A Live Jazz Trumpet Concert - Report Example

Concert Report Introduction On Wednesday April 8, I was privileged to attend a live jazz trumpet concert at the UM Gusman Concert Hall. The concert was organized by the administration of Miami University as part of a series of the on-going Doctoral Recitals. The concert which was scheduled for 8:00 pm was to show case a performance by Paul Equihua, a reputable band that has been credited for revolutionizing trumpet jazz with their electrifying and entertaining performances (Szwed 99). The concert was free of charge because no one was told to buy a ticket or pay any entrance fee to be allowed to enter the venue. It was attended by a huge audience consisting f mainly university students. I attended the concert to have a firs-hand experience and make personal observations n whatever I encountered. This paper presents a candid, critical and in-depth review of the concert. It does this by focusing on the performers, audience, venue and general performance. Description During the concert, the band played a series of tracks. These were very interesting jazz songs that have dominated the music scenes for decades. As a band, Paul Iquihua consists of a team of experts who are specialized in playing different instruments as they perform to thrill their audiences. Having taken my time to attend the concert, I got an opportunity to enjoy jazz songs which I have never seen being performed live on stage. Just like the rest of the audience, some of the songs were familiar to me. At the same time, there are others that I have never gotten a chance to attend a live concert and enjoy them being performed on stage. In the program was Faubourg Treeme. The melodious song was composed by the legendry John Cooper. It was played during the concert because of its popularity. While doing this, I observed that the musicians were quite organized and well coordinated. All the instruments were properly played to ensure that the vocalists and the instruments produce sweet melodies throughout the performance. According to my observation, the song was a right choice for the concert as it was used to create a good rapport between the artists and the audience. Everyone danced to the tunes because it was quite outstanding and remarkable. The song was quite hilarious because it was composed by a renowned American musician who has been attributed to the composition of great hits that have of course revolutionized the jazz industry (Szwed 71). In the list of performance was another song called Daahoud. It was composed by Clifford Brown, an American trumpet player who lived between the years 1930 and 1956 after a short stint in the music industry. This song was so interesting and enjoyable. Having been composed by a real trumpeter, it had to be exceptional during the show. This was perfected by the skillful manner in which the band played their instruments without ever disappointing their enthusiastic fans. As a short track, the band members prepared themselves to demonstrate their prowess (Gridley 68). Apart from closely communicating with the audience, the instrumentalists used their instruments to produce excellent tunes and melodies to the satisfaction of everyone. To me who has had a chance to enjoy this song, it was an ample opportunity to enjoy its live performance on stage. The band also played Delilah: Victor Young’s composition. Young was a great American musician who made great contributions to the music industry. Having been born in 1900, Young lived a fulfilling life, but short life before his death in 1956. Despite his short life, the musician helped to promote the music sector in the country. The inclusion of his song in the concert was well informed. It is a song that has been celebrated by many people. Its popularity qualified it to an interesting and enjoyable song. Further more, it was properly and professionally performed during the concert. All the instruments that were used could be easily heard without any constraint. Even if all the musicians did their best, I was particularly pleased by the performance of Jesus Mato who knew how to skillfully play his trumpet as the song was being performed. I really enjoyed it. Meanwhile, the musicians played a song called One Foot in the Gutter. The track was originally composed by Terry Clerk who lived was fortunate to enjoy a very long life on earth. During his 95 years on earth, Clerk immensely helped in pioneering and revolutionizing the trumpet arena by composing great and influential songs. Just like the rest of the songs played in this concert, One Foot in the Gutter was an appealing one. During its performance, I could see a large number of fans join the vocalists in singing it. Meaning, it was very interesting and known to them. After all, all the instruments included were properly and tactfully handled throughout its performance. For example, the saxophone and trumpet could be heard producing rhythmic sounds that made the theater to be an amazing place to be at the time. Also in the list of the songs played during the concert was Very Early. As a song, Very Early was composed by Bill Evans, a legendary musician who lived between 1929 and 1980. During this period, Evans spent his time to compose a large number of songs that are still reining the music industry p to date. In their pursuit to thrill their fans, the musicians opted to include this great track in their performance. I would like to agree with them for choosing this song because it was a good piece. The instrumentalists and the vocalists