Austin Jazz Concert Report

It’s amazing to listen to musicians who do not normally play with each other come together and leave the audience in complete awe. That is exactly what happened on the day of Thursday November 26th 2014. The Bill Crothers Varsity Winds comprised of grade eleven and twelve students along with a few, talented grade tens went to listen to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra play. We travelled via a typical yellow school bus that took us to Roy Thomson Hall where we went right to the top level and took our seats. The seating seemed rather helpful because from a distance you could hear every instrument when you focused on it. It was beautiful. The band presented well with their “Penguin” like attire that was kind to the eyes. They appeared very organized,

The date was December 8th, 2017, I had the pleasure of seeing the Saddleback College Jazz Combos perform at the McKinney Theater. The theater is quite large holding about 100~200 seats but seemed to offer a good acoustic balance for the combos that played. Also, one can tell that it was the holiday season by just entering the theater. It was festive as it was decorated with christmas trees with christmas lights and the front was filled with light up flower vases. Furthermore, this concert is a cumulation of different jazz students put into small groups and perform in front of an audience. This concert also showcases their efforts as a group as well as differences in skill level amongst the combos.

Labor Day Weekend in Dallas is usually filled with white pants (maybe don’t square it down to just pants—ensembles?) and the smell of barbeque on the grill. However a new tradition for the holiday is starting as The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL), Inc. hosts its first Riverfront Jazz Festival.

On Friday, February 12, 2016 at 7:00 p.m., the Division of Music at Bob Jones University presented the Symphonic Wind Band and performed five pieces. The performance in Stratton Hall at Bob Jones University was a highlight of the European Travelogue, directed by Dan Turner. The program included A Moorside Suite by Gustav Holst; Three Revolutionary Marches by Bedrich Smetana; Spring: Overture for Wind Orchestra by Johan de Meij; Galop, from Genevieve de Brabant by Jacques Offenbach; Ile-de-France from Suite Francaise by Darius Milhaud; and Danceries by Kenneth Hesketh. Each piece was concluded with eager applause and praise.

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.

On November 17th, 2016, I attended a jazz concert and had quite a time. The experience was captivating, and gave me a warm feeling inside. There were three different bands that play in the hour slot, and all of them sounded magnificent, but “The Santé Fe Jazz Combo” and “Santa Fe Big Band” stood out the most. The only thing these two bands have in common is that some of the musicians play in both bands. Otherwise, these jazz fanatics are polar opposites.

My favorite part of the concert was the second part. The group played a song called “Body and Soul.” The guitarist played slowly before the others joined. They created a relaxed atmosphere with an old-school effect. All the notes were legato except the melodies of the drum which was staccato. The combination added character to the piece and made it entertaining. At 19:00, the pianist played briskly but beautifully, then the guitarist did the same. The notes became high pitched and the tempo and dynamics increased. After the guitar stopped, everything went into decrescendo and the melodies from the bass and drums became choppy (staccato). Overall the piece surrounded the theme of dependence and how it affects one’s happiness or strength. The piano and the guitar brought the happy aspect to the piece and without it, everything weakened and became uncoordinated. Initially it celebrated peace,

On April 11th, 2017 in the Louis Armstrong Theatre, I attended the GVSU “University Band”. This up-beat ensemble lasted about 90 minutes; the talented students of GVSU’s university band joined together to perform multiple different songs ranging from a Waltz to a Dixieland Jamboree. All of the songs that the band played for the audience were all well-known, popular songs that they all enjoyed. Having the opportunity to attend this concert has opened new musical paths for myself and has allowed me to enjoy and kindly critique something that I perhaps would have never had the chance to otherwise.

The 40th annual Manly Jazz Festival took place over the long weekend as music lovers of all ages travelled towards the beaches to soak up the sun, sand and the celebration of sound. The festival, held on Manly’s beachfront was a combination of Australia’s beach culture with a love of music. The day drew an eclectic audience, as people from all walks of life came together to enjoy the performances. A diverse array from musicians to the elderly to the very young all crowded in the Corso to listen in to the internationally acclaimed Manly Jazz. As the afternoon sun gave glimpses of summer, many festival goers sought out a spot on the sand or in the water to take in the tunes and cool off.

I attended a blues concert in Hayward and it was one of the most culturing experiences of my life. I learned a lot about the culture and context surrounding the blues music. I found the lyrics thought provoking especially, B.B. King’s “Why I Sing the Blues” sung by Billy Dunn. Prior to me attending this concert I hardly knew anything about the blues music or historical roots. I never listened to the blues before, so I am unaware of this type of music, but I learned a lot about this style of music and enjoyed it. I also learned about the impact Hayward had on the blues and blues musicians when African Americans migrated from the deep south to the then unincorporated area of Hayward, known as Russell city. Ethnically, the majority of the attendees were African American, the second highest ethnic group attendees were Caucasian. This makes sense, since the blues and jazz were developed in the south of the U.S. and is associated with Africans. For African Americans, the blues and jazz goes a long way back in history, more specifically their history. It is associated with African American history in America, as well as African oppression and liberation.

I chose to attend a jazz concert at UNCW on September 28th, 2016. The musicians playing were: Jerald Shynett on trombone, Andy Whittington on piano, Natalie Boeyink on bass, Justin Hoke on guitar and Michael D’Angelo on drums. There were two special guests playing with this ensemble: Lynn Grissett on trumpet and Ryan Mulder on saxophone (joined them on stage for only a few select pieces).

In this recital report, I will write about Grant Miller’s recital. This recital took place on Saturday, April 30, 2016 7:00 .m at the Holsclaw Hall, University of Arizona school of music. Mr. Grant Miller presented this recital in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music degree. Mr. Grant Miller played 5 music including, Rossiniana by Mauro Giulani, From Lute Suite IV BWV 1006 a by Johann Sebastian Bach, From Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas by Ástor Piazolla, Invocacíon y Danza by Joquín Rodrigo, and lastly Valseana by Sérgio Assad.

On Sunday, May10 2015, a concert was held in The Broad Stage. The concert was played by Santa Monica College Symphony Orchestra, whose conductor is Dr. James Martin. For this concert, I would identify myself as a referential listener at this concert. I say this because I am not an expert in music, therefore it would be hard for me to be a critical listener. I wouldn’t be able to tell what went wrong with a performance even if some incorrect notes were played. I was more of a referential listener because the music was soothing and brought my mind to peaceful thoughts. This essay will tells my experience of the concert in order to persuade my friend to  attend a classical music concert with you in the future.

On April 18th, I went a piano recital performed by Armen Sarkisian. The recital was held in Ford-Crawford Hall, and started at eight-thirty. Sarkisian played six songs for the recital: four Sonatas, including “Sonata in C-Sharp Minor, K.247,” “Sonata in A Major, K.24,” “Sonata in D Minor, K.213,” and “Sonata in D Major, K.479,” written by Domenico Scarlatti, “Fantasie in C Major, Op.17” by Robert Schumann, and “Sonata No.1, Op.22” by Alberto Ginastera.

Phoenix high school would like to introduce the Jazz Band, which will be performing not too long from now. It will be held on May 25th, 2016 the performance will begin at 6:30 PM in the Phoenix High School Commons. Some suggestions by parents of the students were, to get there early because those good seats get filled. This concert is being done to highlight all of the high level of music the students are working on. Directed by Mike DeRoest, much time has been put into the music that will be played at the concert. Anyone is allowed to come to the concert, it is free and any age person can go to watch. Many styles of Jazz will be played including, Swing, Bee-Bop, Latin, Rock and many more. “With a band of 13 members these students are going