Till Brönner is a German jazz musician with a trumpet emphasis. He also composes and arranges music. With respect to jazz, he uses bebop elements along with fusion jazz. He also incorporates native pop music (German) and movie soundtracks from old German films.
He was inspired by Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and Chet Baker. He was trained under the teachings of Jiggs Whigham and Jon Eardley, both of the professors who happen to be Americans living in Europe. These individuals were on of the most highly respect musicians in Europe. He studied at the music academy in Cologne.
In this example, Estrada Blanca, the elements of fusion jazz is immediately noticeable from the electric guitar introduction with electric keyboard chord progressions. Further more, the time signatures sound complex in nature, which i imagine. The beats are not uniform and sounds constantly fresh due to the change. I would not say it is quite bebop because of the tempo. The tempo is lively, but it is not the fast typical bebop tempo.
Lounge music is probably one of my favorite genres to listen to mainly because there is so many styles that are woven together. I enjoy the how modern and traditional sounds play so well together.
Personally, I really like electronic/trance music and classical music and I find it rare for those two elements to be fused together.
To give a brief history on this unfamiliar genre, the derivation was actually from jazz and other traditional styles around the world. French, latin, and Polynesian styles are predominantly used due to the exotic and romantic elements they offer. The popularity rose with proportion to the development in digital/synthetic sounds. The increase in popularity steadily increased during th 1980's and 1990's.
The mood it creates is quite exotic/mysterious. Imagine yourself in outer space, and island paradise or in the amazon. There are some characteristics that may feel retro and yet modern with the refined synthetic sounds. In this example, they also use the ocean waves that you hear on the beach, which makes you feel like you're in paradise.
Some people call this genre, nu-jazz. Most of these music is far more popular in Europe (Norway, UK, Belgium, Germany, France) than it is in America. The roots of combining electronic elements goes far back as 1970's with Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and Herbie Hancock in their later careers when the digital age was beginning to dawn. Artists who experiment with nu-jazz enjoy playing with broken rhythms, melodic improvisation, and atonal harmonies. These individuals enjoy fusing traditional jazz elements with creating new sounds with digital devicies.
This music, I believe, was a bridgeway to a new genre that clubbers tend to enjoy, which is house, trance, electronica, etc.
I've listened to Ray Charles'
"I believe to my soul" and I found this to be an emotionally driven
piece. The lyrics were sung with passion while dialogues were trading back and
forth between the lead and backup singers. The style of the instruments playing
were very "lazy" and chill. The tempo was taking its sweet time.
There was no need to rush. The melody was a bit mellow, but at the same time,
the overall mood of the piece was not completely grim. The spirit of the song
portrays that there is a hopeful moment that will come very soon.
Not only Ray Charles was a prominent musician, but he was a influential figure when it came to racial equality. Through his music, he tried to help society to integrate the countries through racial boundaries. Considering he was blind since the age of five, becoming such a powerful figure in America must have been a monumental success not only as a handicap but also a minority that had a harsh history in this country. When I read the lyrics of this song I can only help but wonder if he had some unresolved issues that he tried to conceal from people, even from his loved ones.
One of these days and it won't be long, You're gonna look for me and I'll be gone 'Cause I believe (I believe, yes I believe) I say I believe right now (I believe, yes I believe) Well I believe to my soul now, Tryin' to make a fool of me (I believe it, I believe it)
Well you're goin' 'round here with your head so hard, I think I'm gonna have to use my rod 'Cause I believe (I believe, yes I believe) I say I believe right now (I believe, yes I believe) Well I believe to my soul now Tryin' to make a fool of me (I believe it, I believe it)
Last night you were dreaming and I heard you say "Oh, Johnny" when you know my name is Ray That's why I believe right now (I believe, yes I believe) I say I believe right now (I believe, yes I believe) Whoa I believe to my soul now Tryin' to make a fool of me (I believe it)
I wonder how he overcame the struggle of people taking advantage of him since he was a minority within a minority. I wonder how he overcame the struggle of being incredibly vulnerable and how he was able to trust and depend on people to get by everyday.
