Juilliard Jazz Quartet Concert!

I enjoy music, whether I’m listening to it or playing it, very much. I listen to many genres of music. However, my experience with Jazz has been limited to having a Jazz unit in my high school Music Survey class, where I listened to classical Jazz performers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong. I don’t usually listen to the Jazz genre, but I thought that Tuesday’s performance would be a nice, refreshing experience. I definitely wasn’t disappointed.

Firstly, everyone was so excited outside of Juilliard prior to the performance. When everyone was seated and the performance began, I liked that the musicians interacted with the audience, in a way. The saxophonist was so into his music that he began dancing, almost in place, during performances. The pianist’s hands flew effortlessly, weightlessly over the keys, in a way that I’ve always dreamed of doing. He was composed, and completely controlled, and yet completely at ease. The upright bassist seemed to really enjoy listening to every note that he played, while also communicating with the ever-engaging drummer.

I enjoyed the performance for a few reasons. I felt that each piece performed conveyed a story, and, being a musician myself, I definitely appreciated the fact that much of the music was improvisation, with some of it being based off of the original melody. Additionally, I enjoyed the variations in tempo of different pieces and the variations in tempo at different moments during each piece. I was relieved that my studies four years ago aided me in knowing when the appropriate time was to start clapping. Each piece differed from the next, and the music was unlike every other Jazz piece that I’ve heard in the past. It felt as if the audience was communicating with the musicians, and the musicians were answering in return. The musicians gave off the aura or complete comfort and mastery, which definitely allowed the performance to be an amazing way to spend the evening.

I had a great time on Tuesday night. The evening filled with Jazz music and great friends was definitely a great experience.  I look forward to having more, similar experiences in the future.