The concert is performed by the Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The video of this concert is 90 minutes in length. The concert was an ensemble of various Dave Brubeck arrangements utilizing various jazz techniques and styles with mainly the following instruments: bass, piano, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto sax, flute, piccolo, baritone sax, drum, and tambourine. The performance included these 15 pieces: “Unsquare Dance”, “Three to Get Ready”, “The Duke”, “Cassandra”, “Strange Meadowlark”, “Who Will Take Care of Me?”, “It’s a Raggy Waltz”, “Tokyo Traffic”, “Take Five”, “Lost Waltz”, “Upstage Rhumba”, “In Your Own Sweet Way”, “Fast Life”, “Bluette”, and “Blue Rondo a la Turk”. The performance highlights the versatile, influential and extraordinary life’s work of Dave Brubeck. There were three techniques I heard at this performance which were back beat, rhythmic contrast, and break. Within “Unsquare Dance”, the bass, played by Carlos Henriquez, provides a steady back beat throughout most of the performance. The accompaniment of the …show more content…
I have been thought to be Asian majority of my life, yet my heritage is not remotely Asian. Similarly, Jazz would not be a genre that most would expect to represent Asian culture. Yet as I listened, I am transformed into what I would envision would be the streets of Tokyo. Dan Nimmer’s use of percussion with a wooden block and a gong, instantly resonated sounds that you would associate with Japan. The trumpets used a cup mute to round out their sound. The cup also reduced their sound’s usual force, as it would be too much of a contrast for the scene the music is representing. The drummer’s, Ali Jackson, percussion also produced rapid rhythms and a unique hollow sound which further brought in the listener into another
Music is magical: it soothes you when you are upset and cheers you up when you are down. To me, it is a communication with souls. I listen to different genres of music. When appreciating each form of music, with its unique rhythm and melody, I expect to differentiate each other by the feelings and emotions that it brings to me. However, I would definitely never call myself “a fan of jazz” until I witnessed Cécile McLorin Salvant’s performance last Friday at Mondavi Center. Through the interpretations and illustrations from Cécile’s performance, I realized that the cultural significance and individual identity are the building blocks of jazz music that create its unique musical features and support its development.
Jazz is referred as “America’s classical music,” and is one of North America’s and most celebrated genres. The history of Jazz can be traced back to the early era of the 20th century of the U.S. “A History of Jazz” presents From Ragtime and Blues to Big Band and Bebop, jazz has been a part of a proud African American tradition for over 100 years. A strong rhythmic under-structure, blue notes, solos, “call-and response” patterns, and
The word “jazz” is significant to America, and it has many meanings. Jazz could simply be defined as a genre or style of music that originated in America, but it can also be described as a movement which “bounced into the world somewhere about the year 1911…” . This is important because jazz is constantly changing, evolving, adapting, and improvising. By analyzing the creators, critics, and consumers of jazz in the context of cultural, political, and economic issue, I will illustrate the movement from the 1930’s swing era to the birth of bebop and modern jazz.
Jazz culture to be exact, is the topic at hand. Jazz culture expands throughout many genres and is expressed in many ways. The many genres of jazz are Big Band, jazz funk, modern jazz, smooth jazz, Latin jazz, and jazz fusion. Each of these comes with its own unique sound and origin. Latin jazz, for example, employs rhythms from both African and Hispanic backgrounds. The sound is particularly up tempo with divided eight beat patterns. Jazz artists who have portrayed these qualities of jazz to the world are at the very core of its culture. Many people who are in places of power in this society or are held in some form of esteem have had some exposure to the arts, whether it is classical or jazz. This is due to a desire to be culturally diverse which is a quality held in high esteem in regards to a more worldly point-of-view. There are many aspects of Jazz music that could be approached, but there is one point in particular that must be expressed in detail. The influence on the genre ...
“West End Blues” begins with a 12-second trumpet solo that displayed Armstrong’s wonderful range and demonstrated the syncopated styling unique
On Friday November 15, 2013, I attended a concert that I found very interesting. It took place at 7:30 pm at the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. The group performing was the Erie Chamber Orchestra but as a special the Slippery Rock University Concert Choir was also there.
... began the piece, and the beat of the drum was frequent. After the introduction, the rest of the musicians joined. The pianist also had a solo part with the companion of the drum. The pace of the song was moderately fast, and the song ended with a climax.