Blues, gospel, and soul music was one of many genres that influenced his musical expressions. This sounded like a 12-bar blues progression. The 'blues' has a very melancholy and sad element not only lyrically, but their meaning as well. There is also a call-and-response with Charlie and the background singers which traditionally found among African-American style music which carried back from their native roots.
Since I enjoyed listening to
Jane Monheit in class, I figured I listen to more of her music on my own.
"Honeysuckle Rose" starts out with a solo introduction with a
succession of pizzicatos. Jane's comes in not too long into the bass solo. Her
voice has depth and is not afraid to project her emotions out loud. She sounds
confident and she has complete control of her craft without any fear. The piano
background comes in with a light percussion beat. There is a lot of
chromaticism which adds flavor and color to the piece. It sounds she could improvise the entire piece.
The nature of the song is swing jazz. The strong rhythm section of the double bass immediately gave away of the swing characteristic. The general tempo was medium to fast. Again, another strong characteristic is the strong emphasis on the off-beat. The featured soloist, Jane, improvises the melody over the arrangement. There is such a strong rhythmic drive to the music, which strongly moves in a forward direction.
The ensemble sounded very simple! I was hoping to hear saxophone, trombone, or clarinet, but all I heard was light piano and percussion background, strong double bass and the singer. I do admire the simplicity because all of the musicians seem receive their own special recognition of their playing. There is so much passion from the soloist and the bass player and their enthusiasm and energy really does overflow to their audiences.
The format of the piece sounds like an AABA format. Personally, I thought the sections of the song was a bit too repetitive. I wish there were more "B"-like sections because the repetitive ideas were short and redundant.
The piece starts with an orchestra
pizzicato, then the percussion adds the beat to the piece. The accordion plays
its solo introduction and caries the melody through the rest of the piece. This
is not the typical jazz style due to its ultra modern twist. However, the vibe
and the ambiance the piece emits does have is jazzy qualities. This is also
very soothing. The bass gives depth and the electric keyboard adds a nice blend
of colors. The trumpet solo pours out its emotion in the later part of the
piece.
The artist is not mainstream yet, but I believe he does a great job
fusing the jazz elements and the modern elements together. There is a french
quality as the accordion plays through out the music. This gives a typical
parisian romantic quality. There is a bit of french whispering in the distance.
There is also sound of city traffic played in the background. There is
syncopation played throughout the piece that builds on each other.
The group name is called 'Button Hackers.' This song is called 'Night.'
I tried to research the group and their history, but nothing has surfaced on the web with respect to their biographies. There was one such icon, but it was written in Polish. I do not know Polish.
The genre of this song is definitely smooth jazz because there is a lot of modern elements such at electronic influences, pop, and subtle new age. Another name for this genre is called 'chill' jazz due to the ability of the mood it creates. This piece is symmetrically constructed. It sounds like an ABACABA format. the A forms are not quite executed verbatum, but the chord progressions and the generality of the section was very similar with slight variations. The C section was the longest with a stretched out improvisation of the keyboard.
This song is actually not recent. Based on the multiple sites which archive this album, the release date was from the mid 2000's. This group is actually from Poland. This makes some sense why a Polish group would devote a section to France due to cultural ties from their history. Smooth jazz was popular around the 1990s until the 2000s. This was probably one of the last groups before the popularity descended.
In continuation of french
influence on jazz, there was a soundtrack that i discovered from the same
animation "triplettes de belleville." This nice modern twist of
rag-time is called "générique d'ouverture." It's quite short, but it
starts out with a suspenseful trumpet escalation followed by an immediate
descending piano arpeggio (tapering off). Then, the attitude completely changes
into something very fun and enjoyable. The music is very danceable. There is a
nice flowing conversation taking place between trumpets and saxophones. The
piano and percussion adds a very satisfying background accompaniment to the
excerpt.
