable standards, cutting edge original music or a retro-themed band that surveys the music of a particular band style or era.

Step 2) Lead Voice:
Choose a lead voice (let's call them the bandleader).

Considerations:
Do you want a singer (great for feature performances, dancing and keeping guests entertained).

Do you prefer instrumental music. Trumpet and Sax are great traditional choices. Guitar & Piano also work very well as lead voices. Something special? Harp, Accordion, bassoon? Let us know, we'll try to find it.

You can choose from our musicians specifically or you can make general notes on which recordings you like the sound of and we will make sure we have someone like that at your event.

In cases where specific musicians are requested and come to be unavoidably unavailable we will replace them with someone equally wonderful and similar in sound and style - this is one of the many benefits of going with LA Jazz Bands, a "deep bench".

Do you want a bandleader who is gregarious and outgoing (on or off the mic) or someone who will maintain an understated tone.

Step 3) Accompaniment:
Jazz musicians play ALL THE TIME in a variety of different sized groups, small to large. This is not like a rock band that always plays with the same people and instrumentation. This is totally flexible, in a way that works beautifully with Jazz. You will be getting a group of musicians who play together all the time in different configurations. so you have the opportunity to have the sound you want in an instrumentation that perfectly suits your event and venue.

Considerations:
Accompanist preferences vary with different band sizes, but things to consider are whether or not there is a piano on site, What instruments are traditional for the style of jazz you have chosen etc.

Do you have a preference for piano or guitar (most groups have one or the other. . . or both.)

Will there be dancing? You might want drums (not required, but definitely helpful. (You might also want a singer . . . seems to really help get people on the floor. . . back to step 2!)

If you have chosen to have a singer + rhythm section (some combination of piano/guitar, bass & drums) do you want to have a nice horn player who can play solos and fill in behind the singer (think Billie Holiday and Lester Young!).

Step 4) Work out and discuss the details:
Performance time, set-up time, band size, venue, distance. These are the factors that dictate pricing.

Considerations:
What is the timeframe? 4-hours is a long job for jazz musicians. Bands generally cost the same for a 1 or 2 hour gig. A little more for up to 3-hours, a little more for 4-hours and quite a bit more for 5-hours or more.

Early set up and then waiting to start generally incurs some cost. Having to move between multiple locations incurs some cost.

Long drives from the central LA area can incur some mileage-related cost.

In many cases musicians leave 3-4 hours before the event and get home 3-4 hours after and will need to be fed at an appropriate time before or during the event. Trust us when we say you don't want them bringing a brown bag dinner to your elegant event.

Step 5) create a contract:
After you have filled out the contract web form we will make up a detailed contract for you to look over. Change is not a problem. Once we have it to your liking we'll get it signed and countersigned you've got yourself a band, Guaranteed!

Considerations:
Musicians cannot be locked in for your date until the contract is signed. The sooner we get all of the details figured out, the sooner you have a band reserved for the event.

Back to the first step . . . . click here to fill out the event form. We will get your email and contact you as soon a possible to begin the discussion.