This is how it happened, and what I am doing about it.
Our ([all of us] and [all of you] and all of them) level of aural acuity has risen dramatically in the past ten years. That is, we hear better, and expect better sounds.
The technology of recording, and of sound systems - car radios, CD's, Walkmans, home stereos, concert PA's - have vastly improved in the past few years. Today, most orchestras can never hope to match the sound of even a mediocre DJ system. Musicians hate to admit it, but a party planner or a bride-to-be must often make a choice between a DJ who sounds good, and a band that sounds not-so-good.
But, a DJ is not appropriate at a most 'better' functions. Neither is an over-amplified group of five musicians. which cannot appear sufficiently impressive at the New York Hilton or the Plaza.
Neither is it possible for a larger group to 'fake it'
In a book by Norman Del Mar titled Anatomy of the Orchestra, he writes: "One outstanding and curious feature of the string timbre is that it cannot be imitated in any way. This is a fact which organ builders and devisers of electronic equipment are reluctant to face since is contrary to all the theories they most vehemently hold and assert".
I agree. I have attended rehearsals of Skitch Henderson's New York Pops, and Kurt Mazur's New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and then immediately attended (as a spectator who moved around to study the amplification) the open air (and amplified) concerts for which the rehearsals were in preparation. (Diagram this sentence [If you understand it].)
Aside from the rampant discourtesy of the New York outdoor audiences (more about the amplification implications later), there was a distinct difference in both these highly professional groups between the (unplugged) rehearsal sound and the sound which was heard by the audiences. The rehearsal sound was full, sonorous, rich, etc. The concert (amplified) sound was not. Even though a very competent sound crew was on duty, and seemingly doing the best job possible with some very expensive equipment.
When Maestro Kurt Masur recommended me to put together the orchestra for the 1995 New York Quadrille Ball, I did what any red-blooded bandleader would do - first, I accepted the engagement; then, I began to figure out how to supply the appropriate music. I quickly realized that the music I must create would have to please a group of musically discriminating New Yorkers, who were born and bred listening to full orchestras playing grand Strauss waltzes.
In their memories, I knew, the sounds they heard equaled the grandest orchestras of Europe.
I have known a few violin players who have worked for the high society 'club date offices', as they are called here in New York, for forty years. I phoned them to ask their advice.
They told me, "Bob, we can fake anything. We don't need music". "Hire us, and we'll do the same job we do for Lester. "You don't need to bother yourself writing all that music." "That's nonsense". "Nobody does it that way"
And, I suppose it is all true. When I've employed small numbers of these musicians for modest-sized events, they play the Czardas, Joe Venuti jazz, and Johann Strauss very nicely, all with no written music.
My symphonic-musician friends had a different opinion: "All the Strauss waltzes are published. Make a few cuts, and mark the DS's you want to take, and we'll sit down and play it. Don't bother with meringues and fox-trots. We can't dance them anyway."
But, for the Quadrille Ball, I envisioned an orchestra which would play three-minute waltzes without rubato's, classical dinner music, Perez Prado cha-cha's, and Glenn Miller style fox-trots. And, if appropriate, a little light Rock.
For this type of orchestra, the appropriate instrumentation would be much larger than three or four violinists, 'faking' Strauss. - even if each of them remembered every single note of the Emperor Waltz, today's audiences need an orchestra which includes cellos and violas. Even Lawrence Welk's Orchestra used them!.(one of whom was Florian Zabach!)
This is not the sound of Lester Lanin and Freddy Martin, who used violins as their only strings, but the sound of Johann Strauss, Nelson Riddle, and of Glenn Miller's Air Force Orchestra, each of whom who used a full string section.
It is the sound of David Rose, Artie Shaw, Frank Chacksfield, Hugo Winterhalter. It is a chamber pops dance orchestra. (For marketing/positioning, I need to find and name a new category! If you have an idea, send me an e-mail! )
It is a well-known fact as well as my personal experience that chaos will result with more than five musicians, when most of their music is not orchestrated and notated for each musician. Or, unless an excessive amount of rehearsal is done (as for the typical touring one-hour country music show).
