Why Do Weddings and Parties Make Me Smile?

Why are these men smiling? Here we are last summer, having a great time posing for publicity photos. Thank you to photographer Jeanine Brown for the terrific pictures that afternoon.

Please remember this: Smiling improves everything. This tip is simple, easy, and VERY powerful. No charge.

Somehow we already know that smiling is a wonderful asset for living well, and for taking care of business, too. But do you know WHY smiling is contagious? It’s still a mystery to me, and my research continues. Frequently I spend time just smiling at everyone I meet. I watch them smile back, then people THEY meet start smiling too, and bingo! Everyone around us is not only wearing a dazzling grin, but is happier than we were a moment earlier. I don’t know why it happens, but I love it!

Hospitality is an optimistic profession, so if you’re involved too, whatever you do, be optimistic. If you want to cheer up a room, smile at everyone. Often that’s all it takes. The same strategy works for “breaking the ice” whenever you meet someone.

I’ve always smiled easily. Probably from shyness when I was young (believe it or not!). I’m sure I quickly learned that smiling made me relaxed, happy, and charmed everyone around me.

My mother encouraged my smiling, too. She taught us a song about smiling, from her Girl Scout days back in the 1930’s. It’s what they call a “patter song”, with very rapid-fire lyrics that always brought down the house with us kids. Reading the words alone can be monotonous, so ask me to sing it for you.

If you will smile in the morning,
you’ll smile throughout the afternoon, and get your smiling habit soon.
Smile and the world will come
smiling back to you, and you’ll have everybody smiling too.

Smile when the skies that are blue turn to grey,
Smile and you’ll chase Mr. Trouble and his family away, keep smiling!

Smile when it’s raining and
you’ll forget to curse the fellow who has borrowed your umbrella,
Sunshine will come after a while!

Smile and be a pleasure-maker, smile and fool the undertaker,
Doctor bills you never have to pay,
You’re in style when you’re wearing a smile.

Now, I don’t know if “smilers” are better friends or more productive workers, but I’ll bet they enjoy life more than “grumps” do. Because smiling makes us happy, I enjoy working with smilers and I avoid working with grumps. Seems natural to me. You, too?

Nearly ALL my friends and colleagues smile broadly and often. It makes working with them so much smoother, especially at weddings and parties. Even chatting with them is always a treat. Some of the brightest smiles belong to Amy Frugoli, David Ethridge, Kathryn Kalabokes, Dustin Eisenhauer, Liz Guthrie, Chris Citti, Brynn Kessler, Duncan Reyes, and Kathy Goodman. Just tell ‘em I said so, and watch ‘em go! And if you're looking for any of their services, it's a good bet you'll love working with them, too.

Speaking of “smiles”, the band has been making lots of people smile this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. For instance, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Sunday, April 26, we’ll be entertaining during a “Baby Boomers Expo” at The Santa Clara Convention Center. Three days later, on Wednesday, April 29, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for a special shopping night at Macy’s Stanford Shopping Center, in Palo Alto. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy considering my ideas. Please tell me what you think, and I’ll reply to all your comments. In the meantime, please take a moment to find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

Do You Live to Serve?

Here are Robbie and Andy in action last October 3rd, part of the trio entertaining at an elegant cocktail party in the Corinthian Event Center, in San Jose. Like in any conversation, we not only listen to what the other is saying, but, believe me, we play everything to make being there easier and more enjoyable for each other.

This is exactly how the Magnolia Jazz Band serves every party’s guests, whether at a wedding, banquet, or open house. You like to work this way too? Thanks to Chris Johnson for the nice photo.

Speaking of “serving”, I just had a real eye-opening experience. Recently I’ve spent a lot of time at the Stanford Hospital, sitting with a family member recovering from surgery. The nurses I met there are amazing — always cheerful & optimistic, warm & personable, and very efficient in a job that’s both demanding and life-and-death crucial. After taking care of their patients, they’re always asking “Anything else I can help with?” And they answer every request with a smile. Wonderful, and I’m sure their attitude plays a significant role in their patients’ progress.

I mention their attitude here because it reminds me so much of what we all do every day. “We” being the various professionals who serve at weddings, parties, and other social events.

“Serve” is the operational word here, and it applies to each of us. No matter what line of work we’re in, once we master the skills of our profession, the best of us use our abilities to help our clients get whatever they wish for. In a recent conversation about our previous careers, my friend David Ethridge recently put it simply, “It was a really rewarding job but I love working directly with people“. An outstanding videographer and a tireless networker, David sets a fine example for all of us.

