How to Host a Jazz-Themed Party

It’s too early to say "uncle" and let the night end at the doorstep, but not late enough to start making with the quiet innuendos. Do you want to proceed to a loud bar so you can yell nonsensical questions in each other’s ears over some thudding club music? No. So throw a mellow after-dinner party at your place with slow jazz and cocktails. I’m not talking bash here. This is about turning your space into a haven from the raucous Saturday Amateur Night and generating a bit of metropolitan sophistication.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Food and beverage
• Clear glass vases and cylinders, food coloring
• Glasses, ice, mixers, liquor, garnishes, cocktail napkins
• Deep colored throws or fabrics and faux furs
• Old records, oil and an oven
• Coins and dice
• 15- or 25-watt light bulbs
• Flirtini: A Guide to Mixing and Mingling by Allana Baroni
• Matches, lighters, exotic cigarettes, ashtrays
• Sheet music for invites and table cover
• Candles: pillar, tea lights, floating, and such

1. Head to the local music store and pick out some sheet music for a great jazz or blues number. In between the lines of music, write in the party details, like "After dinner on Saturday night [insert date], swing by my place to mellow out with drinks, dessert, and slow dancing [insert time, location, your name, and RSVP contact information]."
2. Set the mood. A small, smoky, intimate club is the vibe. If you don’t have dimmer switches, unscrew the 100- and 60-watt bulbs and replace with the 25- and 15-watt versions (pink- and amber-colored bulbs work even more magic).
3. Supplement any lack of lighting with candles.
4. Fill clear glass vases and containers (anything from five to eighteen inches in diameter) halfway with water. Drop red food coloring in some, yellow and orange (mixing red and yellow) in others and float tea-light candles to create warm and sexy lighting.
5. Evoke the feel of autumn in New York by adding some lush, deep-colored throws, fabrics and small lamps with beaded shades. Think purple and green chenille, burgundy and gold satin and faux fur throws.
6. Set up the bar by lining a coffee table with sheet music. Make it easy for guests to serve themselves by arranging everything they’ll need on top: glasses, liquor, mixers, garnishes, and napkins.
7. Find some old records you won’t mind sacrificing. Thrift stores have tons of discarded titles. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, wipe the record clean, oil one side, place the record on a cookie sheet, and bake. After 45 seconds, flip it. Then after another 45 seconds, take it out and mold it into the shape of a bowl (careful that it is not too hot to touch). It’s important to work fast on this one because your window of flexibility is small. After you’ve shaped it, let it cool completely, then fill it with chocolate-covered coffee beans, peppermint patties, liquor-filled chocolates, and the like.
8. Ad lib a couple of street games like craps and coin tossing. For coin tossing, line people up a sizable distance from the wall. At “go,” everyone pitches a coin to the wall, the coin that lands the closest to the wall is the winning piece. If you’re not up for the excitement, you’ll have no problem finding takers for a bit of backgammon.

Who Can Help:

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Tips & Warnings

• This party is ripe for cigar and cigarette smoking. Designate a smoking section if you think smoke will bother the other guests. Pick a spot that’s comfy and has access to ventilation, like near the patio door or a big window. Set out large glass ashtrays, exotic cigarettes, matches and lighters, and some strong mints.
• Don’t use so many candles that it makes your place look like a gothic shrine.