Writing Homework Help

Jazz Concert Review – 600 word minimum.

Attend a live jazz concert. If a live concert is not available in your geographic area, students may attend, virtually, a jazz set at Smalls Jazz Club, located at 183 W. 10th St, New York City, and write a review about the music. Check the calendar, as there is a diversity of groups nightly. http://www.smallsjazzclub.com/ (Links to an external site.). Live performances must be current (i.e. not a concert attended before this course started), preferably during the last two weeks of the term. Try to model your essay on a review we have examined in class from a primary source.

Refer to our jazz website resource guide as well for more virtual live-viewing options (posted on portal).

Address the following points:

1. Setting – when? Where? describe venue, acoustics (lots of echo=”wet”; not much echo=”dry”) Band – instrumentation? vocalist? electronic? acoustic? who was the leader?
2. Repertory – describe the songs they play, give titles if possible. Talk about tempo, volume, contrasts. If the program consists of many songs, compare and contrast a few which are all different. If everything they play is similar, how so? The melody? the rhythm? the texture?
3. Style – In what style or styles do they play? Traditional (“Straight ahead”)? Fusion of styles? Rock influenced? Dixieland (New Orleans)? Why did you conclude that? Musical characteristics: melody, harmony, rhythm. Did you know any of the songs?
4. Song forms, presentation: Do they use lots of arrangements, or do they just seem to play the melody, then improvise, then play the melody again? Use of introductions to the tunes? Try to talk about the form of the tunes.
5. Improvisation/Interaction – do they improvise a lot? Who improvises most? Do they seem to be communicating in any way? Who do you like the most? Why?
6. Sound phenomenon opinion – what’s your impression of the overall sound? organized? pleasing to the ear? difficult to listen to? What’s the timbre (sound quality of each instrument and the overall combination)?