The Juilliard Jazz Quartet

Everywhere I look people identify themselves based on their musical preferences. There are the Indie inspired teenagers, the Rock and Roll loving guys, the Classics admirers and many more. I was never able to solely identify myself with any of these groups, and after last Tuesday night I finally understand why.

Being part of any one of those stereotypes means that you always listen to songs within your genre. You listen to whatever fits that mold and leave room for little else. You become immediately dismissive, but there is so much wrong with that attitude! Going to the Jazz made me realize that all music is beautiful in its own way and should be discovered and listened to by everyone (as idealistic as that may sound). Even though Jazz doesn’t make me want to find the closest dance floor and start dancing, I still think it’s beautiful.

I was taken aback by the emotion that was tucked away in the music. Listening to each and every set was just like watching the plot unfold in a movie. The deep sound of the bass, the graceful notes coming from the piano, the dynamic beats of the drum, and the occasional presence of the saxophones painted a unique picture in my mind. Every set carried a different meaning that I would try to decode by using my imagination. My favorite technical aspect of the performance was when the drummer took out two feathery looking sticks and used those instead of the conventional drumsticks that he was using before. I never knew such a soft and soothing sound could come from drums, a percussion instrument!

My only complaint about the performance is that I found it strange to just sit around and watch people play music the way we did. For some strange reason I felt like Jazz would be much more enjoyable in a social setting where people could mingle and talk to one another without the fear of disrupting performers. I can’t wait to find a cool Jazz club to visit!