On October 26, 2017, in the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center Recital Hall at the University of South Alabama, there was Jazz Ensemble Concert directed by Tracy Heavner. The night was filled with the rhythmic groove of jazz. By writing this report I hope to show you, the reader, a new perspective of Jazz Music. The first piece, Lady Bird, by Tadd Dameron was written in 1939. The Jazz Ensemble began the piece by putting their full hearts in it. By using repetition of the melody in the saxophones and clarinets it helps the ensemble build suspense. Once the tenor saxophone comes in with a solo, the performer runs through chromatic scales smoothly. The ensemble continues with the melody leading to a heavy melody held in the trumpets until an alto saxophone comes in and takes the melody away. The rest of the ensemble holds the countermelody that compliments the alto saxophone well. The alto saxophone passes the melody to the piano where then it was passed to a trombone. This piece took one melody and bounces it all around the ensemble to show off different performers abilities with their instruments. The second piece, Makin’ Whoopee, by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson was written in 1928. This piece was made famous by Eddie Cantor. This piece adds suspense in the low brass with a repeating melody in the woodwinds. A trombone comes out in a solo with a slow tempo and a low dynamic making the sound very legato. By placing a mute in a trumpet this piece of music ended with an edgy
The next song, “Oopsey Daisey My Sweetheart” was the piece that Dr. Carol Williams wrote. I liked the melodies and harmonies overall. It was very interesting music piece. I wish I could get a contact with her and wanted to ask a few questions about this piece of music. Also the singer, Martha Jane Weaver, sang this song great that both the singer, write of the music, and the player received a great attention from the audiences.
I.Introduction: Good afternoon everyone, my name is Giselle Levario. I am a freshman here at NMSU with a love for music and today I will be informing you all about one of my favorite music genres, Jazz and it’s history. First, I will talk why Jazz was important to society during the Great Depression. Second, I will discuss the various techniques and rhythms used in a Jazz ensemble and finally, I will discuss why Jazz music is still influential to today’s society and music culture.
Adam Mikulicz’s bassoon solo to open the piece captured the audience while Emily Clements added colour and ornamentation with both the flute and piccolo. Jodie Upton on clarinet and Peter Facer on the oboe encompassed style, texture and timbre which broadened the sound of this small ensemble. Conducting on the side, Facer kept the ensemble together in demanding sections. Julia Brooke with her angelic horn sounded like an entire brass section packed into one instrument and finally, Gladys Chua tied everything together with her outstanding
This review is about the Studio Big Band and their performance in the Casa Loma Room at the University of Redlands on Thursday, February 23rd at eight in the evening, under the direction of Prof. David Scott. The concert was made up of the following tunes: “High Maintenance” by Gordon Goodwin, “Four” by Miles Davis (arr. Dave Bardhun), “Nica’s Dream” by Horace Silver (arr. Frank Mantooth), “Witchcraft” by Cy Coleman (arr. Sammy Nestico), “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter (arr. Mat Harris), “Category 4” by Jeff Jarvis, and “Giant Steps” by John Coltrane (arr. Mark Taylor). The music on this program was very relevant for the eras we are covering or will be covering soon in the class, and to this end, the piece I will be focusing on
Duke Ellington's pre-eminence in jazz is not only because of the very high aesthetic standard of his output and not simply due to his remarkable abilities as a pianist, composer and bandleader, but also to the fact that he has extended the boundaries of jazz more than any other musician, without abandoning the true essence of the music. Perhaps no other American musician left such a massive and challenging legacy in composition and performance.
From its inception, Jazz has applied both innovative approaches in different degrees and boundless configuration. And has continually amplified, progress, and modify music through various distinctive episodes of growth. So, an all-encompassing denotation of jazz is likely vain. Additionally, jazz as a music whose prime attribute was “improvisation,” for example, revealed to be too regulated and chiefly false. Meanwhile composition, adaptation, and ensembles have also been imperative constituent of Jazz (for most of its backstory). Furthermore, “syncopation” and “swing,” often viewed as important and distinctive to jazz, are certainly lacking the genuineness of it, whether of the 1920s (or of later decades). However, the prolonged perception that swing could not transpire without syncopation was utterly refuted when trumpeter Louis Armstrong often produced vast swing while playing repeated, and unsyncopated quarter notes (Armstrong, L., Fitzgerald, E., & Middleton, V. (1988). Satchmo. Gong.)