Caterers, restaurants, hotels, and all their associates, including musicians, usually consider ourselves in the “hospitality” industry, but I think a better category would be the “service” industry. This subtle change in attitude makes a world of difference. Our job is the same, of course, but HOW we do the job changes from our thinking “Here’s what we’re selling, and I sincerely think you really need it. Please consider buying.” and becomes “Thank you for telling me what you’d like. Here’s how I can get it for you, and I’ll be honored to deliver it. Plus a little extra.” It’s all about them, not about us. No matter how much we believe in our own product, our top priority should be serving our clients’ wishes.

Like those nurses’ attitude, this eagerness to serve goes a long way toward assuring success — both for our clients and for ourselves. So, the next time you’re in a business conversation, with a client or a colleague, offer to be of service just a little more, and see how it helps.

Speaking of “service”, the band has been helping lots of people this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. For instance, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch the Magnolia Jazz Band at a few public events coming up. On Sunday, April 12, we’ll be entertaining during Easter brunch at The Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. Two days later, on Tuesday, April 14, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for the annual “S.V.C.A. Hospitality Awards” at Club Auto Sport, in San Jose. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy considering my ideas. Please tell me what you think. I’ll reply to all your opinions and comments. In the meantime, please take a moment to find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.

Solving My Facebook Problem

My Facebook page has recently become noticeably harder to use. It’s too busy with distractions that some people seem to welcome, but I don’t. Here’s how I’m fixing it. (And please see another suggestion at the end of this post.)

First some background. Please don’t get me wrong — I like Facebook. It’s amazing, and my participation brings wonderful benefits in the form of breaking news, as well as deeper personal and professional updates, from my over 180 Facebook friends.

Of course, some of my “real world” friends (that is, people with whom I talk or meet regularly) are not on Facebook, but many are. And some of my Facebook friends are people I see only occasionally, though I care how they’re doing.

Being self-employed, my business looms large in my thinking, and taking care of business is my focus on Facebook. I have plenty of personal friends, and I’ve found that nourishing these social contacts is best done face-to-face, and less well by telephone, email, or on Facebook.

I realize people are using Facebook many different ways, and for me, it is primarily a business tool. Like with any tool, I aim to use it effectively and efficiently. Here’s my problem, and maybe yours, too: Facebook’s new format litters my home page — particularly “News Feed” — with every post from every friend, and it’s become too distracting.

I regret that some of my friends are so adept at the “Hey Dude, Way Cool.” kind of post, that I usually lose focus while reading my page. So here’s some general advice for everyone: Please keep your posts concise and interesting, and they will hold my attention. Otherwise, I’m gone. Reasonable?

For me, and maybe you, too, the benefits of Facebook lie in letting me, in just a few focused moments, track the personal and professional doings of those friends with whom I regularly work and network. I’m less interested in the daily doings of those friends I seldom, if ever, work with.

I’ve always been able to handle a few occasional trivial posts, but I’m now receiving a flood of them. Where are the “privacy” controls and filters to prevent those “Oh, My Gosh!” posts from displaying on my News Feed?

So for now, here’s my response. Until Facebook gives me controls to filter out those posts that don’t relate to my business interests, I’m “hiding” the posts of those friends who most consistently make comments I find irrelevant and uninteresting, often both.

All I’m saying is “Yes, we’re friends, but if you’re in the top 10%, pal, I’m blocking all your posts on my page. You might offer one gem every hundred posts, and I’m willing to miss it, if I can also miss the other 99. I’m not saying all your comments are worthless — just that they’re not helpful to me right now — and for me, life’s too short to become distracted when it’s time to work.”

Hey, wait a minute. Aren’t we trying to expand our connections, and not constrict them? I recognize that hiding a friend’s posts is a pretty brutal tactic, but tell me what else I could do. If Facebook’s new flood of comments is a problem for you, too, how are you solving it? Like with radio or TV you dislike: Turn it off?

So, I hope Facebook creates the controls we need, and soon. And if the controls are already in place by now, I hope they’ll tell us how to use them. Listen, Facebook, please stop distracting me. I firmly believe that a healthy view of life’s “big picture” requires our curiosity and playfulness, as well as hard work, but please let me choose when to relax my focus. THAT would be Way Cool!

P.S. By the way, my friend Andy Ebon just sent me a link to a blogpost by Adam Ostrow that offers a very helpful suggestion for solving my Facebook problem. Nicely explained. Check it out.

Networking Tips for Everyone

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy thinking about my ideas. Please tell me how you like the experience.

