The word “jazz” has a soothing quality to it. Compare that to “hip hop,” which sounds like one wants to run away from it. The musical genres actually transpire in similar ways. Which hip hop can be abrasive and unsavory, jazz feels less like entertainment and more like therapy, a relaxation that accompanies saxophone solos.
Juliard’s jazz performance lived up to the sterling reputation of the genre. Listeners will be most impressed by the merging of sophistication and soul in the performance, and jazz in general. There is an irreproachable coolness to jazz, a particular intellect that comes along with appreciating it, yet jazz is also a visceral experience that expresses much more than its notes can explain.
Jazz at Juliard decided to do a tribute to Count Basie, and made a wise decision as a result. They celebrated this tour de force in jazz with songs as eclectic as “To You,” “Tickle Toe,” and “Freckle Face.” There were many finger-snapping, upbeat tunes, but there were also slower ones that allowed listeners to interpret, relax, and decompress in an organic way. There was the sense that there was a song for everyone, and that if the present one playing wasn’t for you, the next one surely would be.
Those who understand the high-brow nature of Juliard need not be concerned about jazz losing its lustrous flavor in the institution’s hands. Listeners go in expecting everything will be rehearsed to perfection, and find that there is an improvisational, almost casual nature to the playing of the striking, powerful music. This improvisational aspect is essential to the nature of jazz, which is all about live performances, and expressing what one can’t articulate on the whim, so that others may understand one’s life experiences. The combination of the piano, clarinet, and saxophone, among other instruments, creates a set of sounds wildly appropriate for the aforementioned purpose of jazz. The combination has the potential to sound everything from bubbly to morbid.
At Juliard’s performance, most will be struck by the fluidity in the music, the fluidity between musicians. There is seamless, aural art all around, tickling one’s ear with its genius. Jazz is all about how certain instruments, certain sounds, and certain musicians can come together, and flow in a natural way that suits the music. But just as in the Juliard performance, jazz oftentimes consists of many solos as well. One might consider these innumerable solos each man’s interpretation of life and the world. After all, jazz is about expressing what is not said. It is especially useful for illuminating human moods and the human condition. With different instruments, different musicians can express their own takes, and offer insight as only they and their instruments know how. The performance at Juliard retains the essence of jazz by sticking close to the formula of high soul, high sophistication, and a medley of music and musicians that is virtually unbeatable.