did a great job by producing a harmonious song. Thus, everything was so pleasant and interesting to the ears of the fans including myself who took my precious opportunity to dance to these great tunes. These are actually great hits that would make the concert to be an ideal one for me and the rest of other fans who were in attendance. Last, but not least, the band played Henry Tomasi’s Concero Pour Trompette et Piano: Noctune. Hennery Tomasi is one of the great musicians who made great impacts in the music industry. He lived between the years 1901 and 1971. Although it was not known to me, I observed that the song was a good one. I enjoyed its performance because it involved the use of all the instruments that had been included in the concert. The sound came out so distinctly without any hindrance. So, the pitch and tunes were quite high and low and kept on transforming at different points of the song. This made the song to be equally interesting and enjoyable not only to me, but to the rest of the audience whose interests had been used by the performance. Evaluation Having personally attended the concert, I would like to express my satisfaction with it. I was extremely jubilated for getting a chance to grace this great concert which I had never been lucky to be a party to. First, I was pleased with the venue itself. In my considered opinion, UM Gusman Concert Hall is a model theatre that should be used during any such performance. It has all it takes to be a modern theatre. The first feature of the theatre is that it is a very spacious. Having been built in the university, it has a large capacity of accommodating hundreds of fans. Therefore, it could easily fit all the fans that had showed interest in the concert without any congestion. After all, the organizers of the concert had made it free for anyone who wanted to be part of it. After entering the venue at 8:32 pm, it obviously became impossible for me to leave because I had already fallen in love with whatever I had come across. Besides, it is equipped with state-of-art facilities that should be found in any modern theatre. First of all, the theatre had a large auditorium that was properly designed and spacious enough to fit everyone who was in attendance. To make it much better, the auditorium was properly constructed with commendable design consisting of large windows for free circulation of fresh air. In addition, it has a strategic stage in which the performers do their gigs. Its position made it much easier for all the fans to see them without any hindrance. It also enhanced the communication between the musicians and their enthusiastic audience. Finally, it has laser lights that suit each kind of performance staged within it. These made the concert to be enjoyable and comfortable to attend. All these contributed to making the hall to be an appropriate venue for scheduling such a performance. It has everything to be a good venue for hosting a jazz event to be attended by a class of fans with high expectations. The other important thing about the concert is that it was graced by a team of reputable performers. As a matter of fact, Paul Equihua is a remarkable crew. It consists of musicians who have a wealth of experience in the playing of different sorts of instruments. The band was made up of prominent personalities like Derrick Dymaski (who alto saxophonist); Ryan Hecker (percussionist); Smith Derek (tenor); Jonathan Hulett (drummer); Rosin Joey (baritone); Tyler Giroux (pianist); Britton John (Pianist/trumpeter):Bowman Erick (trombone); and Jesus Mato who was in charge of playing a trumpet. Indeed, this is not just a list because it contains some of the great minds in the trumpet and larger jazz entertainment. This is reputable crew that is known to have greatly contributed to the development of trumpet jazz in the country. Their contributions have made them to have a name for themselves. They knew exactly what to do to thrill their fans who had thronged the theatre to have a taste of their performance. The manner in which the instrumentalists and vocalists played their roles demonstrates that they must have been adequately prepared for the performance. Apart from the thorough training they had had, they must have been properly rehearsed. This explains why they were energetic and could perfectly handle the scene. When it comes to the vocalists, they knew how to use and affectionately interchange the distance between the microphone and their mouths. Through this, their sounds managed to come out so audibly thus creating a spectacular pitch and melody. The performance of these vocalists really impressed me because if it were not for them, I would not have known the kind of songs being played in the concert. Their voices produced sweet and clear sound sounds that I have never encountered before. This is a clear indication that the musicians were not just invited to the concert for the sake of it. They were sure of the expectations of their audience and had laid strategies on how to satisfy them without any disappointment whatsoever. When it comes to the instrumentalists, I was left for words because I never thought that I could have been entertained by such experts. All the instruments that were used as accompaniments in the concert really made it to a jazz trumpet. All of them were properly played without ever disappointing. Although a large number of instruments were used, none of them dominated the concert. During all the songs, each of the instruments could be easily heard because they all had an important