At 7:30 in the evening on Tuesday, October 4th, the Northern Michigan University music department’s Jazz band held a concert at Reynolds Recital Hall on campus. The music was surprisingly quite varied compared to what I had expected and the musicians were clearly talented. The entire performance was very impressive and it was neat to see fellow students performing and displaying such skill. Ultimately, I was glad to have attended the concert, despite the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy jazz music.
The entire concert consisted of three different groups, the full jazz band and also two smaller groups consisting of a few members from the band. The first smaller group to perform was a quintet consisting of a piano, bass, drums, flute, and …show more content…
There were a few songs played, especially those played by the first group, which had a very typical jazz sound which I expected, and also don’t find that appealing beyond it being nice background music in a restaurant or hotel lobby. However, some of the songs were very different in that they were softer and didn’t have the almost whining sound I’ve always characterized jazz with. Specifically, one of the songs, “Andy’s Waltz,” was very smooth, soft, and nice to listen to. On the other hand, the entire band played very non-stereotypical jazz songs. One example is “Lady Madonna” which was extremely upbeat and had a very motivational, “pump you up” kind of vibe to it. Additionally, it was a cool incorporation of more popular music. Many of the songs included solo performances by various band members which made the music far more interesting and all of the soloists performed beautifully. Another aspect of the performance that I found neat was that two of the songs were composed by the director, Mike Flaherty. Even more impressive was that the last song played by the second quintet was composed by their pianist, Tim Mesun, and, even better, the song was truly good. My only real complaint of the music played may be that, as someone who adores the sound of string instruments, I would have loved to hear more …show more content…
With the variety between the songs, it seems to be more complicated. Some of the songs, like “Andy’s Waltz” or “Lady Madonna” seem like fantastic songs to dance to while “Strike Up the Band” gave off more of a march, motivational, sports game kind of vibe. Further, other songs were more blues style and were extremely expressive and emotive. It’s clear that jazz as a genre has a lot more room for different styles and functions than I had originally thought. As far as the audience, it was very much a typical art music type of performance where the audience sat quietly and listened to the music, clapping vehemently after soloists finished their solos and once each song was finished. It was clear that many of the audience members were there because they personally knew one or more of the performers and were there to support their friends or family. Overall, the audience was very encouraging and excited after each solo and
The entire concert consisted of three different groups, the full jazz band and also two smaller groups consisting of a few members from the band. The first smaller group to perform was a quintet consisting of a piano, bass, drums, flute, and …show more content…
There were a few songs played, especially those played by the first group, which had a very typical jazz sound which I expected, and also don’t find that appealing beyond it being nice background music in a restaurant or hotel lobby. However, some of the songs were very different in that they were softer and didn’t have the almost whining sound I’ve always characterized jazz with. Specifically, one of the songs, “Andy’s Waltz,” was very smooth, soft, and nice to listen to. On the other hand, the entire band played very non-stereotypical jazz songs. One example is “Lady Madonna” which was extremely upbeat and had a very motivational, “pump you up” kind of vibe to it. Additionally, it was a cool incorporation of more popular music. Many of the songs included solo performances by various band members which made the music far more interesting and all of the soloists performed beautifully. Another aspect of the performance that I found neat was that two of the songs were composed by the director, Mike Flaherty. Even more impressive was that the last song played by the second quintet was composed by their pianist, Tim Mesun, and, even better, the song was truly good. My only real complaint of the music played may be that, as someone who adores the sound of string instruments, I would have loved to hear more …show more content…
With the variety between the songs, it seems to be more complicated. Some of the songs, like “Andy’s Waltz” or “Lady Madonna” seem like fantastic songs to dance to while “Strike Up the Band” gave off more of a march, motivational, sports game kind of vibe. Further, other songs were more blues style and were extremely expressive and emotive. It’s clear that jazz as a genre has a lot more room for different styles and functions than I had originally thought. As far as the audience, it was very much a typical art music type of performance where the audience sat quietly and listened to the music, clapping vehemently after soloists finished their solos and once each song was finished. It was clear that many of the audience members were there because they personally knew one or more of the performers and were there to support their friends or family. Overall, the audience was very encouraging and excited after each solo and