A Critique of a Jazz Concert

The jazz band I observed played a series of six different songs. Although all the songs were categorized as jazz, each song had its own special style and sound to it. The band consisted of three different players. Paul Meyers, the guitarist and composer, Andy Eulau, the bassist, and Dave Rataczak, on drums. The songs performed were entitled “Love for Sale” by Cole Porter, “Once I Loved” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, “Stars” by Paul Meyers, “Blues for Mel” also by Paul Meyers, “Last Night When We Were Young” by Harold Arlen, and “Samba Novo” by Luis Eca.

The first song, “Love for Sale” had a constant tempo. It also had a slow, funky, and earthy sound to it, which would make it fall under the blues category. The guitarist seemed to be improvising during his solo. The drummer was mostly using the crash cymbal and the high hat. He was also acting as the timekeeper in this piece. The second song entitled “Once I Loved” was a standard tune from Brazil. It had a similar sound as “Love for Sale,” however one of the differences was that the bassist was using the pizzicato technique instead of the arco technique as he did in the first piece, except during his solo.

The third song was a blues entitled “Blues for Mel.” This was a dedication to Mel Luis, which was a well-known blues performer. The song had a sad and down to earth feeling. At the beginning it had a slow and soft beat, which gradually got faster at the end.

The fifth song was a ballad called “Last Night When We Were Young.” This song had a relaxing and romantic sound. It had a steady and constant tempo. The bassist also used the pizzicato technique during his solo in this piece.