Jazz Critique

My first thought at the beginning of this semester for this class was how much do I really know about jazz? I have always characterized jazz music as a rhythmic form of music. Jazz is the kind of music that makes me want to do one of the two following things. Depending on the melody of the piece of music that I am listening to, I will either feel like relaxing and just allow the music to run through me until I follow asleep. Other times, I will feel like getting up and dancing like there is no tomorrow. The live jazz music that I experienced at the Third Stree Santa Monica Promenade on November 13, did just that. The independent jazz artist that I watched about a month and a half back was Antonio Jackson. I came across him playing while strolling along the Third Street Promenade with my mom and became intrigued by his saxophone playing. In addition to that, the piece of music he was playing was very upbeat and was mainly what had drawn me to watch him at that moment. I was not able to catch the name of the piece he was playing (if there was one) because he was playing straight through for awhile and unfortunately, I did not have the time to wait and stay. So I stayed for as long as I could--long enough to be able to gather enough information so that I could contribute to this paper. Looking back, one of the reasons why I really enjoyed Antonio Jackson's performance was not only because of how upbeat and happy his music was, but I also really appreciated how passionate and happy he seemed by simply performing. He was smiling all throughout and had the crowd dancing and moving around. He incorporated dance moves like kicking and working with his shoulders along with snapping. From what it seemed, he had quite powerful improvisation. His transitions were good as well. He would jump from high to low notes and it still sounded wonderful. He carried such great stage presence and gave off such great energy to those who were watching him perform. For your audience to enjoy and be entertained by you, everything I mentioned about Antonio Jackson is very much needed.

The second show that I watched and will be critiquing on this paper is the CSUN Music Department Showcase that I watched on October 2, 2011. In all honesty, I had mixed feelings about this show. I felt both entertained and disinterested by some of the pieces that were performed during the show. My overall favorites include the "Zendekaiwa" performed by the CSUN African Ensemble, the Finale from Act I in Cosi Fan Tutte by the CSUN Opera Theatre, and the "Junk Wagon" by the Jazz "A" Band. I enjoyed the "Zendekaiwa" simply because of all the energy they gave off to the audience. The piece was very upbeat and they had us all up and dancing. They had xylophones, loud drums, and plenty of dancers. The overall vibe that I got just by listening to them was something that I really loved. It was such a fun performance. I also really liked the Finale