And what if a musical selection is required in a situation when there is no time to rehearse it?
Both of these should be accomplished with little fumbling around while searching for music, no disruption while moving to a different place on the stage or dance floor, or other 'dead time' while no music is played, in the following way:
In the traditional dance orchestra, every selection has a number such as 201, 202, and so on. In fact, this has led to some swing era recordings with names like 'Seven-Twenty in the Books' (Jan Savitt), and "Nine Twenty Special" (Count Basie). Some other bands organize their books with Waltzes having numbers in the three-hundreds, Swing Tunes in the four-hundreds, and so forth.
In the traditional symphonic orchestra, there are no cha-chas or Peabodys, and the concert selections are arranged alphabetically, and usually placed in their performance sequence by a librarian prior to each performance. If any change of plans is requested, chaos ensues.
I have found the best way to organize a dance library for real-time performance by human musicians, is to organize by number, but to issue the numbers in a sequence which is likely to be used over and over. With experience, and a large supply of selections which will be 'skipped over' and not played, this is what I've done.
Thus, for a three course meal, there will be three portions on the 'book' which contain 'dinner music' each about twenty minutes long. (It's better to have too much music than too little.) This implies that music will be played throughout the meal service.
But, of course, music need not be played continuously. Silence is golden, and sometimes, very effective, depending on the event. Usually, the orchestra is not the most important element - the bride, or the speaker, or the guest vocalist may be.
But occasionally, it sometimes happens that no one knows anyone else, or is willing to speak with anyone. In that case, even though the bride may have envisioned one big, happy family, it is up to the band-leader to entertain the audience.
All of these situations beg for a modification-on-the-spot of the 'ideal' sequence of selections.
For that wedding in December, for instance, I may call on a guest to play the sleigh bell part in my orchestration of Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride', or some other foolishness.
On second thought, that sounds like such a good idea, I think I'll do it
even if the party is going well.
(Are you thinking, "I wonder if Lester Lanin can play Sleigh Ride.").
Back to the main subject: During the meal service, most orchestras simply
take a break. Others may feature a strolling violin. Others may bring a
string quartet down front - or even onto the dance floor - to play some
classical music. George Frederick Handel and I (I don't know of any others)
both use the following concept in organizing our music. The key characteristic,
which is usually not noticed (it shouldn't be), is that, although each individual
musician takes a break (because of the musicians' union, bodily functions,
or the necessity to light a new candle), ALL the musicians do not take their
breaks at the same time.
Notice the Water Music: In one part, there are no strings. In the next, there are no woodwinds. In the next, there are no (French) horns. But as a unified whole, the Water Music is a very effective work of art.
I imagine that George Frederick had his orchestrations numbered numerically to accommodate the events at which his orchestra played, so that the music would be continuous, while each individual musician would get his break - if only to change candles. (Remember, they were on a barge, at night, playing continuously)
I have organized my orchestra 'book' similarly.
During each service of a portion of the meal, the violins, violas, and celli remain on stage in their traditional string orchestra configuration, and play string quartet or string orchestra music during the meal service. Then the strings leave for their break, while the wind instruments, and the rhythm section return to play for the first ten minutes of dancing.
During this ten minutes, the sound is exactly the same as that which we used in the Rainbow Room and Roseland for many years. Then, the string section returns, and the full orchestra plays the great Strauss Waltzes (some, with their concert introductions), and other music in the style of Artie Shaw with strings, Glenn Miller with Strings, and even as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman might have sounded if they had a string section.
This is the format of a typical major event: Initially, there will be some lively music for all the guests to enter and dance and find their tables. Then, the processional, entrance of the bridal party or honored guest, the posting of the colors, or whatever. Next, a bit of dance music. Then, the meal service, in three parts, each followed by general dance music. Then, the entrance of the debutantes, and perhaps the Quadrille; next, some lively music, probably including In the Mood, and Sing Sing Sing, and a final good-night selection.
