Jazz Concert Critique

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.

I would consider myself somewhat unfamiliar with jazz type music. Other than attending a Kenny G concert and watching the movie Whiplash, I don’t know much about jazz. While I can’t even begin to compare Missouri Western Jazz Ensemble to that of Kenny G, I can certainly say, to the untrained

ear, they were both very entertaining. The first few songs had a nostalgic throwback feel, a 1920s type sound. The way the band played it brought me back into the time era. It was hard not to tap a foot or bop my head to the beat. It was very immersive. The last song, however, had a very modern day feel to it. It was almost a marching band type song, along with hints of Jazz undertones.
Over all I had a wonderful time at the concert, I saw some entertaining solos, especially from that of the drummer, first chair trumpet, and saxophone.

The rest of the trumpet section was also very lively; I felt they carried the main theme in almost every song which certainly kept me interested in the performance. The conductor kept the band on time, and to me they never missed a beat. One could tell they were certainly well rehearsed and truly knew how to use their instruments. A lot of music these days has become focused on generating the catchiest lyrics or chorus, so seeing this jazz ensemble was very refreshing. I was delightfully surprised to see such remarkable music talent at a performance of that size and caliper.

The majority of the pieces featured a rather slow steady beat, provided by the drum and the piano, while the other instruments (mainly the brass section) were used to play the main motif along with some minor ornamentations. The third song they played, one of my favorites, was simply a steady 4/4 tempo kept by the drum, with some minor variations. The saxophone and trumpets took turns drifting in and out to carry the melody. The saxophone player delivered an entertained solo which consisted of very light and amusing trills, this created a very soothing and relaxing

feeling.
Every single one of the songs were mostly polyphonic, many of the instruments would join in on playing the melody, there was rarely a second were multiple notes weren’t being played at once. One of the songs featured a type of call and response (responsorial) style to it, but with instruments. One sections of the band, primarily the trumpets, would begin a tune while another section would mimic that melody in their own key/pitch.
The last song they played, by far my favorite, featured many different musical techniques. First off, the whole piece was extremely syncopated; there was a heavy emphasis on the “and” beat of each measure. Second off, it featured a bit of ostinato throughout the piece. Every single section would take turns playing this very catchy and bright six-note theme (ostinato), which was again very syncopated. The theme was played in a light and fast allegro tempo; along with very sharp and exact staccato notes. The primary theme was played by each section of the band separately in a homorhythmic manner. The first section that played the theme started it out softly in piano, and each section that proceeded the other would gradually louden the tune. This use of crescendo effectively built into an exciting climax at the end of the song, which concluded the concert on a very bright and exciting note.