The Politics of Art & Authenticity

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I thought the Cindy Blackman Santana was an amazing drummer. She showed raw power and passion in her performance. She constantly had her eyes closed because she knew what she was doing. She closely listened to the music rather than looking at which part of the drums to hit. I thought the pianist and the guitarist were just going along with her beat and trying to compliment it. Sometimes I felt that the drums were very overpowering and it drowned out the music from the rest of the instruments. I applaud her stamina. I understand that it would take a lot of energy from banging on the drums in a fast and frequent motion. She would go so fast that you could barely see her drumsticks. Now Cindy Blackman Santana is the perfect example of a strong and intense woman. She is able to master an instrument that is usually dominated by men and yet have this sensitive feminine touch to her work. This is the last event that my IDC class has offered and it has definitely been memorable. The musical event was the cherry on top to an amazing semester filled with the opera, plays, dance and films.

I was expecting more of Rock music than Jazz music when I heard that we were going to see a drummer, but I got to hear a music genre that I rarely listen to. Cindy Blackman is a female drummer that has performed with Lenny Kravitz. It was truly interesting to see a female drummer since being a drummer is mainly a male dominated profession. She plays better than most male drummers and this is part of the reason why she has toured the world with many popular music groups.

She is a great Jazz and Rock musician. Blackman plays with so much passion that it is difficult not to enjoy the experience and feel her emotions. You could practically feel her soul going into the music. She closes her eyes and passionately hits the drums to create an amazing sound of euphony.

This was a breath taking experience to see live Jazz music that was moving. It changed the way I perceive past and modern music. I truly enjoyed going to this concert and look forward to listening to Blackman in the future. I plan on listening to more Jazz music in the future as well. I am thankful for this truly wonderful experience.

Image Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e9/Cindy_Blackman_.jpg/220px-Cindy_Blackman_.jpg

I really didn’t know what to expect when I heard we were going to see Cindy Blackman Santana, a jazz drummer. I mean, I’ve seen and heard drums played but I just couldn’t imagine why we’d go specifically for it. I was wonderfully surprised. I really enjoyed the concert.

I watched Cindy Blackman intently while she was playing the drums. When she played, it was as if she was transformed into a different world. Everything about her was drumming. Her facial expressions, her hands, her legs, her whole being was part of the drumming experience. It was amazing to watch. I was shocked at how long she could go on without needing a break.

The fact that it was a trio was a bit awkward, I think, because the drums totally overpowered the other two. Perhaps it would have been better if they had more of a part, or maybe even none at all, which would change it from a trio to a solo.

Besides for that, I really enjoyed it! I imagine it is years of training and experience to get where she is today. Blackman is truly talented!

Cindy Blackman is amazing. She is so open, so free.. watching her play felt like an extremely intimate experience.

Really, it might sound crazy, but what is intimacy? I think it is baring your soul; intimacy is turning yourself inside out and hoping for the best. It is about putting your heart on your sleeve and hoping no-one crushes it. It is about closing your eyes, hitting those drums, and being sure that you are safe in doing so. Nobody will hurt you, nobody will yell out in hatred, because you are that beautiful, you are so good.

Cindy Blackman closes her eyes and hits those drums. She is safe in her actions because she loves what she does, and she knows she is good. Her confidence protects her.

When she plays, she plays from her heart. I felt her passion in my bones, and watching her face proved to me that her passion was genuine. She is real, honest, inspiring, and exhilarating.

As a child my mom always told me, “If you want to learn how to play an instrument, learn to play the drums.”  Every time I inquired why the reason was always the same.  “There are barely any female drummers.”  She was right.  There are hardly any female drummers, and why?  Women can definitely pull this off.  If they try they can even be better than Lars Ulrich from Metallica!

One main example of this would be Cindy Blackman Santana.  Despite the fact that I had never heard of her and never heard her play I was sure she would give an outstanding performance.  This was probably due to the reactions of the people sitting around me.  Before she even stepped on stage a woman in the row before mine, probably in her 50’s if I had to guess, leaned over to her friend and like a little girl squealed “I’m so excited!!”  Then the moment she stepped on stage the four people in front of me were all shaking their heads no in disbelief.  During the first applause the one man was snapping his fingers, he was probably a long time fan.  Then when the music finally began almost simultaneously they all began nodding their heads in utter approval of what they were hearing.

