The Politics of Art & Authenticity

Cindy Blackman Santana…

What can I say about her?

http://www.drummagazine.com/drumpedia/

I knew from a tabloid magazine that she is currently married to Carlos Santana… the best guitar player of all time. Not sure of what to expect and even though I’m at the Vertical Campus everyday, I had never been to the Performing Arts Center or even remotely had an inclination to take that elevator.

I don’t know. I’ve never been too much of a fan of drums. Meh. I know how prejudiced of me to hate the basis of music. Haha.

But as soon as she started playing, there was an energy that came about. She completely broke the stereotype. She wasn’t sitting there just banging on the drums, instead, it seemed like she was connected to it.

At times it seemed that she overtook the other people on stage. But in a sense that added to the  complexity of the performance. Santana, clearly hasn’t gained fame because of her famous husband.

People always see the drums as an instrument played by men, so I enjoy when a women stands up and breaks that stereotypical mold.  Cindy Blackman definitely proved that drumming is not only for men.  Her style and rhythmic movements were so unique and outstanding I couldn’t get over it.  Her confidence and passion for drummer were apparent, and it was also very impressive that she was the only woman in the trio.  And she was the drummer! That is a very rare sight to see, and I’m glad that I was able to view it.

There were times, though, when I thought that the songs were going on for a longer time than they should’ve.  I even think the bassist didn’t know when to finish some of the songs, but I know that is what happens when you do a lot of improv.  It was actually very impressive that Blackman had such control of the stage and performance.  She was in the zone and no one was going to take her out of it.

http://www.boldaslove.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/cindy-blackman.jpg

The rest of the trio was also very talented.  The pianist’s hands moved rapidly across the keyboard, and at times two keyboards at once.  I play the piano and I know the difficulty that goes into it, so I appreciated when I see a talented pianist perform.  When the pianist began to play on the grand piano I couldn’t take my eyes away.  The sound was so beautiful and he played it so well.  I might have actually been more impressed by the pianist than I was with Blackman.  If that pianist ever does a solo concert I will definitely be in the audience.

Overall, it was a great way to end the semester with a bang.  I was almost upset when leaving the auditorium, because I knew this was my last event with my IDC class, but it was one of the best!

There’s no other way to describe it. Cindy Blackman had a rythmic seizure as she drummed on her sparkling red drums, passionately striking her instrument during the enigmatic performance of the beloved Santana Trio. This entire show surprised me a lot, actually. Who knew that the usual spine and background of a song can successfully be the main melody? As a daughter of a drummer, I’ve listened to many percussion instruments from jam session to jam session but never have I heard such a classy, outrageous , and intricate way of playing. I was awestruck. For me, it was impossible to even think of sleeping or zoning out during the performance. Each song was slightly different and something about that was hypnotizing.

http://www.drummagazine.com/drumpedia/

I  also enjoyed how the other two musicians complimented her drumming even when I could tell from their facial expressions that they were winging a few measures or so. I guess it is true that passion is unpredictable. And one can tell that she was feeling the music. Her entire body moved! It was almost like a dance or a work-out.

The Santana Trio outdid themselves and every member deserves all the recognition and praise possible. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the names of the two accompanists.

This was one of my first dives into the world of jazz. I now realize that I am due for more exploring.

Playing the drums was always something that I wanted to perfect. Banging pots and pans, tapping with pencils and drum solos on the steering wheel of my car are the closest I think I’ll ever get to being a famous drummer. So instead I’ve taken to watching various drummers and simply appreciating their talents. The performance put on by Cindy Blackman Santana was absolutely

incredible. Her drumming was superb and so were the base and piano players. But the one thing the truly resonated with me was her body language. As she banged away her closed eyes and flailing limbs showed her connection to the music. In my experience this is something that is apparent in most talented musicians because they are the ones that really feel the music. It is because of this that these musicians create the best music and are the most interesting to watch perform.

