Parents Weekend: Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble Concert

During the parents weekend I attended the Symphonic Band and Jazz Ensemble Concert in Ford Hall. The band played three pieces, and the ensemble played five pieces. 

One song that the band played that I really enjoyed was called KRUMP(2007) by Scott McAllister . In the program it mentions that KRUMP is a dance movement inspired by hip-hop, African tribal rituals, pantomime and martial arts. The term  KRUMP is an acronym for Kingdom Radically Uplifted Mighty Praise. The music piece was inspired by this type of dancing and performing. The piece started out with a very slow tempo and softer dynamics to give a more melancholy feel. This part could be seen as the struggles that the people were facing with violence on the streets before they were able to find krumping as an outlet. Then the piece slowly start to pick up in tempo and volume, showing that they are starting to discover their outlet for their anger. One part that I really thought was able to capture the essence of krumping was towards the middle of the piece when they had a long string of soloists that would stand up and perform their piece. Similar to the dance style the musician was never really alone in the solo, the band was always there to support them by clapping rhythmically at certain points in the music. 

This piece was definitely different from the styles that we have listened to in class. While I was able to hear some periods in the music, they were not emphasized by the style of the music. There were many points were you were able to hear some dramatic dynamic changes which reminded me of the Beethoven Eroica Symphony in the idea of the dramatic moment. Similar to Romanticism there was some emphasis on the individual, but in a very different way. While Romantic works value the individual who is separated from society such as the romantic hero, this song was able to showcase the individual speaking out as part of a community.

Another piece that the band played that I really enjoyed was called Molly on the Shore(1907) by Percy Grainger. This piece was written for a full band and 16 hands on 8 marimbas. I thought that that alone was amazing. This song was very similar to the folk music unit that we had at the start of the semester, it was inspired by Ancient Irish music. I was able to hear some periods throughout the piece, but I was so mesmerized by watching the eight marimbas that I don't quite remember where. The piece was much lighter than KRUMP but is did have many difficult runs for the higher instruments and especially the marimbas. 

The Jazz Ensemble was also quite amazing, their music could be compared more closely with the folk music. They were a smaller ensemble and each piece contained a feature of one or more of the players. It gave off a more community vibe as each of the musicians would feed off each other in style. Additionally many of the solos were memorized similar to how some folk players don't even use music they are just able to make up things on the spot for their pieces. 

It is really hard for me to pick one of the Jazz pieces that I liked the best because I thought that they were all amazing in their own right. One solo that I thought was amazing however was in a piece by Duke Ellington called Black and Tan Fantasy. In this piece there was an amazing trombone solo. The soloist stood at the front of the stage with a mute held up to the bell of his instrument and just went for it. There were octave jumps all over the place and mute flourishes that enhanced the sound and were able to create more dramatic dynamic changes within the solo. 

Overall I really enjoyed this concert and would definitely go to another one like it. The acoustics in Ford Hall were amazing and there were times in the concert where I couldn't help but smile. I was in the symphonic band and Wind Ensemble at my high school and we had concerts with music similar to the music that they played. In fact I even played a piece by Percy Grainger in High School called Irish Tune from a Country Derry. I enjoy listening to band music and really like the vast assortment of instruments that are in a band that I sometime feel an orchestra is lacking. I also really love listening to jazz music and find it very complex and interesting. I can't wait to attend their next concert.