If you are planning a corporate event, you want to create a warm, inviting feeling in the room for your guests. Nothing is as uniquely New York or as classic NYC as an elegant jazz trio or quartet. Dressed to the nines, as they say, the band will immediately impress your guests with their style and elegance. Most importantly, the tastefulness of the music will contribute to a friendly, collaborative mood. 

Affordable corporate event music can be hard to find in New York City these days! So many bands require hiring a lighting crew or sound engineer. While Alex Levin Music offers these services, most of our clients enjoy our personable and understated approach. Cocktail music can move smoothly between background and foreground at parties, and sometimes, guests even surprise us all with swing dance moves out of an Old Hollywood movie! 

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to book a band:

• To sing or not to sing: that is the question

Some of our clients love booking our renowned vocalists for their parties. From Sarah King of The Smoke Rings to Martina da Silva of Love, Charley, our vocalists epitomize the elegance and class that people associate with Alex Levin Music. 

That said, when you are looking to set the stage for dinner conversations or a quieter cocktail hour, instrumental groups like The Alex Levin Trio and the Michael Kanan Trio are sure to set the mood for your guests. They will feel like they stepped onto the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maple or a Woody Allen movie! It’s no coincidence that Alex Levin played at the Season 3 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maple at the Plaza Hotel back in 2020!

• Will the drums be too loud? 

So many people ask about music without drums. We get it! How many times have you heard bands playing at outdoor festivals when the drummer overwhelmed the other instruments through the enthusiasm of their playing? Our drummers, however, are different, in that they enjoy playing with brushes and playing quietly to avoid overwhelming the other musicians or the mood of the party. At the same time, drums are essential to jazz music! Think about the joyousness of the Vince Guaraldi Trio as they play the music from The Peanuts! Without the drums, the feeling of the music would be so depleted!

• Is it OK to dance?

Jazz music can sometimes confuse listeners with its polyrhythms and complex harmonies. We love Coltrane and Miles Davis so, so much, but their music is decidedly not meant to be played as the background music at a party. The bands at Alex Levin Music share a common belief that jazz music and swing music were originally forms of dance music and that the music should remain danceable whenever possible. Think about it: Duke Ellington and Count Basie, two of the giants of the music, performed across America in dance halls. When we see our clients stand up and bust a move, we know we’ve done something right! 

These are just some of the questions you may have as you prepare for your event. Fear not! We are ready to answer your questions and make sure that your corporate event is a ringing success: an unforgettably elegant, beautiful affair that your guests and clients won’t stop talking about when they get home!