You can never go wrong with a musical performance so although this was the last event we attended as a class, it was the first time I wasn’t nervous about hating what I would see. Cindy Blackman is an amazing drummer to say the least. It was different to see such a talented woman playing an instrument generally associated with men. Aside from her obvious talent, I was amazed by how into the music she was. It seemed as though she was lost in her performance. I felt as though our presence was completely irrelevant to her; not because she didn’t care about her audience, but because she was so entranced by what she was doing. It really was an amazing thing to watch. She is by far the most passionate musician I have ever seen live. Generally you can tell that musicians love and enjoy what they are doing but Cindy Blackman took this passion to a whole new level. I’m not going to lie, I was having a mostly awful day, and all the drumming didn’t really help the crazy headache I had at the time, but the talent she displayed was impossible to deny. It was a great performance to end the semester with, and I’m glad that we were able to squeeze just one more cultural encounter in despite the hectic atmosphere we were living in.

http://www.boldaslove.us/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/cindy-blackman.jpg

Credit to: http://www.drummerworld.com/pics/drumpics24/cindyblackman.jpg

I generally like listening to music. Just not when it’s so loud it makes my head hurt. Cindy Blackman is definitely a good drummer, she’s passionate about her work and is able to drum amazingly. Her skills are amazing, how quickly she’s able to drum, the way her whole body works when she’s playing is a display of mastery. But the performance was a TRIO, not solo act of her best work. I enjoyed the pianist and bass player more than Blackman. The pianist was extremely skillful in the way he played, at one point he was playing two pianos at the same time. The bass player was great too. He was great with the upright base although I barely heard the base guitar. You could tell that this was their first real show together from the way the pianist and bassist kept looking at Cindy and trying to figure out what she was doing and what song she was playing. They did play well together and everyone had a little solo part that sounded good. Except for Cindy’s which was simply to loud. Overall she was great to look at she played because of her speed and movement, but her performance overpowered the trio.

http://www.gretschdrums.com/pics/news/CBSTrio.jpg

Dragging my friend along to another IDC event because I never like to go home late at night all alone. After all, all of the ones I did drag him, he did enjoy and this one was just another one to add to his list of things that I dragged him he enjoyed.

I have to say Cindy Blackman Santana Trio was simply amazing. I’m really not a fan of jazz music and I’m still not, but the sound and her passion for the drums really caught my attention. Throughout majority of the performance, her eyes were closed as if she didn’t need to watch herself play. She knew exactly what she was doing just by her instincts. That is the one thing I love most about musicians. The fact that they don’t need sheet music in front of them to play a great performance, they use their own instinct to know when to play, when to pause, and when to just go with the flow. I find it amazing and that is the one thing that makes me wish I stuck to playing the piano.

After watching Cindy Blackman play her heart out, I really just wanted to start playing the piano again. As a kid, I grew up playing the piano but I didn’t have much heart into it, but after seeing all these musically talented people performing, I just wanted to find my musical talent again. I wanted to be able to play a song by heart with my eyes close. I wanted to play every rest and every note with my instinct and not have to read sheet music to know when to play a pause or when to pick up the pace or not. Her passion for the drums made want to find my passion for the piano. To be able to play an instrument like her and to show everyone my passion for that instrument just by the way I play.

Her intensity as a musician inspired me to find my passion for the piano and for music in general. Great way to end my first semester.

Beginning what was soon to be called “The Most Stressful Week I’ve Ever Had Since The Week Right Before,” I was just a tad put-off by the fact that I had to stay at school until 9 on a Monday right the last week of classes. To listen to drums for an hour and a half. Right after a business final. Eugh.

But you know what? I only let that bother me for nine or so hours, because I realized the symbolism (or cymbal-ism, *insert exasperated groan here*) behind it all was the perfect way to round out our first semester of college. With a bang…literally.

I’ve never been to a performance where all I did was sit and listen to people play music, and since my only real “concert experience” was Madonna, it was a radical departure from the jumping around and screaming I assumed happened almost every time someone brought music to a stage. The performance was lyric-less, and without any “thrills”, but it was anything but stagnant. I really felt like I could sit back and get into the music, which was both relaxing and energizing at the same time.

Cindy Blackman Santana: Being a badass in all the best ways.

The Cindy Blackman Santana Trio is composed of–or was composed of, this time–a trio of musicians who exhibited a glorious mastery over a series of difficult instruments. Everyone came to see Cindy Blackman Santana turn a simple drum set into an epic center of musical genius, but she was aided by two other skilled musicians (and yes, I’m kicking myself for not being able to find their names, because they really do deserve the recognition) that alternated between the piano and synthesizer, and the guitar and a very intimidating-looking bass.