The video above is not the music to
"générique d'ouverture" but the animation is
to give you an idea how the music and the animation go hand in hand. Compared
to American animation, where things tend to be more conservative, the French
are not afraid to express human emotion to any limits. In their perspective,
the human art of expression should not be censored because it is who we are. If
we are covering up/sugar-coating the way humans portray their emotions, then we
are not being true to ourselves.
These ideas are not something I
read about, but rather several conversations I had with my French friend about
her culture and the comparisons of the French and American culture.
From an American point of view, we
tend the French to be very exposé when it comes to the arts, sexuality, and
etc. because we developed from a conservative Puritan mindset. In France, their
intentions were not meant to defy or rebel against a set of 'morals,' but
expression was something to be shown and revered by leaving it in its original
and its purest form.
At the same time, she also told me
the French are very trendy. They always look for something new in all areas
such as fashion, film, music, the arts. I believe this is why jazz became such
a hit because jazz was not a European phenomenon. It was a phenomenon from the
New World. A world that most Europeans were so curious about. Even today, she
tells me America always leads and inspires the European youth in so many areas,
especially in music and film.
I do not mean to digress from the
excerpt of this animated piece, but understanding music and culture
tremendously helps me understand why and how things came to be.
As for the portfolio project, I
am currently looking at a soundtrack of a French animation "les triplettes
de belleville." The song is called "belleville rendez-vous" and
the style is swing-like. The main reason why I was interested in french style
was because the french were obsessed with jazz. It was interesting how their
style influenced the nature of jazz. I find it easy for jazz to take form in
many cultures because there is really no set of rules. Jazz has this
"whatever goes" attitude to its fluid structure.
The animation of this film was actually a co-production of four countries: United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Canada. 'Les Triplettes de Bellville' was written and directed by Sylvain Chomet, which was an animated comedy film about an elderly woman who tries to rescue her grandson, a champion cyclist of the Tour de France, who was kidnapped.
The inspiration to film's soundtrack was from the 1920's. The musical inspirations came from some of the most prominent jazz artists such as Josephine Baker, Fred Astaire, Glen Gould, and Django Reinhardt. If you notice, the conductor from the animation is supposed to resemble Django Reinhardt.
There are English and French versions to this song (lyric-wise).
I would like to
research how jazz made an important impact in shaping the french music culture
and how they used this idea in their arts.
I had a personal experience with avant-garde for the piano. I absolutely hated this piece and first, but upon the arrival of my performance, I began to enjoy the piece very much. I find this piece to be a huge mix of so many styles. The sound is very abstract with melodic moments, but very obscure and mysterious on so many levels.
I played 'Rain-Tree Sketch II" by Toru Takemitsu. Knowing that this piece is written by a Japanese composer, I can understand traditional Japanese influences from my experiences of living in Japan. From his biography, he is also a very forward thinker. He draws from a diverse range of styles from avant-garde, jazz, popular music, traditional Japanese music, and impressionism. He was among the first Oriental composers to gain recognition from the Western World. From critics, he was known for bridging cultures from east and west, and traditions from past and present. His compositions were ahead of his time.
I find traditional Japanese music to be melodic, and yet so sad and mysterious in nature. It is beautifully obscure. At the same time, it opposes the 'zen' philosophy because the piece is inherently complex in nature. However, the core of the 'zen' philosophy I find in this piece, as an artist, is having the idea of letting go of control and worrying about the outcome of your sound.
There reason why I was so frustrated with this piece is because it was difficult for me to have control over this piece so easily. Rhythms change abruptly and the sounds are so strange to me. I had no idea about the direction of this piece. It was unpredictable and I felt so blind and helpless. I gradually began to have compassion for this piece because I was able to 'let go' and not worry about living for the opinions/acceptance of people.