Recognize this logo? It’s important to you, and I’ll tell you why in one minute. First, a story. I recently saw a cartoon of a herd of cows. One lifts his head and says, “Hey, you guys, this is grass. We’ve been eating GRASS!” Well, I’ll be that cow right now, and I’ll tell you what I think we’re doing. Namely, we’re living in the center of a monumental communication revolution that has changed our lives forever. Let me explain.

I was chatting with my friend Stacie Tamaki last Saturday. She created that logo as part of her campaign to generate help for a cousin who desperately needs a bone-marrow transplant. Stacie told me incredible stories of the contacts she’s been making world-wide -- with individuals as well as donor programs. Nearly all online. She’s primarily using Facebook, Twitter, her various websites, her blog, and email. Her project shows how far we’ve come from the days of communicating with smoke signals and town criers. Stacie’s logo is important in two ways: First, for rallying support for the worthwhile program it represents, and second, for symbolizing the enormous power of online communication.

By the way, click on the logo to learn more about Stacie’s project. Maybe you can help her directly, and maybe her example can show you how to run a similar project.

So, how about Networking? Well, here you are, reading my blog (online, I presume), so I may be “preaching to the choir”. Nevertheless, let’s find the big picture here. We’re past “amazing”, by now, and these online tools are no longer just for teeny-boppers who ask “What are you doing now?” Smart, creative people in all lines of work are finding these tools unbeatable for exchanging all kinds of messages -- the only limit is our imagination.

Social applications like Facebook and Twitter, through their connections to websites and blogs, let us spread our ideas faster, farther, and wider. We ought to stay aware of these developments and use them for our own networking messages -- discussing ideas, asking questions, offering help, updating plans, and spreading news, just to suggest a few.

We’ll notice how our access to more new information helps us understand more and accomplish more every day. Of course, we need to balance that against how much the trivial portion of all this new information wastes our precious time and distracts us from more important issues in our lives.

What important issues? Ones that matter most. The current explosion in online communication creates options for making our face-to-face encounters more effective, rewarding, and productive. In other words, making our life more worthwhile.

Obviously each of us has many unique needs, and for me one of the strongest is to constantly keep in touch with many friends. Better online communication helps me network better. For example, last Saturday I met Stacie, and many other business friends, at a swinging networking event called “Martini Madness”. It’s coordinated mainly online, through Facebook and Evite, and what a night it was! The brainchild of my friend Duncan Reyes, this movable mayhem meets quarterly at some notable facility in the SF Bay Area. Members socialize, deepen our friendships, and strengthen the basis for working together even more effectively.

What an extraordinary happening this is! What a boon to all of us, and to our clients, as well. We all benefit from Duncan’s imagination and talent for organizing. He is a fabulous wedding and event coordinator (formerly social events coordinator at the Westin St Francis, where I first met him), and he uses the newest online resources to organize “Martini Madness”. I haven’t had an opportunity to work with him now that he’s on his own, but based on how he handles “Martini Madness”, I’m really looking forward to it.

Now, what should we do? No matter what business we’re in, we can all follow Duncan’s inspiration. Let’s go out and create opportunities for our colleagues to meet and develop deeper personal and professional relationships. Maybe add entertainment and educational aspects to these opportunities. As a result, we’ll all work together better, and our clients will love THAT. While we’re at it, let’s support not just our own program but similar programs our colleagues create. We’re all in this together, and we’ll find the more our colleagues prosper, the more we’ll prosper.

Speaking of prospering, the band has been keeping busy this year, and I’m always on the lookout for more opportunities. For instance, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Friday, April 3, we’ll create an elegant mood at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, during cocktails at a reception and art auction to benefit the Alzheimers Association. On Sunday, April 12, we’ll be entertaining during Easter brunch at The Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. Two days later, on Tuesday, April 14, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for the annual “S.V.C.A. Hospitality Awards” at Club Auto Sport, in San Jose. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Please tell me what you think about any of my ideas. I’ll reply to all your opinions and comments.

A Dizzy Dog and The Meaning of Life

Thanks for reading my blog, and I hope you enjoy thinking about my ideas. Please tell me how you like the experience.

Here we are two Sundays ago, in the lobby of the Toll House, in Los Gatos. We’re entertaining many brides-to-be attending the hotel’s “Wedding Faire”. This was a wonderful afternoon, and I met a good number of brides, as well as new event professionals. Left to right, the band is me, Gary Milliken, and Andy Norblin. Thanks to Amy Frugoli, of Twitterpated Weddings, who posted this nice photo on her blog.

