MUS 307 – JAZZ APPRECIATION FALL 2018 LIVE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE MONDAY, OCTOBER 22 AT 3 PM IMPORTANT: Because of the number of students in the class and the number of seats in UT concert venues, you are required to sign up for the event that you will attend in advance. Signups will be done through the calendar on Canvas. This is the same location where many of you signed up for an interplay discussion group. Dates of UT jazz events that will fulfill the first assignment, and the number of seats available for MUS 307 students, are as follows. All concerts are free with a UT ID, and are held in Bates Recital Hall, found in the MRH building near the law school: Thursday, October 4 7:30 PM UT Faculty Jazz Concert 325 seats Friday, October 12 7:30 PM UT Jazz Orchestra 325 seats Thursday, October 18 7:30 PM UT Jazz Ensemble 350 seats If you sign up for an event but do not attend, you will not receive credit for the assignment. Please note that if you attend the Thursday, October 18 event, you will have four days to write and submit your summary. After attending the performance, write a summary describing the event. Your summary should consist of the following: 1. A brief description of the event, including date, time, and location. October 4, 2018, 7:30 p.m., Bates Recital Hall 2. The instrumentation of the group. a. Trumpet (Dennis Dotson) b. Tenor Saxophone and flute (John Mills) c. Piano (Jeff Helmer) d. Bass (John Fremgen) e. Drums (Wayne Salzmann II 3. Your answers to the following questions: a. What did you hear that you hadn’t heard before? i. “I Hear a Rhapsody” 1. Blues form 2. Swing rhythmic feel 3. Fast tempo 4. Upbeat 5. Slows down at the end 6. Every instrument had its own improvisation b. c. d. e. f. 7. ii. Sea Journey 1. Soft piano solo at the beginning 2. Didn’t think it was jazz at first sounded too organized 3. Sounds like cool jazz 4. Like it has Caribbean influences iii. Soul Eyes 1. Really slow didn’t even sound like jazz to me iv. Now’s The Time 1. Swing rhythmic feel 2. Tenor sax 3. Trumpet 4. One O’clock Jump!!!! v. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise 1. Trumpet Solo 2. One o’clock Jump vi. Chega de Saudade (No more Blues) 1. Even 8th 2. Cool 3. Drums more Brazilian influences 4. vii. Rhythm-A-Ning 1. Upbeat 2. Fast 3. Did you recognize any of the songs played? For off-campus events, what was the title of at least one of the selections played? Did this remind you of any particular jazz eras, or other genres of music? What did you think about the improvisations compared to the composed sections of the music? Please write two or three adjectives that describe your perception about the character of the music. What aspects of the music affect your perception of the music’s character? Did you like the performance? Why or why not? The assignment should be written in your best prose style in a Word document of no more than 500 words. Song titles should be in quotations. The document (and proof of attendance described in the next paragraph) should be uploaded to Canvas by 3 PM on October 22. An assignment submitted late will lose 10 points (of the 50 points possible) for each 24-hour period beyond the due date. In order to receive full credit for the assignment, submit proof of your attendance at the event. This can be done by obtaining a signature by one of the performers, or if you are attending a UT jazz event, by a UT faculty member. Items that can be signed include concert programs and receipts. Add the scan of the concert program/receipt to your Word document before submitting the Word document in Canvas. There are some live music venues in Austin that feature jazz, and will qualify for this assignment. At those events, you need to stay for a minimum of 60 minutes (one set of music). The Elephant Room is Austin’s most consistent jazz venue, but it is a 21 years of age and older venue, and that policy is strictly enforced. Please do not attempt to convince the Elephant Room staff (or the staff of any other 21 and older establishment) that you should be allowed to stay because you are a student in the course, or because I am your professor. If you plan on attending a non-UT jazz event in Austin that is not at the Elephant Room, please email the TAs with the name of the venue and the performers at least 48 hours in advance of the event to make sure that you will receive credit for the assignment. Have fun with hearing and writing about live jazz! Please contact me or any teaching assistant with any questions. Genesis Perez Grp754 October 22, 2018 Live Jazz Performance Summary On October 4, 2018 the UT Faculty performed at Bates Recital Hall at 7:30 p.m. The recital hall is located near the stadium inside of the Butler School of Music building. Initially, the instrumentation began with the piano, bass, and drums as a trio and played “I Hear Rhapsody”, “Sea Journey”, and “Soul Eyes”. The rest of the performance incorporated the trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass, and drums as the instrumentation. During the song “Sea Journey” I initially did not recognize it as a jazz song as it sounded very organized and uniform. Something I had never heard before was a Caribbean- like influence in this song. Moreover, the melody of “One O’clock Jump” was a recurring sound I heard in at least two of the songs played toward the culmination of the performance; it was very subtle on the piano during “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise”. The concert reminded me of a mix between the cool and bebop jazz eras. The songs “I Hear a Rhapsody” and “Now’s the Time” had fast tempos and blues and AABA form. “Sea Journey” seemed to have a Brazilian or Caribbean influence which reminded of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Bossa Nova. The improvisations were interesting to me because it would seem like it would be easy to run out of ways to improvise but each one was distinct from the next all the while still sounding like they fit. I particularly found the bass improvisation very neat because of the deep sound. Compared to the composed sections of the music, the improvisation allowed for open interpretation of the melody of the song. The section set aside for improvisation also truly brings out passion which I find to be a very unique quality of jazz in comparison to other genres of music. Throughout the song “Soul Eyes” there was a serene feel to the piano while the bass was mellow in the background. In its entirety, the concert overall had a rich and lifting sound in every song. The upbeat solos and improvisations contributed to this perception as they added color and uniqueness to the performance. In particular, the tenor saxophone stood out to me in “Now’s the Time”. This was the very first jazz performance I have ever attended. My parents have taken me to different operas and dance showcases in Houston, but this was the first time I had ever attended a jazz concert. I can honestly say it was a very pleasant experience and it makes me want to attend more on my own time. I liked the relaxed environment and watching the passion with which the faculty played.