...ked throughout the concert. The pacing of the selections seemed appropriate. No piece sounded like the one before it. There was a great variety of songs played. There were songs played that were written by famous jazz composers and songs played that were written by some of the performers themselves. This added to the excitement of the show.
The musicians were able to keep time by taping their feet, listening to the piano and drums play a steady beat, and along with a lot of practice beforehand. When it comes to the meter of the piece I noticed that when each musician was playing their part in the song the rhythmic structure would change. When the trumpet player and saxophone player were playing together the beat was steady and loud, but when they were playing separately the sound was not as loud, but the beat remained the same. Each instrument created a different feeling to the music, even though they were playing the exact same part.
Out of the streets of New Orleans, a new form of music arose. This new type of music was not known as African or European, but simply American. It was jazz. In 1900 jazz first developed, but it wasn’t until the 1920’s when jazz began to spread across the Nation and eventually across the World. (Hakim, 57) The word jazz itself did not originate in New Orleans along with the music. The term first showed up in sports columns in San Francisco. Most people from New Orleans never even heard the word until they left their homes. Eventually, like the music, the word jazz and this new phenomenon had stretched out across the nation. Jazz was and is known to be the most predominant form of music of the 1920’s. The television had not yet been invented, but rhythm and drum beat of Africa, but also contained the instruments and heritage of Europe. People everywhere had their radios to listen and dance to the music. Some listened to the newly found jazz music everyday. (Schoenberg, 10) Some people went to jazz clubs. At the jazz clubs the musicians were primarily black and the audience was mostly white. There were many clubs that were located in Harlem, which was on the north end of Manhattan. Almost all of...
The jazz band I observed played a series of six different songs. Although all the songs were categorized as jazz, each song had its own special style and sound to it. The band consisted of three different players. Paul Meyers, the guitarist and composer, Andy Eulau, the bassist, and Dave Rataczak, on drums. The songs performed were entitled “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter, “Once I Loved” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Stars” by Paul Meyers, “Blues for Mel” also by Paul Meyers, “Last Night When We Were Young” by Harold Arlen, and “Samba Novo” by Luis Eca.
Specifically a place called Congo Square (now part of the Louis Armstrong Park) is esteemed as the birthplace of jazz. Here, it is recorded that enslaved Africans would gather to keep their culture alive through song and dance. Primarily using drums and other percussive instruments, they were able to create pulsating and throbbing paeans to their heritage (Evans 1-2). With the subsequent incorporation of accompaniment by other instruments and other musical styles, these characteristic rhythmic cells and vigorous drumbeats became intrinsic to the development of what would later become jazz (Evans 2-3).
Not only is it nearly impossible to pinpoint jazz’s conception in time, many locations are accredited with its origin, the United States allowed for jazz to start gaining popularity and leading into the change it had to the music scene. When jazz is brought up, many first think of its birth place being New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans has always been a big musi...
For this concert report I chose to go to a performance of student composers held at the Kimball Recital Hall. I chose this one because I wanted to see some of the talent that my peers have in the music realm, and also it was one of the only concerts I have been able to attend because I usually work at night. It was impressive to hear pieces composed by students. I cannot imagine creating something as complex as a musical composition, much less actually performing it, so this aspect of the concert was particularly awe-inspiring. There was a large attendance, and I think that much of the audience consisted of friends of the composers and/or performers. I went with three friends, who I convinced by telling it would be interesting to see student composers.
Swing music – and its predecessor, jazz – is, as famed swing artist Benny Goodman put it, “folk music special to the United States” (Erenberg 65). It is perhaps one of the most “American” genres of music. The very characteristics that define swing music are uniquely “American”; it is lively, promotes freedom of expression (through improvisation), and bursts with seemingly endless optimism. It is energetic, youthful, and most importantly, unifying. As it is formed from a mix of elements from African American, European and American folk music, swing played a crucial part in bringing the issue racial integration to the forefront of the American psyche, especially among the younger population. It is no surprise that swing was so wildly popular – it promised “personal freedom, hope for a better life, and a measure. . . of racial acceptance” (Erenberg 70), which seems an apt remedy for a society suffering from not only widespread unemployment and hardship, but also rampant racism and classism.