contribution to make at each point of the performance. As a matter of fact, of all the instrumentalists, I was really delighted with the performance of Derek whose role was exclusively limited to the playing of a trumpet (Ratliffe 49). The other instrumentalist who captivated my attention is Derrick who proved to the audience that he is indeed and experienced saxophonist who is mainly interested and specialized in alto. Their involvement in the concert helped to generate the most desirable timbre for the concert. At no one time did I hear any problem with of the instruments be it drum, piano, saxophone or trumpet. When it comes to the audience, I observed that it mainly consisted of young fans mainly drawn from the university students. The hall was full to the brim as entrance was free of charge. So, it means that unlike the rest of other concerts, no one had to pay a single penny to be allowed to enter the performance hall. After all, these are people who like enjoying concerts scheduled at night because of the comforts that are associated with it. This not withstanding, I could observe that the fans were satisfied with the performance. Apart from appearing to be enjoying the performance, they seemed to be familiar with all the songs played here. Such a conclusion was based on the fact that they could easily join the artists in chorus while singing most of these tracks. As part of the audience, I was so pleased because everything was okay. Like the rest of my colleagues, I enjoyed every bit of performance provided by this great team. The other observation I made concerning the audience is that there was a good rapport between them and the musicians. Although the performers were on stage, they managed to easily communicate with the audience. This was seen when the fans joined the artists in singing. Also, in several occasions, the musicians could create time to talk to the audience so as to electrify them and capture their attention to enjoy the song. This was a good step because it helped in establishing a good relationship between the performers and the audience. From my observation, I found out that this was a brilliant way of making the audience to e glued to the songs since it would satisfy them. To prove their satisfaction with the performance, the audience thoroughly danced to the tunes (Berliner 211). Indeed, this kind of activity demonstrates that they were satisfied with every bit of performance that was going on in this concert. From the large number of fans who had attended, no one can doubt that the show was a success because it was totally sold out. Based on these observations, I strongly express my satisfaction with the concert. It was a properly organized concert that is worth attending. Being that it was free for everyone does not mean that it was not worth. Actually, it was one of the most entertaining concerts ever organized by the university. As part of the fans, I express my satisfaction with it. Rather than being attended by a team of active audience, the performers really proved their prowess. The skillful way in which these musicians played their instruments was a clear indication that this is something they have dedicated their time to do (Burns and Ward 76). Their skillful handling of their instruments and use of verbal and non-verbal cues, made it quite easier for them to communicate with the fans. Had it not been for their perfect use of gestures, body movements and appropriate costumes, they would not have won the admiration of any fan. Conclusion In conclusion, the concert was a success. The performance of Paul Equihua was an outstanding one. The concert was scheduled in UM Gusman Concert Hall, a very spectacular theatre equipped with modern facilities appropriate for this kind of performance. In fact, its timing at night made the hall to be quite amazing and pleasant given that it had a beam of laser lights that kept on flashing the entire hall. The choice of the songs played during the performance was an informed one. From the list of the songs, it appeared that the band had known the taste of their fans. The other thing about the artists is that they proved their excellent skills in the playing of instruments that had been entrusted on them. Thus, they managed to entertain their fans and make them enjoy the concert without any problem (Gridley 30). The audience was so happy to get a chance to be entertained by this crew that has been glorified for being among the best jazz musicians in the country. For this reason, I commend the concert and hail it for its entire organization. It was performed in a good theatre that provided comfort to all the fans. Also, its performers were adequately prepared for doing their best for the sake of their audience. In this regard, I recommend it as a worthwhile event that should have been attended by anyone who wanted to get the best entertainment that can satisfy their demands. Works Cited Berliner, Paul. Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2009. Print. Burns, Ken, and Ward, Geoffrey. Jazz-A History of Americas Music. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Also: The Jazz Film Project, Inc., 2000. Print. Gridley, Mark. Concise Guide to Jazz, fourth edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print. Ratliffe, Ben. Jazz: A Critics Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings. The New York Times Essential Library. New York: Times Books, 2002. Print. Szwed, John Francis. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz. New York: Hyperion, 2011. Print. Read More