The avant-garde principles I find in his compositions are the paths of discovery that most artists are unwilling to follow. It is counter cultural and frowned upon the norm because of misunderstanding. Like myself, I think you begin to appreciate something so strange when you think from a different perspective than your own. By looking at avant-garde through a different dimension, I feel I have the capacity to enjoy this realm that most people cannot appreciate.
Avante garde jazz is probably the least of my favorites, but I think it is worth exploring and understand why certain types of people may be engaged in this type of music. At first, it is absolutely comical to observe avante garde musicians to be absolutely passionate when expressing (from my point of view) detached, partially developed ideas in such a wholesome way.
Unlike traditional jazz, or music in general, humans tend to like things that are organized and structured. I think part of the reasons why humans like things to be structured and orderly is because humans like to have a sense of control and the power to manipulate whenever and however they please. In avante garde, it seems like a very 'zen' approach that you are able to let go and just "flow with it"...
In this example, there is a heavy influence with syncopation and heavy repetitive bass notes. There is a huge emphasis on chords that sound bitter which makes the music to have a furious appearance. I feel completely lost in this example. I noticed the title "spill" and I tried so hard to make connection with the meaning of the music and the name of the piece. I do not know if this composer just had a terrible experience when he/she spilt something and terrible sequences followed after this travesty.
The artist is, for sure, experimenting with various techniques that are abnormal. Personally, there are benefits to be inspired from techniques that are offered from avant garde artists. I do respect how these artists have a laissez-faire attitude and do not care about popular opinions. Because they do not have fear from trying something new, I am able to be inspired to be influenced from ideas that I could never conceive such ideas. Rather that harshly criticizing them in the beginning, I learned that I could gain something precious by analyzing things from the artists perspective and not my own.
Piano is my main instrument, and the closest thing I can
relate to jazz from my experience is impressionistic music. I very much enjoy Debussy and
Ravel because of so much color and beauty they portrait throughout their
pieces. I appreciate how obscure their pieces are, but the fine details cause you to
appreciate how much time these composer carefully crafted their ideas.
One of the coolest pieces that is very unique is ‘fireworks’
by Debussy. The pieces does indeed sound like fireworks from the ‘spark’-like
tune, but the one idea that truly impressed me was the subtle melody of the
French national anthem that is broken throughout the piece.
During the impressionist period, which cultivate from the
city of Paris, not only music was expressed in abstract form, but so did
paintings.
‘Fireworks’ did vividly help me imagine the image through
Debussy’s perspective and this one particular piano jazz piece did create this
vivid imagery of autumn.
‘Autumn Leaves’ by Joseph Kosma does not fit many of the
prominent jazz categories, traditionally speaking. This feels like a jazz
ballad mainly because of the 16 bar phrasing idea. Furthermore, the structure
sounds like an AABC format, with the B section being the transition section.
Usually, B sections sounds more dramatic and turbulent than the pleasant A
section. The C section sounds like there is a promising resolution from the
turbulent section.
Autumn happens to be one of my favorite seasons because of
the vivid colors of nature. I enjoy how the colors are not the same everyday
because they constantly change gradually. The ambiance is also quite soothing
because I feel nature is expressing its last grandeur before the death of
winter takes over. I feel the resemblance of this piece because of the way it
relaxes you. I also enjoy how the piece opens up with a minor scale, which I
find to be more exciting than major scales due to dissonance and the
possibility of exotic sounds.
I find these sensations similar to how I feel when I play
Debussy and Ravel. I instantly try to conjure up an image and try to tell
myself a story when there is a change in emotion or color throughout the piece.
As a clarinetist, the repertoire that I am familiar with is
predominantly classical music.
I wanted to explore Artie Shaw not only because he was the
titan of jazz clarinet, but I wanted to analyze how techniques and expressions
differ from the typical classically trained clarinetist.
