Reflection

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Reflection

The jazz event promised to be satisfying and exciting from the beginning. The stage was divided into two sections comprising of the percussion and the horns sections. The percussion section had different instruments, including two drums, keyboard, xylophone, and guitars. However, the musicians in this section seemed to concentrate more on providing support to the horns section. The horns section consisted of five musicians playing the saxophone at the foreground. At the back were a group of four instrumentalists on the trumpet and in the middle was a group of another four playing the trombone. The ensemble was led by their director. They played three different compositions.

The ensemble started on an upbeat mode, the first piece played was fun and enjoyable to listen. It made one think of old time movies and it was tempting to dance to the music. The different groups of instrumentalists played in harmony as one groups started and the others would join at some point. At the same time, individual musicians on the saxophone showed their expertise as they took turns to play with background support from those on the percussions. They each received a round of applause from the audience.

The second composition has a slower beat than the first. It reminded me of the type of music that one would listen and dance to after dinner. It was calm and relaxing. The percussions had a longer playtime in the composition while the horns provided the support especially in the beginning. There were also background voices in this specific composition. As was similar in the first composition, individual instrumentalists played different sections of the composition. It was exciting to listen to the specific sounds of the different instruments and identify the difference as the other instrumentalists joined. When the musicians on the saxophone were playing together, they were in such great harmony that it was not possible to identify individual players because they played in such great harmony.

The third piece was very interesting. It was the composition Big Dipper by Thad Jones. It started as a call to something. Two saxophonists play long notes after which those on the trumpets follow. The beginning of the composition reminded me of the background music in movies when the director wants to add suspense and keep the audience in anticipation. The instrumentalists on the saxophone and the trombone start the piece. It has a good beat to it. It is relaxing and at the same time, it tempts one to tap their feet to the beat. It was slower than the first two compositions but enjoyable too.

It was clear that the musicians enjoyed their time playing the music. This was clear because they danced lightly to the music. In all cases, no one missed a beat. The director introduced the different compositions by identifying the composer and the musicians at the ensemble. He tried to engage with the audience. I like the way the director decided to start with a faster and more upbeat tone. This was exciting and it made me anticipate the next compositions. Each of the following compositions was slower than the first. Perhaps the director did this intentionally to show the audience that the event was ending. I enjoyed listening to the individual musicians play their instruments because it enabled me to identify the different sounds.