Concert Critique

802 Words2 Pages

The concert featuring the Ole Miss African Drum & Dance Ensemble took place on April 19, 2018 in the Nutt Auditorium (Oxford, MS). The ensemble’s program was entitled “Encourage Somebody”, and featured traditional as well as popular music of West Africa arranged by the drum & dance director, George Dor. The dynamic and visual striking performance was well received from the audience; the musicians and dancers’ attention to detail and passion created a truly incredible experience. The first of part of the night’s program included more traditional dance and music from Ghana. The opening number titled Kpanlogo, woke the audience with its energy filled opening. The Kpanlogo is the main social dance of the urban Ga that is high expressive for the …show more content…

It originally had the context of a religious musical performance that payed tribuite to the god, Tingbani, for hopefully down pours of heavy rains after a severe drought. Through oral accounts it is said that the Dagbamba god responsible for water preferred women, whose task was normally to collect water at the riverside, to men. Today, Bamaaya is performed by both men and women during various festivals, funerals, national day celebrations, and other social occasions. The dancers exhibited incredible skill with complex chorography and brilliant color of the costumes. The powerful and energetic pivot turns, swings, and stamping to the lung, hour-glass shaped tension drum, and gungon. The following events of the concert featured selections of popular music and religious hymns. The first tune piece in the series titled, “Some People Ask Me Say,” which is a Nigerian sacred highlife (popular music) composition. The song was an optimistic shift in the concert, the lyrics focusing on the positivity generated by Christianity. The tune was enjoyed hummed by some audience

