Paper Example on A Brief Overview of Jazz Music: From R&B to Creativity

Introduction

Jazz is defined as a type of music originating from the Black American community and began at the start of the 20th century (Sarangi, 2016). It most evident characteristic include improvisation, syncopation, and carefully developed rhythm. Some of the instruments mostly associated with jazz include piano, violin, drums, brass, and woodwind instruments. It is postulated that jazz developed as a result of the fusion between R&B and funk rhythms. The display of an increased level of creativity and the utilization of instrumental techniques is an inherent characteristic of jazz music. The purpose of this course entails the selection of video showcasing live jazz performance for observation. The online video performance to be observed and described is that of Chick Corea Akoustic Band. The paper expounds on the experience derived from watching a video of watching live jazz performance by Chick Corea Akoustic Band.

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The Chick Corea Akoustic Band Jazz Concert

The live performance by Chick Corea Akoustic Band was conducted at Jazz San Javier located in Santiago de la Ribera. They performed live in 28, July 2018, and entailed the return of the Chick Corea (Jazz San Javier, 2018). It involved an ensemble of the Chick Corea Akoustic Band encompassing Chick Corea on the piano, John Patitucci on the bass and Dave Weckl on the drums. They played seven compositions, including Morning Sprite, A Japanese Waltz, That Old Feeling, In a Sentimental Mood, Life Line, A Sonat, and Spain (Jazz San Javier, 2018).

Performance Space Arrangement Description

The band is arranged in a way that faces the audiences in a semi-circular pattern. Chick Corea is on the right, Dave Weckl on the left and the John Patitucci at the center. The arrangement seeks to project the music to the audience, who seems to enjoy the performance. The band is in casual wear, which communicates the message that it is time to let go and enjoy some music. They do not disappoint as they play in such improvisation and rhythm that the audience is on the edge of their seats. Chick Corea even takes time to talk to engineers to readjust the lights to increase visibility (Jazz San Javier, 2018). It seems he seeks to create a rapport between the band and the audiences, making them feel at ease. Also, the performance follows a specific program, as Chick Corea starts by explaining when the band was formed. He also introduces the rest of the band members and the instrument they play. After playing a number, there is an introduction of the next song to the audience and its composition. The three band members take turns introducing the songs to be played according to the program.

Analysis of the Performance by Chick Corea Akoustic Band

Before viewing the video of a jazz performance by Chick Corea Band, I familiarized myself with the three musicians and their work. First, there is Chick Corea, a trained American jazz pianist, bandleader, and music composer. He has even worked with the greats like Miles Davis in creating what is referred to as the jazz fusion (Lewis, 2018). Through fusion, inspired duets, and acoustic and electric jazz, Chick Coreas has worked to developed new music workers. It has earned him 24 Grammy awards, and he is still humble. Second, there is John Patitucci, who plays bass and has been active in jazz for more than thirty years. Over the years, he has won many awards and nominated many times. Third, there is Dave Weckl, who is an American jazz fusion drummer.

Morning Sprite was written by Chick Corea, and first released in 1989. The live performance starts when Corea plays a high note on the piano and then joined by others. It is possible to see the genius of Corea in the way he starts playing the piano (Jazz San Javier, 2018). The song showcases the quality of the musician on set. Watching them play, one can conclude that these musicians can never be more in sync. The way the trio plays is such harmony that they do not outdo each other on stage. The audience can only enjoy, which is demonstrated by the applause at the end of the song. Corea reintroduces the ensembles as he requests for the readjustments of audience lights. Chick Corea introduces the next song, which is A Japanese Waltz. Once again, Corea introduces the song by playing a smooth note on the piano. The texture of the song is well balanced throughout the time. The piano, bass, and drum take turns at the melody and complement each other, which underscores the group's sync. The song was quite upbeat, and the dynamics were quite high, and only slowed at the end. The body language of the ensemble was quite noticeable as they played their instruments. Dave Weckl on the cymbals was on another level, and Patitucci produces the right rhythm and does not miss a note.

The next song played by the band is the That Old Feeling written by Sammy Fain, and the lyrics by Lew Brown. Patitucci introduces the song by first complimenting the original compositions and arrangements. As we the first two songs, Chick Corea still starts playing the song with some creative rhythms before the rest of the ensemble could join. The trio plays the rest of the songs with such finesse and skills. Patitucci was phenomena on the bass, and I was in disbelief from his hand movement on the bass’s fingerboard (Jazz San Javier, 2018). His genius could be seen, especially when the group was playing the Sonat. The audience could be heard marveling at the skill of the Patitucci as is he was playing the solo. I found the song Spain to be the fascinating piece of the day. Chick Corea was ingenious as he played the piano unconventionally in which there was a creation of new and creative sounds as evidenced by the applaud from the audience.

Conclusion

The Jazz San Javier Festival was graced by Chick Corea leading the Akoustic Band and joined by John Patitucci on the bass and Dave Weckl on the drums. It is a heavy-weight combination of instrumentalists. The first song, Morning Sprite, is played is high energy. One of the critical phenomenons is the light and smooth touch of Corea’s touch on the piano. The performance of the song Japanese Waltze shows the interplay between Corea and the rest of the ensemble. The audience can only sit back and enjoy the improvisation, and they unfold. The class of the band is created by the talent and skill of each member. John Patitucci is excellent, which is evidenced by his solo plays and interplays with Chick as shown in the song That Old Feeling. The song Lifeline is a time for Dave Weckl to shine, demonstrating his percussive acumen and accuracy. The concert performance was a platform for the ensemble to express once again what their skill and talent.

References

Lewis, J. (2018, August 1). Chick Corea review – full-throttle jazz that starts in fifth gear. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/aug/01/chick-corea-review-full-throttle-jazz-that-starts-in-fifth-gear.

Jazz San Javier. (2018, July 28). The Chick Corea Akoustic Band. Jazz San Javier 2018. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-XZu8DBLSs

Sarangi, I. (2016). Jazz Music: Its Influence on Literature. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2312.9848