This has been one of those weeks where lots of random thoughts coalesce into a simple pattern. This week it's about simple pleasures. Where to begin? I recalled hearing radio & TV medical authority, Dr Dean Edell, once comment on dogs chasing their tails, children swinging or spinning around til they got dizzy, cats eating catnip, youthful pot-smoking, and adults having a drink -- just a few familiar examples of normal animals altering their consciousness. All human cultures (maybe all animals, for that matter) seem to have a way to elevate the spirit, all pursuing a simple pleasure. We might call it “playing”, though some consequences might be dangerous.

Then a friend recently announced the 50th anniversary of the Barbie Doll. Another simple pleasure -- Barbie dolls, teddy bears, beanie babies, and “blankies”. Kids love ‘em, as though their life’s mission is to find friends and take care of them. Actually, not such a bad idea -- can this simple notion be the “Meaning of Life” after all? Could be worse.

Last Monday I bought a book written by one of my favorite podcasters, Mark Bittman, the well-known food critic, TV personality, and New York Times columnist. In the Introduction of How to Cook Everything, he explains why “simple things are best” -- they tend to taste best and be best for you, too. The book is 944 pages of “Simple Recipes for Great Food”, and I’m tasting it a few pages at a time, as a simple snack for my soul.

Finally, for years now I’ve liked the pattern of working hard and relaxing hard, and last Tuesday I had one of those relaxing days. It was a tune-up, to “re-charge my batteries”. Like a lumberjack pausing to sharpen his saw, I joined thousands of eager people attending the “Get Motivated” seminar at the HP Pavillion, in San Jose.

What an amazing day! From 8am-5pm I listened to eight world-famous champions speaking in person about what it takes to be successful. Speakers included Olympic champion Michael Phelps, economist Steve Forbes, health expert Dr Earl Mindell, former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani, former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Their topics ranged widely -- from complex issues of financial management to simple issues of treating people fairly, and each speaker gave us tons of ideas and inspiration for greater productivity and success. Currently my favorite advice of the day is Zig Zieglar’s notion that “You can have everything you want in life if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.” How straightforward can you get? Ah, if life were always so simple! Wouldn’t we be better off? Is this really the meaning of it all?

Actually, my life IS pretty simple. I make a living leading a band that helps people have a good time. For example, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Are friends talking about a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for Easter Sunday and Mother’s Day. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Friday, April 3, we’ll create an elegant mood at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, during cocktails at a reception and art auction to benefit the Alzheimers Association. On Sunday, April 12, we’ll be entertaining during Easter brunch at The Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. Two days later, on Tuesday, April 14, we’ll create a lively atmosphere for the annual “S.V.C.A. Hospitality Awards” at Club Auto Sport, in San Jose. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

Please tell me what you think about any of my ideas. I’ll reply to all your opinions and comments.

An Expert Event Planner

Here we are last Sunday, right in the middle of the ballroom at the Villa Ragusa, in Campbell.

We’re entertaining about 350 moms at the “Las Madres” annual luncheon, and the ladies enjoyed an exciting afternoon. This wonderful organization provides mutual support for families in Santa Clara County. Left to right, the band is Gary Milliken, me, and Andy Norblin. Thank you to Linda Ozaki, of Wink Photography, for the terrific photos.

Special thanks to Liz Guthrie for including us in the festivities. Afterwards she told me, “You and your band were fabulous! It was the perfect sound for our Ladies' Tea. All the women have been raving about you, and I was so happy to be able to provide such wonderful entertainment at this special event. Thank You Thank You Thank You!”

Let me return the compliment. Liz is remarkable — a busy mom herself, a tireless blogger about weddings, and an expert event planner. Just from what I saw, her very long list of details included dreaming up the theme, sketching the layout, and arranging the facility, menu, vendors & silent auction items, furniture, centerpieces, volunteers, invitations & program, and marketing & publicity. Among the things no one saw was her forming teams & delegating responsibilities, rejecting ideas that wouldn’t work, and preparing for all the last-minute problems that might have come up. And once she finally had all the ducks in a row, she saw to it all the items were completed perfectly and on schedule, and then she acted as “Mistress of Ceremonies”.

What a job! One mark of a pro is the effortless way she brought it all together last Sunday, gave all her guests a memorable afternoon, and made it look SO EASY. Now, I work with event planners all the time. They range from so-so to fabulous, and although this was the first time Liz and I worked together, I feel she’s among the best.

Events vary all over the place, and so do event planners. Events can be large or small, elaborate or simple, formal or casual, “once-in-a-lifetime” or “just like last week’s”. Some event planners do a fine job with a wide variety of projects, and other tend to specialize and become experts — for example in corporate meetings & receptions, benefits for non-profit groups, conventions, banquets, hayrides & barbeques, health fairs, high school & college reunions, and of course, weddings.

