8 minute read
MUSIC
Korey Wilson and Kelly Jansons dance to Gin Wigmore’s “I Will Love You.” (Hillary Ferguson Photography)
Spin Doctor
The one behind the turntable at your reception does so much more than play the tunes.
BY PETER TONGUETTE
OK, to-be-weds: You’ve settled on the setting for your big day, signed the contract with the photographer and completed the negotiations for who is sitting where. Next comes the easy part: Picking a DJ to emcee your reception. After all, it’s just a matter of choosing the tunes and pushing “play,” right?
Wrong.
David Kurtz of D&M DJ Entertainment says that couples should stop to consider the wide variety of tasks that fall to a DJ. They go far beyond cueing up the song for the father-daughter dance.
“A DJ is more than just somebody that is playing music,” Kurtz says. “They’re there to help keep the timeline going. They’re working with a photographer; they’re working with a caterer; and they’re working with a wedding planner.”
In fact, he adds, the DJ is the person who could— if not chosen with requisite care—potentially disrupt or even ruin an otherwise perfect affair.
“I’ve heard about the DJs that just happen to say, ‘Oh, we forgot to do that one formality—it’s no big deal,’” Kurtz says. “We’ve heard of DJs just not
showing up because they found a betterpaying gig, or they’ll tell their brides [at the] last minute, ‘Nah, I can’t do it.’”
Because of the duties that DJs often are tasked with, Kurtz cautions couples against farming out the seemingly simple job to a family friend or cut-rate “professional.” He says that there is more to consider than the bottom line.
“If you spent, say, $5,000 on a photographer—which seems to be the recent number—and you’re only spending $200 or $300 on your DJ, you’ve got to get your priorities straight,” Kurtz says. “You want to nickel-and-dime the one person that could not let the photographer know when something is going to happen?”
Kurtz acknowledges that couples want value, but as the old maxim goes: You get what you pay for.
Investing in the right DJ, then, is akin to investing in the overall reception. “When they are meeting with the bride and groom, they’re helping them make those decisions a lot of the time,” says Kurtz, pointing to the fact that when a couple does not hire a wedding planner, the DJ inherits that role. “Sometimes the person that is designing the day is the DJ.”
On the big day, couples should expect the DJ to oversee the occasion and all of its nuances during the time they’re scheduled. The DJ’s responsibilities range from con
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or by calling 614.888.8888. sulting with the couple on favorite songs weeks in advance to ensuring that formalities occur on schedule for the benefit of the photographer. Being adept with a microphone also doesn’t hurt.
“When it comes time for the grand entrance, they’ve got to do their best to get the pronunciations right and [make] sure that they know when things are about to happen,” Kurtz says. Nothing can sour a newlywed couples’ mood quite like hearing their newly shared last name mispronounced as they’re entering their reception.
It can also fall to the DJ to keep extended family members happy by ensuring that key events are properly announced from the stage.
“Our job is to let everybody know what’s going on,” says Todd Jones of T.E.A.M. DJ. “If Grandma doesn’t know the bride and groom are cutting the cake, who is Grandma going to be mad at? The DJ.”
Managing the music, of course, remains a big part of the job description.
“[We] make sure people are dancing,” Jones says. “If a song is not working, [we] switch it out immediately—as fast as possible.”
In selecting a wedding DJ, Kurtz recommends that couples consult online reviews with an eye toward consistency in ratings. Picking a DJ who has the background, personality and skillset to bring off your day without a hitch—musical or otherwise— may result in greater cost, but the experts say it’s an investment worth making.
“An experienced DJ is always going to be so much more worth the money, no matter what you pay,” Jones says. “You really want to look for those experienced DJs who have been around—the longer, the better.”
ABOVE, guests strike a pose at Danielle and Alex Press’ wedding (AddVision); LEFT, Fran and Sean Stricker cozy up during their first dance (Style & Story).
Kara and Jordan Aron hired The Conspiracy Band to play at their May 2019 reception. (Style & Story)
Jazz It Up
Add an unexpected element to your ceremony, cocktail hour or reception with a live ensemble.
BY PETER TONGUETTE
Let’s get one thing straight, right off the bat: You do not have to be a jazz fiend—the sort of bride or groom who worships at the altar of John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald or Bobby Short—to hire the Jazz Arts Group for your wedding ceremony or reception.
Sure, the JAG—which manages the Columbus Jazz Orchestra—books plenty of jazz acts, but they also work with bands whose genres range from bluegrass to funk to R&B.
“We have musicians that are part of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra, but we also have many musicians who are not part of that,” says Louis Tsamous, the JAG’s director of affiliate musicians. “The umbrella organization is the Jazz Arts Group, but within that, we have musicians of all different styles.”
In fact, the organization handles such a diverse array of talent that it pays for couples to have a pretty good idea of what sort of act they want to hire for their event before reaching out to the JAG with a price or availability inquiry. Otherwise, the choices might get a little overwhelming.
“A lot of times, people call and say, ‘Oh, we want a jazz band for our wedding reception,’” Tsamous says. “I’ll say, ‘Well, great. Do you want instrumental jazz, big-band style? You want a singer?’ They go on to say, ‘Yeah, we do want a singer.’ And then I say, ‘Well, do you just want a singer to sing standards and swing tunes, or do you want some Motown and some disco and rock?’ And they go, ‘Oh, yeah. We want all of that.’”
This, Tsamous says, indicates that “they don’t actually know what they’re asking for.”
Fear not: The JAG can assist couples in winnowing down the options—or even cook up a band from scratch. “One time, a client wanted a Texas swing band,” Tsamous says. “We sort of put one together for them.”
Although the bulk of its wedding-related bookings are for receptions or cocktail hours, the JAG also arranges for classicalmusic ensembles—such as string trios or quartets—to play during ceremonies. And sometimes larger, less likely ensembles have performed while the couple says “I do.”
“We’ve booked big bands for weddings,” Tsamous says. “That can be 16 pieces.”
Although the use of recorded music has increased over the years, Tsamous still sees a need for live musicians to add to the meaning and excitement of a wedding.
“Live music adds, I think, much more energy and, obviously, spontaneity,” he says.
Despite the adaptability and versatility of the JAG, Tsamous reports that many of the oldies-but-goodies remain popular.
“Sometimes we get a young couple that really wants to hear Sinatra and traditional big bands, and I’m always a little pleasantly surprised by that,” he says, adding that the multigenerational nature of most weddings tend to make such picks safe bets.
“It could be people’s grandparents, their parents, their friends, their younger siblings [at the party],” he says. “The music needs to appeal to a wide range of people.”
No matter the configuration in which they play, the JAG’s musicians count themselves lucky to perform on what is usually a couple’s most momentous day—whether or not they play a tune by Count Basie.
“It’s nice to be a part of people celebrating and having a good time,” Tsamous says.