I have organized my musical 'book' so that in order to find the music for the next selection, the musician will usually simply turn the page. Occasionally, we will jump ahead, or go back, to find the required selection. But, if the cynic says "Then all jobs are the same. You might as well use recorded music", I will reply, "Recorded music is inappropriate, and there is an immense increase in the smoothness with which the engagement is played when the music is all in order, ready to be played without fumbling around."
Then, too, if the musicians are bored, or the audience has heard too many of the same tunes, we will move to a previously unplayed portion of the book.
And, as always, the musicians in my orchestra can play exactly the same way that any fine society orchestra has played in the past, since these are the same musicians i.e. they can 'fake it'.
Someone may point out that Lester Lanin doesn't use written music. This is true - and one reason why I have spent all this time orchestrating.
Some times, the most appropriate way to play a selection IS the 'fake it' approach. No musician can read little black dots all night and continuously play accurately. The leader must be aware of this physical consideration, and sometimes deviate from his 'ideal' gig-plan because of impending eye fatigue.
Further, a full orchestra sound at all times is simply 'too much', just like a Rock Band can be. An artistic and musical balance for each engagement is necessary.
So is a sense of the energy level within the room, and the mood of the celebrants. I have played for the weddings of a young Egyptian Doctor to a Northern Italian Bride (HE had no family - HERS hated him), of a middle aged bride who had terminal cancer, for a young Chinese bride (her family ALL went home early), and for a few now-famous people.
At the 1997 Quadrille Ball, at the very last moment, it was discovered that the hotel had mistakenly supplied the Belgium flag, rather than the German flag.
There is an infinite variety of catastrophes waiting to happen - even a few which I have not managed to avoid but have learned from. (It has been perhaps twenty years since my last disaster, perhaps because I have developed a tendency to bring two amplifiers when I expect to use only one, and to have musicians with me who can orchestrate as well as I, and others who can 'fake anything', and so on.)
Most of them can be avoided by having the music properly prepared.
This takes an enormous amount of work - almost a full working week to produce each full orchestration. No one else has been willing to do all this - and, if they are - to have the experience in conducting, playing club dates, orchestrating, and the time to do all of this, and the contacts.
This change in the orchestrational approach to organizing an evening of dance music cannot be implemented gradually. Even New York club date viola players do not 'fake'. Neither do cellists. The orchestra must first be orchestrated long before the first engagement, using the "Build it, and they will come" philosophy.
I realized from the start that if I had the ability and inclination (obsessiveness) and time to build it, then I could have an orchestra which could play Haydn Symphonies, Count Basie hits, complete (or dance-style) Johann Strauss Waltzes. David Rose's 'Holiday for Strings'. Leroy Anderson's 'Sleigh Ride', the motion picture version of 'Cheek to Cheek' and 'Gone with the Wind'. (Not all at the same time.)
A question I've been asked is "Why do we need so many (eleven) string players?" Occasionally, this is prompted by the size of the stage. More usually, cost is the primary concern.
Here's the Bob January reasoning: We know that there is a difference between the texture of the sound between a string quartet, and that of the Boston Pops. This is only natural.
Both are artistically valid, but if a full string section sound is going to be heard, there must be at least two string instruments on each part, including violas and celli - plus a synthesizer.
In order to get the Jackie Gleason/Henry Mancini/David Rose sound, there must be five separate string parts.
To sound 'orchestral' rather than 'chamber music', multiple players on each part are needed.
For clarity, the first violins must number more than any other part in the string section.
Because of economics, and staging considerations, I use no more than absolutely necessary.
A careful observer would notice that Lawrence Welk used four violins (playing three unique parts), one viola, and one cello. However, in post-production, the string sounds were enhanced to make the sound more fully orchestral.
Using these acoustical facts of life, I've arrived at this minimum sized orchestra necessary to produce a full, natural sound.
One trumpet, one trombone, three reeds (alto sax/clarinet/flute/piccolo, tenor sax/clarinet/bass clarinet, baritone sax/tenor sax, clarinet, flute), seven violins playing three parts, 2 violi, 2 celli, one bass, one piano/synthesizer, one drum.
