So for a fifth time in six years, we got to play OPAA‘s big annual event Tuesday evening here in St. Louis (actually the last few years it’s been at the St. Charles Convention Center). They are a food service company servicing schools, and every year they bring in their sales team and vendors for training 
and meetings. Then they have a nice cocktail hour and dinner before making a few short speeches and handing out some awards.
They like to have us playing when their associates walk into the ballroom. Now they only need us to play about 70 or 75 minutes, but they believe it’s a nice gesture that really sets the mood. Their team members don’t need to dance or anything, they in fact just want to talk so we keep the volume low (as we always do). But a live band, especially a live jazz band, is really a classy way of showing appreciation for those who work for them and with them.
Did they absolutely need a live band? No of course not. But having us got a lot of smiles and goodwill.
