Personal Narrative: My First Time Attending A Jazz Concert

If you didn’t know the book I was reading was Being Jazz. Jazz is a transgender, but her book is telling us the audience her difficulties of becoming a transgender. When she was born Jazz had two brothers and one sister. Although, before she was born, her mother and her friends did this traditional thing to tell if the mother was going have a boy or girl. So how this works is well you have a necklace and you move it around the tummy of the baby. If it’s going back and forth then it’s going be a boy, but if it goes around circles it's gonna be girl. However, when the last baby shower happened the necklace was going in circles which met the baby was going be a girl. When the mother gave birth the baby was a……. BOY! Even though the necklace went

On the day of the Talent Show I had back in Philadelphia, I was preparing to perform a show for the audience with a couple of classmates. I couldn’t make as many friends as I could in Puerto Rico because I forgot how the culture is in Philadelphia for over three years. I was alone, the rest of my family and friends were in Puerto Rico and I only had my Grandmother and Uncle as company. So, as I nervously walked on the stage standing in front of the whole school, I wanted to back out but I promised my classmate that I would perform with him because he needed someone that could sing. So I began to sing the lyrics of a song called “Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars” and my so called band began to play their own instruments to synchronize with the music.

Since I was raised in a small, country town in Oklahoma I definitely heard my fair share of country music. For the most part I wasn’t a fan of mainstream country music because it all sounded very similar, in my opinion. I found Blue Grass music or more Folk inspired country music to be more interesting. But when I was offered the opportunity to attend a Jason Aldean concert with a few friends this semester I didn’t want to miss out. I knew what to expect going to a Jason Aldean concert and that was a lot of boots and a lot of pearl snaps, and I was definitely correct. Jason was in Oklahoma on February 5th for his “We Were Here” tour. I had never been to a country music concert before and was looking forward to the new experience.

The era of the Roaring Twenties, was a time of great societal change. Many of these changes were greatly influenced by jazz music. During this time, the country was coming out of World War I and the attitude of most people was dark and dismal. Dance and music clubs became tremendously popular in an effort to improve the quality of life for many people.

When listening to “The Santé Fe Jazz Combo,” you get a mellow feeling that courses through your body. Their opener “Recorda-Me,” which was my favorite piece, featured solos from Dr. Hamilton on Piano, Spencer Hoefert on Guitar, Ben Salhanick on Bass, Doc B on Alto Sax, Wyatt Thomas on Trombone, and Noah Woolard on Drum Set. The song had a moderate swing tempo that kept your feet tapping up until the solo. First, the brass rang through their part, then the electric instruments. Next came the bass; he was strumming so fast but he was barely audible. The pianist busting through with a tricky piano rift and the drummer finished it off with an intense solo. Every rim-shot sent a jolt into the air like lightning and the buzz rolls sounded like thunder. Noah’s part reminded me why I love playing the drums.

The date of the concert was October 5, 2016 and the title of the concert is “Experimental Improvisation with: Kjell Nordeson & Peter Kuhn”. The concert was performed in Mesa College Music building. Peter Kuhn had three instruments with him a bass clarinet, saxophone, and a Bb Clarinet. He used the bass clarinet and the saxophone during his first piece, and the clarinet on the second piece. Kjell Nordeson was on the drum but had a lot of instruments with him. Sometimes he would play the drums as a drums set but sometimes he would put some sort of objects on top of the drum to create different sound effects. He also had a small glockenspiel and a flexatone. The concert hall was very simple, had a

On Tuesday, April 12th 2016 I went to Chris Jazz Café to see a live Jazz performance from three young artists; Dave D’Arville the Temple Jazz Guitarist, Alex Cross the Pianist, Mat Campbell was on the Bass and Phil Arrington was on the Drums. The show started at 7 pm and ended at 10 however, at 8:30 there was an intermission. Chris Jazz café was on a little block called Sansom Street, at first it was hard to find because the hotel parking sign covered the Jazz sign. When you first walk in, the hosts greet you and ask if you want to sit near the stage or in the back a one of the high-top tables. The atmosphere of the place was really nice, it was good vibes and so relaxed; the café felt safe to be alone that evening.

