Swing River Jazz Performance

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During the Swing River Jazz performance there were over 15 songs played, including the “National Anthem”, “Autumn Leaves”, “How Long Has it Been”, “Paper Moon”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Street of Pearls”, “Chicken”, “Jericho”, “This Little Light of Mine”, “Good Bye World Good Bye” with a verse of “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder”, “Come Fly With Me”, “When We All Get to Heaven”,” In the Mood”, and “I’ll Fly Away”. The set up of the band was that the singer was in the very front, and then starting from the left on the first row was the keyboard, five saxophones, and a xylophone. The second row consisted of drums and three trombones, while the third and final row contained a bass guitar, guitar, and four trumpets. I was a referential …show more content…

There were seventeen performers; three of them were girls, and fourteen were guys. The style of their clothing was formal. They all wore a white button up and black pants. The singer was the only one who had a different type of pants on, but she dressed up as well with a white shirt and some black and white pants. When I think of Jazz, I think of a small group of performers usually consisting of a trumpet, saxophone, and a small drum. It also brings to mind a poetry slam where everyone is snapping their fingers and there is a drum accompanying the one who is sharing poetry. The Swinging River Jazz band is a more modern jazz performance and was a little different than what I expected as far as the size and the arrangement. Jazz it a lot more classical now. I really like both the old and the new version of it.
Most of the performers were sitting down. The singer, xylophone player, and trumpet players stood up while playing. This was a little different because I figured they would all be standing up. Although this arrangement made it easier to see everyone and it made it more organized. Originally there were only two trombone players, but after a few songs, a third one …show more content…

The singer was only up there for three to four songs, and her pitch and range complimented the rest of the band very well. She did not sing soprano, she had more of an alto tone. The band did not have a conductor up there, but the middle saxophone player would make a hand motion to end the songs. In a couple of the songs, they had one of the players count off to start.
It was neat to watch the drum player. In most music, the drums are played heavily. In Jazz, the drums are a more subtle part of the concert. They were played with shorthand motions. The trumpets, trombones, and saxophones carried the main melodies, and looking back on the performance, they stood out the most to me.
The Historical Period for Jazz is Contemporary. I enjoyed the performance because normally I am a casual listener, and I do not try to look at the music in any particular way. This gave me a chance to look at the performance as more than that. I was actually trying to understand what was being played and really looked at the underlying meaning. I never realized until I took this class that music creates atmospheres, and there is more to the quality of music besides its initial

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