Optional vocalist. Optional guitar (one of my violinists used to play with Sha-na-na) Optional harp.
So, twenty is the smallest number of musicians.
The opposite question, which a few symphonic musicians might ask is "Why do you use so few musicians? You can't possibly sound like the Boston Pops Orchestra playing "Unter Donner und Blitz". Why pretend to be something other than a dance orchestra?" (These last two words are intended as an insult.). I answer, "I haven't succeeded in making Zarathustra sound powerful enough to share with my audiences, but no other dance orchestra has found the way, either."
Also, twenty is also the number of musicians, which, with instruments, fits exactly on the ballroom stage at the Plaza.
We don't get many requests for Zarathustra, anyway.
Depending on YOUR orchestral situation, we can add string players, up to about twenty of them, and the sound will be even fuller. The size of the stage, as well as economics then becomes a consideration. And also, as the program is changed 'on the fly', too large a group of musicians becomes unwieldy.
If you are out of the New York area, I make this offer until the time when I am overbooked with my own orchestra:
I will come to your town and your local musicians and conduct my orchestrations for an evening's fund raising dinner-dance. We will even rehearse.
However, because of copyright considerations, I cannot sell or even rent this music. This library of dance-style orchestrations is not yet available anywhere else. Furthermore, it has taken me two years of diligent writing to have written it, and I'll be darned if I'll let my library out of my sight.
Even if anyone out there on the web understands this page, and agrees with my logic, and begins to write a library similar to this - after acquiring the dance-orchestra leadership experience in the length (and alternative ways of lengthening and shortening them on the fly) of selections, key and range considerations, and the orchestrational experience of knowing how to voice these five wind instruments for maximum effect, and the show-biz facets of the pacing of an evening of dance music, and the like. And if she were able to talk to the audience, and set the correct tempos for tangos, cha-chas, and the like, and, also, to secure the (untested) booking of those first, crucial jobs where this is all shaken down and checked out for correct bowings and transpositions. Even then, it would take several years of diligent orchestrational grunge work to bring this ensemble to a four-hour performance level.
So, GOOD LUCK!
Or if three or four orchestrators were used, the notation and the voicing would not be uniform.
Boldly stated, I simply do not believe that there is anyone else who can create an orchestra such as I have.
As my other web pages mention, I was the bandleader at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Center, and at Roseland for many years. During those years, I wrote much of the heart of the book (without the strings) week by week.
We would try them out at the beginning or the conclusion of each evening. Some of the orchestrations were never played again, and for good reason.
The surviving orchestrations were refined, week by week, and now they are a pleasure for the musicians to play, and for the dancers to hear.. This is dance music of a high level.
I have orchestrated and re-copied this entire library keeping in mind that this music should be sight-read by most competent musicians.
I select the program 'on the fly', according to the dancing abilities of the dancers, the mood of the moment, and the performance abilities of the musicians. (I have never performed an evening exactly as I had planned).
All this naturally requires that we have at hand many orchestrations which will never be played, and ensures that it is highly unlikely that every orchestration will have been rehearsed.
I'm grown accustomed to this, and I see no way to avoid it, without the loss of flexibility during the dancing.
A dance band conductor needs an entirely different set of skills
than a symphonic orchestra conductor. The two are the same in name only.
A WORD ABOUT COURTESY Because people talk instead of listen, and because DJ's turn the volume all the way up, so their dancers will respond just like mice respond when the drum head they are sitting on is pounded, we have (at least here in the United States) reached a state where a conversation cannot be held while the music is playing. The sound reinforcers have won, and as if to make their point, they play the music continuously. Dance till you drop style.
Notice that their music, though, is bereft of the sound of violins, which cannot be recorded.
I'm continually writing on these pages, and I'll add more here later. If you understand this so far,, and would like to talk about your wedding, or your orchestra's fund raiser, phone me at (914) 752-0660.