It made sense because Mrs. Santana was just that brilliant when she played.  Unlike the other two in her trio she didn’t have notes to read off of, she was going by what she knew, what she practiced long and hard to be able to play.  The expressions on her face showed how truly into it she was.

The only aspect of this performance I didn’t like was how the drums drowned out the sounds of the two other instruments.  At times it almost seemed like a one-person performance.  What was interesting about this, however, was the fact that the two other artists were given solos.

What I found amazing was how fast she was able to play.  At times I couldn’t even see the drumsticks anymore, or maybe this was because I just have bad eyes.  But it felt like she was playing so fast they seemed to disappear and even leave after images.  Also, what I’ve always found impressive was just the ability to play the drums because that includes moving all four limbs to different beats.  At times the right and left hand would be hitting two different drums at two different rhythms and speeds, while the right foot would keep a constant beat using the petal and the left foot would keep a different, yet still constant, beat on a separate pedal for symbols.  She made this look simple.

I hope Cindy Blackman Santana is able to inspire more women to become drummers.  Without a doubt they can play just as hard and amazing as male drummers do.

Source

http://www.jazzmusicarchives.com/images/artists/cindy-blackman.jpg

I’ve pretty much grown up to the sound of drums. My older brother was a drummer throughout his teenage years (he conveniently got the room in the basement), so I was excited to see an entire drum performance. Now I know what drumming is supposed to sound like (no offense, Pin). My brother was actually pretty good, but Cindy Blackman is in a class of her own.

Watching her performwas like watching Picasso paint or Motzart play piano. She was completely in her element and obviously enjoying every minute of it. Though the two guys in the trio were good too, it was definitely Cindy Blackman who stole the show (which is the point, I think, seeing as it’s called the Cindy Blackman Santana trio). I always thought that the drums were primarily meant to accompany the other instruments, but it’s now obvious that they can be extremely powerful and beautiful on their own. What’s unique about the drums is that they can’t play notes like other musical instruments. It’s up to the drummer to understand exactly how and where and when to hit each part of the drum set. Drumming is a subtle yet integral part of a musical performance. It adds so much rhythm and expression that, while difficult to single out, vastly enhances a musical performance. But when it is singled out, as it was last night, its complexity and power is astounding. The art of drumming is really, truly incredible, and so is Cindy Blackman Sanata.

Cindy Blackman performs with everything she has. The audience can see her grit, patience, practice, planning, creativity, and passion. Her coordination and timing were unlike anything I have ever seen. Though I can’t say I am familiar with jazz, I never really knew of a jazz drummer being so emphatic and violent on his or her instrument.

Blackman wasn’t the only highlight of the concert though. Who can forget the pianist? I found the electric piano dull and really only something that can be utilized in the background. But when he stepped over to the Steinway piano–wow. I was never got really good with the piano when I took lessons. I had the hardest time learning even the simplest, most structured pieces. This guy, meanwhile, was all over the place. I mean that in a good way. His scale fill-ins and comping seemed random and unplanned. Yet, it was all perfect and precise.

courtesy of drummerworld.com

     Still, Blackman stole the show. The way she beat those drums and then tapped them gently was phenomenal. She played often times with her eyes closed, only opening them to smile at her other co-performers. The energy she exhibited was exceptional and her entire performance showed just how much love, effort, and enthusiasm she puts into her instrument.

The real question is: What was she doing at Baruch? And the follow-up would have to be: When will she come back?

http://www.cindyblackmansantana.com/images/topphoto_tour.jpg

Mesmerizing. That is the best word I can use to describe whatI saw last night. I loved their performance and I was in complete awe of all of the musician’s skills but Cindy Blackman blew me away. I could not keep my eyes off of her hands! She moved so quickly and swiftly that at some points I could not even see her hands. The most amazing part is that she made it look so easy. I was completely enamored by her skill and overall awesome ability at rocking out.

Although I did find it strange that there was no singer. I felt as there was a gap that needed to be filled. However it did allow me to focus more on the instrumental performances. It made me focus on every movement and every sound that was made by the performers. It was as though I was watching each musician give an isolated performance instead of it being a band that played in harmony. Surprisingly enough I did not find that to be a bad thing as it enabled me to fully appreciate their individual talent and skill.