Jazz Concert Report
Live music is one of the most enriching, fascinating, and entertaining experiences in life. Throughout the subsequent live music concerts that I happened to attend, I have realized that one cannot afford to miss such memorable experiences in their lifetime. This is why I readily embraced this assignment knowing that it was another opportunity for me to experience one of my special interests. Due to the current situation created by the pandemic, I could not attend a live jazz concert. Instead, I resorted to watching a recorded live jazz concert on YouTube. The show I viewed was known as “The Music of Miles Davis” performed by one of America’s big bands, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by the Grammy-winning trumpeter, Wynton Marsalis. The performance took place on 18 November 2020, at Rose Theater, one of the performance halls at Lincoln Center, New York.
During the concert’s introductory phase, I realized that the performance was a tribute to one of America’s acclaimed jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis. This compelled me to read the video’s description and conduct a little research about this great jazz legend before indulging in the music. Davis played a vital role in pioneering many of the significant stylistic developments in jazz. The ensemble aimed at performing some of Davis’s groundbreaking music, demonstrating his musical prowess, including the bebop styling, rich textured arrangements, avant-garde eclecticism, and unconventional brass instrumentation. The performance aimed at highlighting Davis’s entire career, during his start in the 1940s, his experience with modal jazz in the late 1950s, his period with the ‘Second Great Quintet’ band, and his transition to electric jazz (Jazz at Lincoln Center). Obtaining such background information was vital for me to understand and enjoy the concert.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra had 15 group members. Five played the reed instruments, including saxophones (alto, baritone, and tenor) and bass clarinet. Four of the members, including the leader Marsalis, played the trumpets. Three were trombone players. Finally, the rhythm sections contain three personnel, a pianist, a bass player, and a drummer. The bass instrument in the orchestra is the tuba. As introduced by Marsalis, Chris Crenshaw was the conductor of the ensemble and one of its three trombone players. At first, the orchestra arrangement was different from the usual set up. Instead of the trumpets being behind the trombone section and saxes in front, I realized they were all in one line. Additionally, only eight members are present in the first two pieces. However, as the concert progressed, I noticed that everyone come to the set, and all the horns went into position. The saxophones stayed at the front, trombones went into the middle, and trumpets position themselves in the rear line (MacDonald). This is the standard seating arrangement.
The concert was quite long; it lasted for two hours. Generally, the orchestra sounded great, with exceptional tonality and excellent understanding. They were so consistent and timely, which contributed to their solid and valid performance. Additionally, their music lineup, which was arranged according to Davis’s career progression, was colorful and, more importantly, enlightening, showcasing jazz music’s journey. The band performed 13 pieces, of which ‘Deception,’ ‘Boplicity,’ and ‘Half Nelson’ stood out to me, particularly because they highlighted the early stages of jazz music, which entailed many experimentations.
Deception was the opening piece in the performance. What caught my attention is how the music started. The song kicked off with an alto, a baritone saxophone, a trombone, trumpets, drums, piano, and a bass. Any jazz fan would agree that this opening is quite unusual. Nonetheless, this made the opening very inviting, particularly considering how the orchestra managed to start with such high notes and yet bring them together by joining the instruments to create a rich, majestic sound. This was beautiful to listen to, and it contributed to the colorful harmony the characterized the entire song. The song has complex rhythms with a slighting varying pitch, considerably few low notes, with different melodic parts playing simultaneously, creating a polyphonic texture. However, these harmonic parts fit so well, and it’s impressive how the orchestra manages to stay consistent and timely throughout the song.
Boplicity is my other favorite piece at the concert. One fascinating observation about this piece is how the tuba, rather than being used as part of the bass in the rhythm section, played the rhythm of the melodies. In addition to the melodic lines coming from the tuba, the song combines alto saxophone, trumpets, alto trombone, and baritone saxophone to add color and depth to the sound. These unique arrangements show the creativity behind the music, and to me, the song stands out. At some point, the melody inclines by a few notes to allow the drums to be heard. As the song progress, one can feel the heroic drums over the melody, which are also strong. This helps to unite the melodic parts.
Finally, I was also impressed by Half Nelson. The most satisfying element about this song is the tenor sax solo heard over the rest of the orchestra. The soloist repeatedly hits the 9th chord building up a long-stretched climax where all the trumpets, other saxophones, and trombones joined. The result is a feeling of majestic power, highlighting the climax. As the song come to an end, the climax is suddenly relaxed, creating a beautiful pattern.
In conclusion, although the concert was not a live experience, I felt like I was part of the audience. The level of perfection that the orchestra delivered on this performance was commendable. The experience helped appreciate jazz music, particularly its early innovators like Davis. Like the audience in the concert, I can’t recall the number of times I applauded as the music drew me in. Honestly, I felt a bit guilty, watching such a valuable experience for free. I plan to attend more jazz concerts in the future.
Works Cited
Jazz at Lincoln Center. The music of Miles Davis. 25 March 2020. 23 October 2020. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ__lmCOSeg>.
MacDonald, Earl. Jazz big band seating placement. 2020. 23 October 2020. <http://www.earlmacdonald.com/jazz-big-band-seating-placement/>.