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Event timing & Breaks
Q-Do you take breaks? How frequently?
Q-Can we coordinate one of your breaks with our (speech/toast/award ceremony...)?
Q-Are you able to provide background music during your breaks?
Q-When will you arrive to set up?
Q-We'd like you to be all set up X hours before the event. Will that be a problem?
Q-What if our event goes longer than we expect?
Hiring & Payment
Q-What do we need to do to secure you for our event? Do you take a deposit?
Q-When do you expect the final payment?
General
Q-Will you have a microphone for us to use?
Q-How much space do you require, to set up?
Q-We'd like background music early on and dancing music later. What group size would you recommend?
Repertoire
Q-How do you/we decide what songs you'll play?
Q-Do you take requests?
Event timing & Breaks
Q-Do you take breaks? How frequently?
A-Yes we generally take a break every hour, for about fifteen minutes. So for a four hour performance that would be three breaks
Q-Can we coordinate one of your breaks with our (speech/toast/award ceremony...)?
A-By all means. We can be flexible about when to take our breaks, so long as we don't go for more than about 75 minutes without a break
Q-Are you able to provide background music during your breaks?
A-If we are performing with a vocalist, we will have a sound system through which we can play recorded background music. Otherwise, we generally do not use a central sound system. Many venues (restaurants, wineries, hotels) are already set up for background music. If yours is not, give us a call or an email, and we may be able to work something out.
Q-When will you arrive to set up?
A-Generally we can be set up and good to go within fifteen minutes of our arrival. We allow more time than that simply to account for traffic and unforseen circumstances; exactly when in advance we plan to arrive depends on the venue and the time of day (e.g. rush hour). When we use a central sound system we allow for an extra 45 mins. or so for setting that up. All that might be more than you want to know; the bottom line is: if you want us to start at 7pm we'll be set up and ready to start playing at 7pm.
Q-We'd like you to be all set up X hours before the event. Will that be a problem?
A-We are very good at setting up quietly and professionally, even when an event is already in progress. If the situation is such that we must be set up in advance of our performance time, we must charge a surcharge for the time we spend waiting
Q-What if our event goes longer than we expect?
A-If you are unsure about how long the event will go, there are a couple ways to handle it. First, you can book us for a longer period of time to be safe. Alternatively, you can request that we be available for overtime. In that case, we'll ask you as our alotted time is coming to an end whether you'd like us to continue longer. The first way is simpler, and will be less expensive if you wind up using the extended time...but the second option may be preferable for you if you see overtime as an unlikely possibility you'd like to provide for.
Hiring & Payment
Q-What do we need to do to secure you for our event? Do you take a deposit?
A-We ask for a deposit of one third of the total amount in order to secure a date. You can send that as a check whenever you have decided you want us to play and we have agreed on the instrumentation and time. If there is a time change, we'll make every effort to accomodate it; please let us know as soon as possible.
Q-When do you expect the final payment?
A-We ask for the balance to be paid on the day of the event, upon completion. If this is not feasible, please let us know in advance so that we can make alternate arrangements.
General
Q-Will you have a microphone for us to use?
A-If we are performing with a vocalist, or for a large number of people, we will have a microphone and sound system which you may use for announcements and toasts and the like. Otherwise, we generally do not use a central sound system, so if you need a microphone please let us know in advance- we can generally work something out. We can also arrange for a wireless microphone for an additional fee.
Q-How much space do you require, to set up?
A-This depends on the number of musicians we're performing as. Some examples: A quartet would require approx 8'x10'. A trio might need just 5'x8', A duo 4'x6'. A sound system, when needed, will require a few more feet of width. Remember that you should also budget a bit of space in front of us where no people will be seated.
Q-We'd like background music early on and dancing music later. What group size would you recommend?
A-We often begin an event as a jazz/classical duo or trio during cocktails and dinner, and replace or expand the group into a jazz quartet or quintet for dancing -- by adding a drummer and, perhaps a vocalist. We'll be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.
Repertoire
Q-How do you/we decide what songs you'll play?
A-We like to have the freedom to choose songs as we go, depending on the feeling we get from the event and your guests -- in terms of their energy level and how we see them respond to different sorts of music. We rarely begin an event with a predefined set list. That said, if you have any particular songs that you'd especially love to hear or styles that you prefer, we're happy to accomodate you wishes as much as possible.
Q-Do you take requests?
A-We're happy to field requests on the fly if we know them. If a guest comes up and asks for something we think you might not want us to play, we'll OK it with you first.
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