Here’s my point: Especially these days, I’m seeing people doing much of their event planning themselves, and this can be wonderful for some, but a terrible idea for others — particularly for someone who wants to be a guest at her own party. Watching a trained, experienced person like Liz in action can mislead us to imagine that planning is all very easy. But believe me, whenever the occasion requires the sure hand of an expert, professional event planner, nothing less will do.

By the way, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. And you just might want to call an event planner, too. Friends talking about their wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people hosting parties for St Patrick’s Day and Easter Sunday. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to arrange the details, including the music.

Have a question? We’ll have the answer. Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration.

In the meantime, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Sunday, March 15, we’ll create an upbeat, romantic atmosphere in the “Wedding Faire” at the Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. On Friday, April 3, we’ll be entertaining at the Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, during cocktails at a reception and art auction to benefit the Alzheimers Association. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

What do you think about all this? I’d love your opinions and comments.

Another Way Friends Help Friends

Here we are last Sunday, taking a break from creating a romantic background for the wedding fair at Palo Alto’s Crowne Plaza Cabana. This was an outstanding afternoon — you could meet over two dozen top wedding professionals, plus hear a panel discussion about “Do-It-Yourself” weddings. Meanwhile, back in the lobby, we were fascinated by Screenbooth — the new digital guestbook that recorded every guest’s photos and videos. Check them out — it’s a “fun way to create lasting memories at once-in-a-lifetime events”. The band, left to right, is Gary Milliken, Andy Norblin, and me. Thanks to Felisha Kinsella (co-owner Linda’s daughter), of Screenbooth, for posing us in this lively picture.

One look at the photo tells you we were having a great time. No surprise there. I believe that we should all be so fortunate as to spend our lives doing what we love. Still, no matter how enthusiastic we are, we all occasionally find ourselves saying “Same old, same old” more often than we like. I’ll bet that everyone who’s been in any line of work for a while will occasionally feel “down” — tired, overwhelmed, and frustrated. I’ve been there, and you’ve been there, too, I’m sure. I’m told this feeling is unavoidable, and it’s a temporary part of every job.

Well, whenever it hits you again, just bear down and work through it. Here’s one strategy I like to use. I tally up how remarkable my friends are. Really. I recommend you occasionally pause in your busy life and notice the same thing about the people around you. When you realize that these people are friends and admire you, too, your feelings are bound to improve.

Well, enough amateur psychology. Let me tell you a quick story. Since the early 1990s, I’ve been a very active member of the Silicon Valley chapter of NACE (National Association of Catering Executives). It’s a networking group of top local caterers and their associates. Last month I participated in one of their Leadership Conferences, where “movers & shakers” on the boards of directors from all the chapters nationwide met to exchange ideas and receive training to be better leaders. We were an amazing group of people — clever, energetic, resourceful, generous, and dedicated to our profession — and now that I’m back from that heady excitement, I realize that most of my friends here fit that description, too.

As my grandfather used to say, “People are more interesting than anybody.” Maybe it’s the kind of people who live around Silicon Valley, but once I took the time to pay attention, I found that nearly all my friends have unique hobbies, attitudes, and accomplishments. This makes for great conversations, successful collaborations, and rich relationships, and I’m always glad each time we meet.

Sure, I know a few dull people, too, but even they say or do something interesting from time to time. However, they’re the exception, and every day I’m appreciating my talented friends more and more. As Martha Stewart would say, “That’s a good thing.”

After working in the “hospitality” business for over 34 years now, I count hundreds of fascinating people among my friends — family, musicians, hospitality and event professionals, and clients. In a future blog I’ll describe a few. In the meantime, think about who you’d mention in your own list.

While you’re thinking about your friends, please catch us at a few public events coming up. On Sunday, March 15, we’ll create an upbeat, romantic atmosphere in the “Wedding Fair” at the Toll House Hotel, in Los Gatos. On Friday, April 3, we’ll be entertaining in Mountain View during cocktails at a reception and art auction to benefit the Alzheimers Association. You’ll find details on MagnoliaJazz.com.

By the way, will you be celebrating a significant event soon? Throw a party and include us. Friends planning a wedding? Please recommend us. Today I’m talking with people planning parties for St Patrick’s Day and Easter Sunday. If you’ll have a soiree on one of these days, or on any day in between, now’s a good time to plan the details, including the music. Have a question? We’ll have the answer.

Call us at 408-245-9120. You’ll love what we do. We’re easy to work with, so let our experience help your celebration. Please visit MagnoliaJazz.com for details, and I hope to see you soon.

What do you think about all this? I’d love your opinions and comments.