Michaela Elijah
Introduction to Jazz
Monday, November 8, 2011
Faculty Artist Concert Series
The name of the Jazz concert I went to go see on November 14, 2011 was called the Glover-Lapidus-Helsley-Artry Quartet featuring Frank Glover the saxophonist/clarinetist, Zach Lapidus the pianist, Jack Helsley the bass player, and Gregory Artry who played the drums. This concert took place in the Christel Dehaan Arts Center, which was a small recital hall filled with around 150 people. The audience definitely demonstrated interest through close observations and gestures. These gestures included; a nod in approval of the music and stillness of the body to give their focus on the performance. In response to the each piece of music the audience applauded with appreciation and acceptances.
The first piece they played was African Skies by Michael Brecker it had a rather slow and steady beat but with a loud sound. One particular instrument that I could hear the most with the solo lines was the saxophone because it played louder and faster than everybody else. The melody was rhythmic and easily sing-able. The second piece was Windows by Chick Corea was one of the pieces I thought was more complex, which is one reason I do not think would be considered, “easily sing-able”. It had a quirky tempo and it would randomly speed up then slow down. Most of the dynamics were loud, especially when it came to the piano. The Third piece was Minor Blue by Kurt Rosenwinkel had more of a slow tempo but then gradually sped up. The same was true for the dynamics of the song. It would start off soft and gradually get loud. The saxophonist would walk over to the pianist and try to improvise with him. The fourth piece, Just in Time by Jule Styne was one of the better pieces I liked. It was more of a slow cool Jazz that had a snappy tone to it. The dynamics were soft and were easily sing-able too. The fifth piece was Nancy with the Laughing Face by Van Heusen/Silvers, and in this piece the instruments sounded more rich and powerful but yet soft at the same time. It was a slower song with a soft dynamics, which I think makes easier to sing along. The sixth piece was Invitation by Bronislaw Kaper, and this piece was more eerie. The tempo was slow and soft. The only instrument that played this piece fast was the piano. I believe this song would be easy to sing along to as well because it had a good combination of pitch and rhythm. The seventh piece was Firm Roots by Cedar Walton has a snazzy rhythm so it had more of a soft but fast tempo. How they constructed the chords in the harmony part created an excellent melody. The eighth piece was Kind Folk by