On November 18, 2015, I attended a UAB concert involving jazz combos and a guitar ensemble. This concert was filled with amazing musicians, intricate solos, and thick harmonies. There were three jazz combos and one guitar ensemble; the first set was the guitar ensemble, which contained four guitarists and one bass player. The ensemble consisted of four songs: “Swing It,” a swing-style song; “Samba #1”; “A Child is Born,” a waltz; and “Bill’s Bay.” The main theme of “Bill’s Bay” was very catchy and memorable, and the ensemble’s most impressive player to me was Michael Galanti on the bass guitar. His solos involved precise pizzicato and quick movement that I have never witnessed in a bass player.

Unquestionably, playing the trumpet in a diverse range of musical ensembles over the past nine years has led to experiences that have not only shaped me as a musician, but furthermore as a student and as an individual. As early as middle school “Black Dog Jazz Band,” I struggled with the confidence on center stage to perform solos, even with sheet music and the exact notes to be played. Progressing through high school, my skill and my perception were transformed, as improvising measures of music of my own creation were no longer a source of insecurity, but rather an opportunity to display my creative expression and capability as a musician. Fast and difficult chord changes and previously unheard melodies were now uniquely mine, and I perform with a self-assurance in my own interpretations. This composure stemming from years of soloing and jazz band undoubtedly seeped into my academic life, as the poise and self-assurance with which I similarly deliver oral presentations has been clearly and positively impacted.

Standing backstage, mentally going through every measure of music for our performance, me and the other percussionists representing Prosper were about to play our three ensembles that we prepared for the North Texas Percussion Festival. With the group before us finishing their last song, we were all mentally preparing to show the judges the best of what we had spent hours practicing for after school and late into the night. Before we went on stage to set up everything, I thought of where I was just three years ago, not knowing how to properly hold mallets or work well with a group of people.

The Jazz Age was more than merely a musical revolution—“The Jazz Age denotes not only a period of early big band, but also the events and fashions of an era”. During this decade a number of modern developments were invented, which included an expanded telephone service, network radio, electric inventions, and records set in aviation. These modern developments had a profound effect on American culture, creating a rise in leisure, specifically mass leisure. Automobiles, movies, and the radio overtook the lives of Americans, becoming necessities and part of everyday routines. This period also marks the beginning of films with soundtracks, an audio component, marking the rise of the musical and giving the American people

A friend and I went to the Grand Kerfuffle 2016 at the University of Utah. It was a two-day music festival held on April 22 and 23. But I only went to the one on the 22nd which was on a Friday night, unfortunately I was not able to go on the second day. The performances were by the A. Ray Olpin Student Union Building, just outside. They had food, games, and other things by the stage. We sat in front of the stage on one of the grass hills. They had a few performances when we went to it.

My experience at the Charlotte City Club was great. The club is for business professional, families, etc. they do have a business casual dress code at the club for members. Our tour guide was friendly when he greeted us in the Mint Room at the club. The club is on the top floors of the Interstate Towers once you come up the elevator there is an opening to enter the club where there is a desk and two recipients. The club has a number of rooms for dining the Mint Room and President Room are used for business meetings or formal events. There are two casual dining rooms The Grill Room and The Hornet Nest both have a wine and coffee bar and an amazing view of the city. They also have a billiards room where members can play pool and cards. They

On Thursday April 25, 2013 , I attended a jazz vocal concert at the Music Concert Hall. The first vocal ensemble opened up the performance with a slow rhythmic song called Blue Skies. It began with vocals and I noticed a light auxiliary percussion and drum rhythm. Also, the bass guitarist used walking bass and the piano and electric guitar joined in as well. The first song also consisted of two soloist Regina and Chantel who took the front stage to show off their chops. After the solo performances they fell back into the vocal sections and finished off the song as a complete band. The second performance had a piano opening which led to vocals joining in at the same time as the rhythm section. This performance

On October 14 I attended a New Wave concert in Downtown Massillon. This concert was actually apart of a larger event called the Massillon Zombie Walk which is held once a year. Most everyone dressed as a zombie. There was even a man who dressed as a Soviet spy zombie who made my night. He walked down the sidewalk with an accordion, a hammer and sickle pin, and a giant fur hat. Other zombies swarmed around him as I realized that I’m pretty lucky to live in an area that treasures local gatherings and celebrations.