For this example, this was ‘concerto for clarinet’ which was
swing jazz along with an orchestral background. I took swing lessons myself,
and it would be a bit annoying as a dancer because there were several
retardandos and changes in rhythm that would offset the footwork. It seemed
there was no repeat of a particular section. The beginning section started with
a happy lethargic introduction with the clarinet and the violins. Suddenly, the
piano and percussion forms the framework of the entire piece by getting the
beat structure formulated. Artie Shaw does not really play until the middle of
the piece.
There is no better way to the end the piece with a super high note that
was perfectly sustained without falter in pitch after his improvisational
cadenza.
The vibratos are incredible to hear. He makes them sound
completely easy and it baffles me that he smiles through the entire process.
Furthermore, the way he stretches the note so thin to another note was a
technique that I barely got away with. At first, hearing this technique was
such an annoying sensation to the ear. After experiencing and seeing a person
master this obstacle was definitely worth commending an individual.
Artie Shaw was hailed as one of the finest jazz clarinetists. He did not came from a prominent affluence background. In fact, he was from the ghettos. He is also a composer and he tried blending classical and jazz in his works. His first instrument was not clarinet. In fact, he started out with saxophone at the age of 13. Three years later, he switched over the clarinet.
The reason why I believe Shaw achieved so much success is because he valued innovation and discovering new realms of music. He aspired to be above the popular norm in society. His mentality did pay him off. His hits sold more than 100 million records.
He may be a role model among clarinetists and musicians (in general), but I believe his journey to become the best made his personal life suffer so much. This is probably one the most important questions I ask myself. "Whatever I do now, will it matter 10 years from now?" I noticed many prominent musicians had a weak family life and relationships suffered either from physical, emotional, or verbal abuse. To me, although a successful musician, he is not the man I aspire to be because he seemed to care about his own journey to reach the top, and he had no regard for having the best interest for other people.
There are two videos I wanted to show. This particular
instrument that is common among Korean instruments is called the gayageum. It
is an oriental version of the harp. Instead of the musician sitting upright
with the arms embracing the instrument, the gayageum rests on the woman’s lap.
The ensemble does consist of modern western instruments such
as the drum set, the piano, electric guitar, and the bass. The gayageum seems
to give a unique support to guitar and the bass since the sounds are similar in
nature. However, the unique sound of this instrument tends to be twangy at
first, and suddenly reverberates gently into silence. In some ways, it seems to
be like a “tenor-bass.”
For this example, the ensemble is playing an example of
fusion jazz since they are mixing rock music and R&B rhythms with long
improvisations as an ensemble. There is also an amplification of electronic
effects from the electric keyboard.
This genre of modern jazz grew popular in the 70’s since
electronic instruments started to make their mainstream debut.
Personally, I really hate the electronic keyboard because
the sounds they emit are completely insensitive in expression and sound
compared to the traditional keyboard. I do agree that the electronic keyboard
offers an infinite possibility of solutions to create exciting sounds, but I
prefer to utilize those types of sounds for trance, club, house music
(techno/electronic music). I admire music for its authenticity that is derived
from something natural, and I believe the electronic movement, in some or many
ways, stripped away the wholesomeness or the voice of the instruments.
The other video (not quite
related to jazz) is something that was so fascinating because they only use the
gayageum to play an excerpt of 'canon.' The modern twist is the percussion sound
effects from the human mouth and the d.j. making the ensemble sound “cool.”
This gave me a realization that reviving traditional instruments is a wonderful
way not only to keep the culture alive, but also explore the new approaches to
create new sounds to excite the ears of the audience.
Just to satisfy my personal curiosity, I wanted to devote
some attention to traditional Roma music. I wanted to connect dots with
Django’s background and how he fused his traditional background with the jazz
elements during his time period.
One of the gypsy folk music that I listen was called
‘freylekh trio.’ The music was very amiable and happy. The melody does sound
partially improvised, but the violin and flute were carrying the melody. The
reason I say partially improvised is because the melody sounds somewhat
predictable and there not was a sense of complete independence with respect to
each musician.