The pieces they performed were wonderful, and if the trance-like state the guy next to be was in for the entire performance is any indication, then I feel right when I say what happened on that state was powerful and spiritual as well. What really got me though, was the intensity of the musicians, and the focus they put into their instruments and into the music as a whole. Watching Cindy close her eyes and just feel the beat of the drums was crazy. She wasn’t a musician, she was the music. The highlight? That glimpse I got of Cindy and the guitarist locking focus on one another as they played. You could see the passion and dedication actually manifesting itself in their stares – and it’s that kind of intensity that brought the music to life. It was surreal. I had chills.

Go. See. Listen. Experience.

Photo Credit

Cindy Blackman Santana & Friends performance was, in short, OVERWHELMING and PARADIGM SHIFTING.
As I was listening, it almost got to the point it hurt and I wanted to get out. On my way coming home, I wondered why.

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/photos/profile/cindyblackman2008.jpg

Quite honestly, I say I am a fan of jazz music but when I heard that the performance mainly features the drums, I quickly lost interest. I always felt the drums were merely a way to relieve stress, something one would attempt to do without much sophisticated training or effort. It seemed natural for the drums to always stay in the back consistently assisting the melody. Maybe sometimes it may change its dynamics or patterns, but not to the point it may stand out. Because, that’s the way it has been. That is the way I feel most comfortable listening.

Cindy Blackman Satana & Friends’ performance, however, stood against my prejudiced beliefs and thoughts. As the name of the group suggests, Cindy Blackman Santana truly was the star of the show. Her artistic drum rolling soon triumphed over other instruments as if to symbolize our changing society. At some points I simply could not believe what was happening in front of my eyes as I saw her indulged in her own world of rhythm and music, hitting away the drums and cymbals NONSTOP. Thinking of all the pain enduring process from her hands to the arms and to her entire system, I couldn’t help but pay my respects to her performance. It was magnificent especially the energy she portrayed through her drumming while maintaining the sophistication of the dynamics and rhythmic structure.

To this day I thought I was an eclectic listener. However, Cindy Blackman Santana & Friends helped me realize how subjected view I used to have. I was prejudiced and had distinct preferences like any other. I almost felt guilty not being able to enjoy the process as fully as the significance it had but now I realize. Maybe the whole process was painful because it was a phase shifting moment for me — A moment of realization.

I wanted to comment right after watching the performance while it was still fresh in my mind, but for some reason my Macaulay Eportfolios page decided to block me out the past few days, but I have been able to be really reflective on everything we saw this past semester, including the last drummer event, and my newfound appreciation of art I gained from this class. Although the kind of music we heard wasn’t exactly my taste, I gained a lot of respect for Cindy Blackman.

I once heard the quote “Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent.” I kept thinking of that quote while watching Blackman’s performance. I felt that Blackman put so much heart into her performance, that she was telling a story that couldn’t be put into words or letters or pages, but a story that just had to be felt. I was mesmerized watching her play – you could just tell that she really felt her music. Even more than that, it seemed like she was one with the music – what I think is the mark of a true musician. In today’s day and age, when you can just turn on the radio and hear the same pop songs being played over and over again, I think that overall, as a society, we have lost a level of sophistication in music. Today stars are created over a short time period and people can become what is known as “You-tube sensations.” But Blackman’s performance simply blew me away. She played so well and the drumsticks just became a huge blur in front of my eyes. I could feel the intensity and heat and passion, and so could everyone else in the room. Blackman is not just someone that put a few videos online to show off her talents; she is not merely a fad that will fade over time. She truly earned her position of greatness.

I think the best way to learn something is by example. Growing up, when I had teachers that were passionate about their subject and truly loved teaching, that made me love the subject. When I saw that my teachers were teaching something important to them, that subject also became important to me. Seeing the expression on Blackman’s face while she played – you could just see the creativity and planning and dedication and everything Blackman puts into her work. You could see how vital music is to Blackman, and in turn, it becomes important to the viewer as well.