Jazz Performance Report
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Jazz Performance Report
Introduction
Jazz is a genre of music whose origin is the communities of African Americans in New Orleans, in the United States. This music genre began in the late nineteenth century and the late twentieth century with its roots in ragtime and blues (Finkelstein, 2018). I recently attended the Saint Lucia Jazz festival that got held in Collaboration with Jazz at the Lincoln Center. The venue of the concert was at the Gros Islet Park and other venues in Saint Lucia’s Caribbean Landscape that is distinct. The musicians that performed at the concert include a diversity of artists from the U.K, the U.S., and the Caribbean. The instruments the artists used in the performances included trumpets, pianos, guitars, drums, saxophones, trombones, and bass. Each of the instruments that each musician in the bands used during the performances contributed significantly to the sound and flow of music. Each sound from every instrument used is as essential as the instruments that got used. Esperanza Spalding performed 12 Little Spells, Chucho Valdéz performed Ochún, Willie Jones III performed Git’cha Shout On, Lisa Simone performed Unconditionally, Patti LaBelle performed On My Own and Theon Cross, Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia performed Activate.
Performance analysis
12 Little Spells (thoracic spine), Esperanza Spalding.
Esperanza Spalding’s genre in this piece is Latin/fusion jazz. The artist performed the various sections accompanied by a pianist, a drummer, a guitarist (Shteamer, 2018). She did not perform with any backup singers. My thoughts on the performance were that it was involving and entertaining as well as inspiring with regard to the manner in which the artist delivered the performance. The audience was actively involved in the performance as they were on their feet and singing along. The artist was interactive in that she got involved in conversations with both the audience and her fellow musicians with the solo lasting for two and a half minutes. The performance was a solo improvisation with instruments like guitars, drums, and the piano. My favorite section was when the way the artist varied different sections of her voice, making the performance more appealing.
Git’cha Shout On, Willie Jones III, Groundwork
The performance by Willie Jones was jazz Instrumental with the various sections of the song covered by the various instruments performed by the artists. The instruments included a saxophone, piano, guitar, and drums, which in my opinion, were entertaining, attracting the attention of the audience as they listened to the rhythm of the song, which was evident from their facial expressions and the general body language. The instruments that had solos included the piano and the saxophone. The soloists interacted with the other artists, and the solos lasted for about three minutes. It was a solo improvisation with the instruments stated above, and my impression of it was that the performance was appealing to the audience, driving them to want to listen more as they got lost in the rhythm.
Lisa Simone, Unconditionally
The genre of the song is acid jazz with the various sections covered by Lisa Simone, supported by two soloists with one singing the bass and the other sang altar with Lisa singing through all the sections (Jazz Dergisi, 2018). The instruments used in the performance included drums and guitars. Lisa Simone performed singing together with the audience, which made them actively participate in the performance as she sang while among the crowd. Though the performance was a solo improvisation, she actively involved the audience and supported by the backup singers. My impression of the performance is that it was appealing to the audience, with the artist actively interacting with the audience while performing, making it fun and entertaining for the audience. My favorite section was when she let the audience sing with her.
Conclusion
The piece that stood out in the entire concert was Lisa Simone’s as it got the most cheer and was more involving with the audience, making them as for more. What made her performance stand out was the fact that she made the audience comfortable with her making it easier for them to enjoy the performance. The artist encouraged the audience to actively be involved in singing and dancing, which made it more entertaining to them. Although she was the most loved soloist, the other jazz artists also performed well, making the whole concert worth attending again, with the same artists.
References
Finkelstein, S. W. (2018). Jazz: A people’s music. Pickle Partners Publishing.
Jazz Dergisi, (2018). Lisa Simone, Her World. Retrieved from http://www.jazzdergisi.com/en/lisa-simone-her-world/
Shteamer, H. (2018). Review: Esperanza Spalding’s Strikingly Original ’12 Little Spells’ Retrieved from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/esperanza-spalding-12-little-spells-739288/