Gerry Genuario's Concert Report

The beginning sounded similar to a salsa type of music due to the drum’s rhythm on the crash cymbal. Each musician had a solo within each piece. The rhythm section (double bass and drums) did a phenomenal job at maintaining as well as driving the tempo when it felt dragging. Moreover, they displayed great control and maturity of their sound throughout their solos. The dexterity and mastery within their instrument of some of the soloist in this group is inspiring because it truly shows their years and years of practice and

It’s not every day that you’ll have a concert that starts off with a fire alarm and ends in a fire alarm as well. With the Brock U Encore! Concert “The Canadian Jazz Scene” presented by John Sherwood, on February 10th, 2017 that is exactly how it went. You could say that it was letting you know that the night was going to be an interesting one ahead. Alongside John Sherwood, his co-musicians were Kevin Turcotte (trumpeter), Patrick Collins (bassist), Terry Clarke (drummer), and Mike Murley (saxophonist).

“Minor Mystery,” the first piece played by the group, was composed and arranged by Ellen Rowe. This song is a minor blues that is normally set to be played at a medium swing, however, this performance was taken at a slightly faster pace. This allowed for the piece to be played with more energy, rather than just standing still. “Minor Mystery” is a work that lets the ensemble demonstrate their stylistic technique. This piece is riddled with dynamic contrasts and notations such as marcatos, accents, and tenutos. This proved to be a challenge, due to the fact that not everyone has the same concept of how these notes should be played. While learning and rehearsing this song, stylistic concepts were probably what we spent the most time on. In order to really sound together and like one cohesive unit, the perfection of these articulations was crucial.

As I observed the stage I noticed that there were a variety of instruments played in the jazz ensemble. The instruments that were played included string (grand piano, electric guitar, electric bass, bass), brass (trumpet, trombone, French horn), woodwind (tenor sax, alto sax, baritone sax) and percussion instruments (six piece drum set, bongos). On the drum set was, special guest, Steve Houghton from the music school of Iowa.

The instrumentation included fiddle, banjo, guitar, pedal steel guitar, upright bass, mandolin, and sometimes harmonica. There were averagely 6-7 performers in the band throughout the evening, including the vocalist/lead performer. Performers on these instruments

The musical style seemed most like smooth jazz as the sound was mellow and the background musicians carried a slow steady tempo throughout. The melody seemed to ebb and flow though the electronic wind instrument soared, hit piercing notes and occasionally rapidly move up and down the scales. The style was similar to that of Miles Davis “Tutu,” as Davis continued to produce high piercing notes as the background slow tempo persisted throughout keeping the overall sound velvety. Neither soloist appeared to interact with the rhythm section but cleverly play above, below and around it. Overall the performance held to a timbre that was restrained as well as was

During the performance the sung greatly while the other musician fill in the space of the soloist to creating a harmonizing piece between the soloist and the instrument. I am quite interested and familiar with the ideal that the musician was creating throughout the whole concert, I can mesmerize on the bed that can back to my African Caribbean beat toward an island musical combination. When the soloist was “filling” the music the soloist would sing that part of the song again and again to have the audience scream or shout to the music. During the performance the soloist would often give the instrument a solo and have their do their own a little musical time of fame for the audience. The bass player acted well with the drummer, the sound they make often complement each other. When the beat was change

Improvisation was given a more featured role, and soloists would play while the rest of the band, aside from the rhythm section, dropped out or played arranged background lines. The improvisation and teamwork was flawless with this group. The lead singer started by warming up the audience, then the Saxophonist and trumpet player picked up the tune from the lead singer, and the music began. starts in earnest. After the first full combo, the tune was passed on to the baritone sax, with support from the drummer and the bass. Then, the baritone sax finished his solo, and passed the lead back to the guitarist. This process is repeated throughout the night. They were precise and in tune like a well-oiled

Boasting an impeccable tonal control and range, saxophonist Geof Bradfield hires a sterling cast of musicians to give wings to his seventh album of originals, Yes, and…Music For Nine Improvisers. The album title was taken from an improvisational theater game implemented by Compass Players, a cabaret revue from the 50s. Combining genres and moods to achieve a versatile sonic palette, the group works dynamics whether in nonet or trio, following written material and free improvisation as convenient.

On November 11th 2016, I attended a jazz concert that was held in Stoney’s wine lounge located in Dallas. I went with my best friend and this was my first time attending a jazz concert but defiantly not my last. The place was very elegant and yet it also had a homey feeling to it, which I loved. The band that playing there that night was the “The Mike Drake Trio”. Featuring professor Drake on drums, Floyd Darling on piano and Gavin Kelso on bass. The concert was held from 8 pm to 10:30 pm. Some songs and tunes that were played include just squeeze me and a child is born. The drums were played with different techniques. First they were played with the traditional drum sticks but in some songs or even just a part of a song they were played

Throughout the entire night the musicians gave a stellar performance. Each soloist perfectly emitted the music’s feelings. Even when there was not a solo, each musician played with an enormous amount of energy. The first half was filled with noteworthy pieces. The quartet warmed up the audience with “All of Me.” The original song, written by the late and great Gerald Marks, was slow and flat. However the note placement by Nick Tannura literally brought life into this piece, with a great

The first piece performed was Four Scottish Dances. The entire band’s intonation was amazing. All sections blended together and you could hear blend within each individual section as well. Working as a group, dynamics moved

The first song that they played was an instrumental titled “This Was Us.” The instrument that

The instrument used was the guitar and saxophone. The style of the performance was smooth with songs from R&B and Jazz.

The first song of the performance was “Boogie Stop Shuffle” written by Charles Mingus. As the music started to play, I could hear the different levels of intensity in the drums, which started out quiet then the intensity began to pick up gradually and your ears could hear the sound change. When other instruments like the trumpet joined in with the drums my ears could