Remember The Wedding Singer? That glorious romp of a movie from 1998, starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore?
It made the importance of live music at weddings paramount, but back then, the only way to really get a preview of what type of musicians you might be hiring was to attend someone else’s event, and eavesdrop on the band.
And then, what of the music? Choices pretty much included standards from Lawrence Welk to rock classics to covers on what we all heard on the radio day-in-day-out. Yawn.
Welcome to the 21st Century. Now, would-be-wedded couples need only access a mp3 link for the full sound:
www.duartemusic.net/MusicDownloads.htm
Of course, there’s the concern that a group, no matter how talented, may look like Boy George (as in The Wedding Singer), or Mötley Crüe. 
No worries. From the comfort of our own homes, we can preview that, too:
duartemusic.net/Photo%20Album/index.htm
And banish concerns that their show might be too rowdy for our conservative guests:
duartemusic.net/morevideos.htm
To be sure, it’s an exciting new world for wedding music, and that includes the wide array of progressive sounds available, too. Not so many years ago, guests might have scratched their heads to hear international music at an American reception, but these days, it’s go, global, go! In fact, the more original the better; guests are impressed by distinctive sounds that marry styles and cultures.
For Tom Duarte, his talents as a Latin/Fusion guitarist make him stand out from the crowd. It’s just the type of signature experience that many modern wedding couples crave, he feels.
The San Rafael resident plays primarily as an instrumental solo guitarist, but also with his Latin trio called Diamante, showcasing electric bass and drums with percussion.
And don’t try to pigeonhole his mood, which ranges all across an upbeat mixture of Latin styles including Flamenco, Brazilian, and what he calls Afro-Cuban with a fusion-jazz edge.
“Our overall sound might be compared to that of The Gipsy Kings, Santana and Chick Corea” he says. “I do all of that in my solo performances, as well as including several fairly recent alternative/pop songs by artists such as Lady Gaga, Coldplay, Nelly Furtado and Rihanna.”
Rather than call dozens of previous clients, a wedding planner doing due diligence these days need only click through to testimonials and view resumes/bios online. Duarte’s music is popular enough that he has compiled several CDs, including his latest called “Hotel Toledo.”
“I have played for a number of years throughout Wine Country and the Bay Area, as well as having toured with Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead keyboardist Merl Saunders,” Duarte says. “I have also recorded with original members of Santana and Journey, Gregg Rolie and Michael Carabello.”
That’s music to any wedding go-er’s ears.
Details: Tom Duarte and Diamante, duartemusic.net or duarte@duartemusic.net.