The
reason I am inferring to this explanation is because I know that Roma (gypsy)
is a nomadic culture and the emphasis of a group is strong emphasized in their
lifestyle. Surely, this mentality will greatly influence in the way they
express musically. Also, I would not be surprised if a powerful story is being
told through their music. If this is so, I am very certain that everyone is
interdependently involved to express this story. Interestingly enough, some of
their words seemed very similar to French, but not quite French. The bass
carried to pulse of the music by its rich, heavy pizzicato. The pulse played
similarly resembled a crude, rudimentary version of our modern style of swing.
The beat progression is very similar to the beats of the popular music we hear
today. The connections between traditional folk music and modern music was a
joy to discover because I am able to understand why and how an artist is able
contribute his/her ideas along with an other idea.
Finding information about jazz in the streets of Paris was
quite limited because the prominent people of influence was Django Reinhart and
Stephane Grappelli.
Quintette Du Hot Club took its name from a famous Parisian
club/café. According to historians, this prominent mini institution was hailed
as the greatest European jazz band. The Quintette consisted of the well known Django Reinhart
(guitarist), his brothers Joseph (guitarist) and Roger Chaput (guitarist),
Sephane Grappelli (violinist), and Louis Vola (double bass).
Some people tend to forget that Django is not of French
descent. He is from a gypsy background, and this was quite a remarkable
achievement for him to receive so much praise from the French. His gypsy background
influenced his style of playing as he fused elements of swing and American
jazz.
Django’s career changed after a fire accident which caused
his hand to be badly injured. In spite of his limited ability, he was able to
overcome his handicap by developing a new technique for his guitar playing.
Grappelli however was from a French descent and he is a
native Parisian. He pursued heavily on becoming a violinist. Once he discover
jazz, he did not regret digressing into this wonderful new area of music, jazz.
In my opinion, having natives and a non-natives working
together is tremendously beneficial. Back then, when equality was not much of
an importance as it is today, it was an advantage that a native was in the band
because this created a natural bridge to flow across the French audience.
Having a non-native, although may be difficult to advance in the French society
(particularly Roma), Django’s unique background contributed to the group that
was something new and exotic that was against the grain of society.
For example, one of the prominent excerpts ‘j’attendrai’ (I
will wait) was an experimentation that lead to swing. His acoustical influence
from the Roma culture has been fused with the swing music, which became
popular. I am not a gypsy myself, but I would not be surprised if some of his
native folk music happened to be sown in his pieces.
The swing characteristic was due to the emphasis on the
weaker pulse and has a unique musical momentum that sways from side to side,
hence the name swing. The main
melody (guitar and violin) sounds like an improvisation over the chord
progressions that supersedes over the rest of the musicians. However,
‘j’attendrai’ had a special acoustical entrance because they ensemble
progressed into ‘swing’ mode. The transition was not immediate, but rather
smooth and discreet.
Magic Sam (Samuel Gene Maghett) was a Chicago blues musician. 'All Your Love' was his first record in 1957 and was known for his trembolo guitar style. His style had tremendous influence within the musical niche of Chicago. His strong, expressive high vocals was a unique characteristic that distinguished from other blues musicians during his time.
Other musicians and record producers noted Magic Sam for his unique guitar sounds, ability to write music, and his singing quality.
The background carries a repetitive musical idea, while the vocal melody expresses its own style above the guitar and bass. He portrays his ideas with pride while taking his time. He does not understand the concept of rushing through his musical ideas, which is foreign to the blues concept and beyond its inherent nature.
Since the background is so repetitive, the audience may become bored with the overplayed melody. In order to keep the ears of the listeners from drifting away, he would add a unique musical signature to certain notes whether by emphasizing a beat or playing a minor solo improvisation that incorporates with the repetitive background melody.
I personally find his music very enjoyable to listen to. However due to the heavy repetition that is replayed during the majority of the piece, I do not think this song is something to be replayed over and over. Personally, I would enjoy listening to 'All Your Love' sparingly with all the special qualities this piece has to offer.