Cumbia in Mexican Culture
1959 Words | 4 Pages
Cumbia originated in the coastal region of Colombia in the early 1800’s. There were three predominant cultures in Colombia at that time: the indigenous peoples, the Spaniards, and the African slaves. The cumbia began with the essential instrumentation of the tambor drums and the gaita flutes, which derive from both indigenous and Congo-based African roots. The genre was entertainment for the slaves, beginning as a courtship dance. It later became an outlet for national resistance and protest as Colombia was contesting for its independence. The music was able to diffuse throughout the nation, spreading from the coast, primarily for the reason that many African populations were scattered in various regions. Barranquilla, a port city in Colombia, was the core of where the music became established and played for the masses, and where instruments such as horns and bass began to be incorporated into cumbia, giving it a more Latin feel. As cumbia evolved and spread to Mexico around the 1930’s, it changed from the influence o...
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Jazz Concert Critique
659 Words | 2 Pages
I attended the Missouri Western Jazz Ensemble concert on February 3. I can thoroughly say I enjoyed the performance. For being a rather small band, less than twenty members, they certainly packed a very large sound. To me the band sounded as though it was very well rehearsed. There seemed no lack of confidence in there playing; you could tell they knew and enjoyed playing the songs. All of these factors made it very entertaining to watch this ensemble.
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Concert Critique
597 Words | 2 Pages
On Tuesday, October 17, 2017, I attended a musical concert. This was the first time I had ever been to a concert and did not play. The concert was not what I expected. I assumed I was going to a symphony that featured a soloist clarinet; however, upon arrival I quickly realized that my previous assumptions were false. My experience was sort of a rollercoaster. One minute I was down and almost asleep; next I was laughing; then I was up and intrigued.
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Compagnie Kafig: Elixir De La Danse
515 Words | 2 Pages
Eisenhower Auditorium was once again rocked by the refreshing and exhilarating performance of hip hop dance by the Compagnie Kafig performers. There was two pieces to the performance that night; Correria and Agwa, both choreographed by the troupe’s artistic director Mourad Merzouki. The troupe is acknowledged for their thrilling combination of hip hop, capoeira, samba, electronic music and bossa nova integrated in their dance routines with the addition of their finest acrobatic skills as publicized by the Carolina Performing Arts in their websites. Compagnie Kafig proved that the review is absolutely true with their astounding performance that night.
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Comparison of African, Indonesian, and Indian Music
669 Words | 2 Pages
Throughout the semester, various styles of music and the aspects of culture associated with these styles have been analyzed. Musical elements such as dynamics, texture, form, timbre, melody, instruments, etc., have been used to thoroughly explore each kind of music from different areas of the world, with an emphasis in music from Africa, India and Indonesia. These aspects of music go far beyond just music itself. Culture also plays a huge role in music and the accompanying musical elements. Each country and culture has a different style and distinctiveness that add to what makes the music of that certain culture unique. Music in Africa may differ dramatically from music in Indonesia or India not only due to those certain elements but also due to how it is interpreted by people and what it represents for those people. In addition to this, what one may consider music in one culture may not be music to another. These differences have been made apparent in the several demonstrations that we have been exposed to in class.
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The Mbuti Culture
2264 Words | 5 Pages
Angeles, Los. (2009). African arts. Volume 28. Published by African Studies Center, University of California.
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How Musical Is Man By John Blacking
636 Words | 2 Pages
“How Musical is Man?” was published in 1974. This book was written by John Blacking, a musician turned social anthropologist. His goal in writing this ethnography, and several other papers during this same time period, was to compare the experience of music-making that takes place within different cultures and societies throughout the world. In this book, he discusses and describes the musicology of the Venda people in South Africa. Though he does go to Africa to research and learn about the Venda people and their music, he specifically states that his book is “not a scholarly study of human musicality” (ix), but rather it is a summary (written from his point of view), which is both expressive and entertaining, of several different issues and ideas that he has seemingly been contemplating for some time.
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The College Choir Concert
460 Words | 1 Pages
On Wednesday, May 23rd, I attended the College Choir concert in the Reamer Campus Center. The choir performed a variety of songs, ranging from pieces in Latin to traditional American folksongs. Two of the pieces featured solos, and one even featured percussion instruments. Mrs. Elinore Farnum provided piano accompaniment for each of the songs, and performed beautifully. I was extremely impressed by the talented choir members and their ability to sing such a varied range of songs.
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Origins of Jazz
1614 Words | 4 Pages
Marching bands became extensively throughout the nineteenth century due to the surplus drums and brass instruments formerly used by the military after the civil war, especially amongst black and Creole musicians. Thus, the syncopated polyrhythm of African music was mixed with traditional marching music and other popular musical styles, and became...
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Cultural Event
442 Words | 1 Pages
Different dances came from different cultures in this performance. As I had said before, “Oshun, Goddess of Love”, came from Africa. It arrived in America during the slave trade and has been here ever since. “Paper Moon” came from Japan. The text from the dance came from an adaptation from “Omoiyari”, which is an ancient Japanese dance ritual.
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A Brief History Of African Music Through The Colonial Period
1522 Words | 4 Pages
West African's made music for ceremonies surrounding agriculture, the crowning a new king or chief, and the reenactment of an important event that happened in the past. Special kinds of music were played during war ceremonies, hunting excursions, and other victory celebrations. Hunting songs, war songs, and boating songs were performances of men. Music performed by women was associated with children, young girls, and funerals. An example of a festival the West Africans celebrated was called the "Annual Customs of Dahomey". This was a festival worshiping the king of their capital. The West Africans also had music for litigation. They would come before a judge and sing or chant their argument.
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Universal Symbolism in Things Fall Apart
1172 Words | 3 Pages
Achebe uses the symbol of tribal drums to show the flourishing culture and life that Umuofia experiences before the Europeans arrive. The symbol of drums is often present during cultural gatherings and celebrations in Umuofia. During the feast, which marks a new harvest year, “drums [are] still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound [is] no longer a separate thing from the living village” (104). Drums distinctly relate to the culture and traditions of the village. Moreover, the “persistent and unchanging” beat to the drums also reflects the unity of the society, and how the tribe currently operates (104). These traditions are unique to Umuofia and are an integral part of African culture. However, this unchanging and pe...
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Essay On Kabuki Theatre
1751 Words | 4 Pages
Concisely, dance, instruments, and music have all played a strong meaningful part in helping describe the Japanese literal meaning of Kabuki, “the skill of song and dance”. Without the help of musical instruments and the dance techniques used in Kabuki theatre, the literal meaning of “Kabuki” would be misunderstood and lost in translation. Through these critical and valuable aids, the staging of this production wouldn’t be able to demonstrate the vast variety of abilities in the visual and sung performance.
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African Drums In Africa
1172 Words | 3 Pages
The sun is out, the weather is hot, and there is a grand celebration taking place, like any other celebration in the world there is food, dance, and music. But this is not an ordinary celebration this is a celebration on the great plains of Africa where the beats of both high and low pitch drums stomp thru the air. The speed of the drums races against the speed of one’s dancing heart accelerating then reverting back to a deep steady thump. In Africa, drumming is a widely use instrument and form of music. Drums are usually the primary instrument used at celebrations in musical selections in Africa. African drums vary in different shapes, sounds, and pitches each with its own particular sound. Unlike here in the United States, where drums are
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The Role of Music in Society
1731 Words | 4 Pages
Music has played a role in society since the dawn of man. Said to be the beginning of communication in early civilization, music and dance have influenced how we think, act and treat members of our own society. Song and dance is used in rites of passage ceremonies such as births, weddings and funerals throughout the world. Jamaican and Yoruba cultures have made many contributions to our society. The uses of this music as a vehicle for political issues, values, and beliefs have been used by many musicians from different cultures. I intend to discuss the Contribution of these two contemporary cultures music and their effect on society.
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Concert Critique

Cumbia in Mexican Culture

Jazz Concert Critique