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
I attended the Baylor University Concert Jazz Ensemble directed by Alex Parker on Tuesday, November 10th. This ensemble consisted of saxes, trombones, trumpets, drums, a piano, and bass. The concert showcased many individual talents by including solo’s or duet’s in every song. The program consisted of seven songs with no intermission. The pieces I selected were “Big Dipper” by Thad Jones and “Undecided” by Frank Mantooth.
1. Richard Cook and Brian Morton The penguin Guide to Jazz, 2008, London: Penguin, p1020
The “Davenport Blues” introduction begins sounding somewhat homophonic. It sounded homophonic because the cornet and clarinet begin by playing the same melody but at different pitches. The melody in the intro sounds a little broken up and unorganized. But then we begin to hear the verses becoming somewhat reminiscent of the New Orleans style, which is known for its collective improvisation and polyphony. Polyphony is clearly heard in the three different melodies played simultaneously by the cornet, clarinet, and trombone in the “Davenport Blues” verses.
Jazz is a music genre that has complex characteristics and history of development and thus many musicians and scholars face troubles in defining what jazz is. In general, jazz is believed to have born in New Orleans. Jazz developed for the pleasure of the social dancers. According to the “Understanding Jazz: What Is Jazz?” of John F. Kennedy center for the Performing Arts, Jazz was created mainly by Afro-Americans, and had elements of European and Afro-American culture. Also, it emphasizes few elements of Jazz, which are swing-feel, syncopation, and improvisation. These different culture and elements of jazz may be explained by how jazz
Jazz is consider one of the most influential types of music an America History. Some of the greatest artist in the world have contribute to the success jazz have had not only on America History but throughout the world. This paper will explain the history of jazz, where it all came from and the effect it has had on the America Culture.
It was performed by the CSU Graduate Brass Quintet, consisting of Nikolas Valinsky, Matthew Chanlynn, Emelie Pfaff, William Gamache, and Heather Ewer. While Valinsky and Chanlynn played the trumpet, Pfaff played the horn, Gamache the trombone and Ewer tuba. This quartet accomplished a wonderful work by the different melodies, pitches and dynamics. While the tuba was heard more in the background due to its low pitch, the most significant instruments were the trumpets. Not only did they provide the highest pitch but it was also heard as the main instrument because of their rhythm. Together, this group of brass instruments created a dense rhythm by providing the audience with several layers of music on top of each-other. Altogether, I enjoyed this piece the most. It made me feel happy, excited and joyful.
The mystery of Jazz and its powerful impact on the music community can be explained largely by the context of it’s creation. Jazz was born in the United States, and because of this, many have referred to Jazz as “America’s music.” Like America, Jazz has a balance between structure and spontaneity. It capitalizes on the fluidity of the musicians, having several different instruments with independent spirits, coming together as one to form a great piece of music. Unlike other styles of music, Jazz has a certain way about it that makes it stand-alone in the world of genres. It improvises, moves, and transforms itself in a moment’s notice based on the musician’s intuition. Just as America harbors democracy, so too does a jazz ensemble, showing both the responsibility to a larger group, yet still allowing room for individual freedom. It all comes down to how well others can respect the overall framework and structure of the jingle.
Jazz was inspired by African-American folk music, Blues and Ragtime in the early 20th century and introduced in New Orleans. According to the text book “Discovering Humanities”, “Jazz was “the” American music, and was almost as popular in Paris and Berlin as it was in New York, Chicago, and New Orleans” (468). The first feature of Jazz is improvisation, when a song was played there is no specific arrangement, it is spontaneously elaborated around a specific song (Listen, 386). A second feature is that there is a rhythmic style that involves highly developed syncopation. Syncopation occurs when accents in