This song did not give a blatant sound of happiness or sadness. However, the happy and sad moments seemed to weave together (melodically speaking). But the story that Billie Holiday is telling is very mellow as she displays her insecurities of loneliness. She's telling everyone that there is nobody to give her the love and attention she desperately longed for.
Interestingly enough, she does not ask her lover to resolve her problems of dispair, but turns to 'the Lord.' She resorts to God to seek the love that can only be satisfied from above.
The words were written by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. Ellington (Duke) was the composer for the Cotton Club in the Harlem district of New York City.
Regardless of how the meanings can be, the song has a slow romantic quality to dance to.
This 'haunting' classic was a significant success. This song is still considered to be one of the greatest swing era collections to this day (1935 - 1945)
I'm guessing Herbe Hancock is the pianist. Quite a phenomenal player. The way he plays seems like he improvs his way through the entire piece, although he does seem to have the overall idea and structure of the musical work. It is amazing how the climax of the piano melody matches very well with the percussion.
The overall piece is very exciting with high amounts of unpredictability. The melodies and ideas fly by so fast that it is almost impossible to know what to expect. The guitar solo is equally skilled as the pianist. The way the guitar melody plays is comparable to singing. It's like a single note can fluctuate in emotions like humans do. The range of dynamics is very colorful although there is almost no range of soft sounds. The softest dynamic level I hear is mezzo forte and beyond. The dynamics is within a very pleasant range. Nothing is too quiet or bombastically loud.
House Frankman - Gimme More (Frankmans Deep Culture Mix) D.H.& S.H. sensation
This is a modern twist of jazz with a very modern emphasis with electronic influence. The ambiance is more for a lounge/night club setting with a classy atmosphere. The saxophone, the trumpet, the vocals and the subtle chord progression supporting the melody gives this piece and jazz identity.
I cannot classify this piece strictly in a single genre because this is more of a hybrid. Some can classify has this as 'house' music (subgenre of electronic/techno). One of the strong reasons why this piece does not belong in a single identity category is because of the 'house' elements. There is a lot of repetition with rhythm and theme that is played. For listeners that are not acquainted with this type of music, some may think the ideas and beats are overplayed and lacks a sense of creativity. The range of dynamics are not as diverse as classical jazz. In this case, the dynamic range does not really have a high standard deviation. There is no "wow's" or unexpected twists. It's quite predictable...
Not quite jazz because this guitarist fuses tango and latin influences. His playing is quite remarkable. He is a classically trained guitarist. He plays with sensitivity and emotion. The subtle vibratos at the end of his melodic phrase definitely add sophistication. This piece is quite festive and passionate. The vibe of his playing gives the audience an uplifting mood. There seems to be a theme in his piece because there is a certain melody that is played over and over. The theme is not quite played verbatim, but adds a twist by playing in a different key or adding ornaments to create diversity. I find jazz to be somewhat of an improvisation and a place of surreal activity. I sense that quality in his piece, but at the same time, it does not feel that way because the quality is well thought out and executed with precision.
There are beautiful authentic trumpet and tenor sax solos that sing throughout the whole piece. There is also a very strong bass sub melody that bounces along with a rich tone. The piano complements along with the bass but sounds very distant and surreal. The piano adds a subtle color and flavor. The whole feel to the music best describes a New York City scene on a rainy day. Sounds like nothing new or exciting is taking place. Things were just normal and regular. Nothing innovative. It has a “it’s always been this way” attitude.Along with Miles Davis, Pierre Michelot (bass), Berney Wilen (tenor sax), Rene Urteger (piano), and Kenny Clarke (drums) are included in the ensemble. I do not know if I am just naïve about the sound difference between the tenor saxophone and the trumpet, but the two sound so similar. Both of the instruments that carry the main melody sound like they are crying. More like sobbing at some times. However, it brings me joy that instruments have the ability to mimic human emotions to a certain degree. I find joy in this realization.
