Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

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!

I admit that I am an amateur when it comes to museums. Growing up, I didn’t really have the opportunity to visit museums and so I had little interest in art. When I heard that we’d be visiting the Brooklyn Museum, I was not thrilled. When I heard we’d be speaking about the paintings, I instantly became nervous. I did not know what to expect.

Came Tuesday, September 3^rd. I walked into the museum extremely anxious. I was told to form a group and was given a recorder. I happened to stand in front of one painting in particular. Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect. 1903 by Claude Monet was the painting I found most intriguing. It depicted some sort of castle blurred by fog and smoke. I sat in front of this painting and just recorded my opinion for about 6 minutes. I then moved on to other paintings and just stared and thought. I found that each piece of art differed from the other and each conveyed a hidden meaning. I managed to only observe the paintings on the third floor in the time given. I wish I had more time.

Spending my night at the museum truly was an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to look at beautiful paintings and give much thought about the details in each piece of art. I also had the opportunity to discuss these paintings with other individuals and was inspired by what they had to say. I found this trip to be an enriching experience and one that I’ve never experienced before. I look forward to the upcoming trips and hope they are as amazing as this one.

On the way to the jazz concert in Lincoln Center, I had no idea what to expect especially since this was my first live concert. That’s right, I’ve never been to a live concert before. I thought it would be the same as listening to the music we hear on the radio everyday. Anyways, as the concert started, I couldn’t help but be amazed. All the players were so connected with each other and so in sync. They kept smiling at each other. The first few songs were very soothing and I found myself closing my eyes and just letting my mind wonder, something that usually doesn’t really happen when I listen to music on the radio. Another thing I noticed that was different was how into the music I got. I enjoyed the overall performance and actually like jazz. I never expected myself to like that kind of music. However I actually do now. The only thing that annoyed me during the performance was the last song. I never knew when it was going to end, especially with the entire drum patters in between. Another thing that annoyed me was how everyone would just end up clapping his or her hands at a random point during the concert. I never knew when to clap. Besides these two minor set backs I really enjoyed my first concert experience, because as Luke said in class “it was a solid performance”

Tuesday was a jazzy kind of night! As you all know we had the wonderful opportunity of seeing some of Julliard’s finest perform in a jazz quartet. Prior to the event I had listened to jazz with some of my friends and thought it was a pretty cool genre. However, I felt that it sometimes gets a bit repetitive after a while. I was also a little apprehensive about the event because I wondered how we could just sit there listening to music for two whole hours without any lyrics, dance moves, or story. Needless to say, my apprehension was somewhat nullified upon seeing the show. I actually found it much more interesting to watch the performers play the music rather than listening to it on a CD. Their stage dynamic was very interesting and held my attention. Ron Blake, the saxophonist, was especially fun to watch when he performed. He was very expressive and even did a few “dance moves” as he played. I also didn’t expect one of the musicians there to be a sort of “MC,” but Carl Allen, the drummer, was very interactive and added a more casual and somewhat comedic aspect to the performance. One thing that we discussed in class that I wish I had known before seeing the show is that much of the music in jazz performances is improvised. I would have probably appreciated the show much more if I had known that the musicians were playing “off the cuff.” Hearing this piece of information did make me further appreciate Carl Allen’s drum solos, however. He is an extremely talented musician, and the way he played the drums that night blew my mind. My two favorite songs on the set list are Ah, Rio and Nutty. The music in Ah, Rio really captured the feeling of being relaxed and on vacation on a beautiful tropical beach, and the musical arrangements in Nutty seemed to be extremely intricate and unconventional. One last thing I would like to mention is the love that the musicians showed for the audience. I could really tell that they fully appreciated just us being there to hear them play, and there humble gratitude added to my already extreme respect for them.

Waiting on line for the jazz quartet I was really excited because I love live music. The moments building up to the performance only added to the suspense and excitement because I had never listened to any jazz live and I didn’t have much experience with it either for that matter. As it began, it was really soothing. I agree with my peers from class discussion that when you opened your eyes during the performance you only paid attention to the one instrument you were drawn to but when you closed you took the whole sound of the performance in and it became one. That’s why I decided to enjoy the show in the beginning with my eyes open so I could see the work into playing these instruments which is part of the beauty of the music they played. One thing I wasn’t expecting when I was watching the performance was the way they were all in sync and just looking at each other and giving off good vibes to each other and the audience. I would catch them smiling at each other when a part would get really good and that only added to the experience of listening to the piece; knowing that they were having a good time and that they were sharing it with us. The second half of the show I closed my eyes because I wanted to concentrate on the music. Every piece had something unique about it. I loved when the only instrument played was the bass. It captivated my attention to the point where that was the only instrument that I wanted to hear throughout the whole show, it had such a strong hold on me. But there was this one piece that was so beautiful that I found myself grinning the entire time it was performed. It was Frank Kimbrough’s (the pianist) piece “For Duke”. It was flawless. Just the dynamics of the song and how it would build up and go down just had me slowly shaking my head along to the piano and saxophone which were the star instruments of the piece. On my way home I found myself humming the song, so naturally I had to download it. Unfortunately I couldn’t find it anywhere that night. But the next day it was still stuck in my head so I decided to look for it again and I found it! I bought it for 99 cents on Amazon. Best dollar I ever spent.