We went to a concert, Olivia and the Santa Barbara Boys on last Monday, March 25th at Lawrence & Alma Berk Recital Hall, which is located in 1140 Boylston Street, Boston, MA. It was the third concert to have attended during this course. Jazz is a music genre that is of interest to many people. There should be effort to ensure that this interest is maintained by improvising it so that people will still like it. Compared to the last two concerts we went, this concert was presented in a university hall which made people feel casual. The audience was more relaxed and sat in the rows with a square shape. Olivia Fortunato, the harpist presented this concert who studied in Berklee College of Music. As I searched online article, it is clear that she has played the harp for 15 years, having studied at the Hartford Conservatory and Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Ms. Fortunato has performed with countless orchestras and chamber groups in Connecticut, Boston and Cape Cod. She was wearing a red dress on that day and looked very pretty and lovely. This was not my first time to listen to a harp concert but I really enjoyed this time because the way she presented was more novel and lively compared with the classical harp music. The concert started at 7pm and I arrived around 6:30 pm. Before the concert started, Olivia plucked the strings gently, began tuning the harp and practiced several songs to warm up. According to the concert program, the concert contained seven pieces. The first song she played is called "Sonate pour Flute, Alto, et Harpe", composed by Claude Debussy and played by violist, Jordan Bak, the Flutist Joanna Lee and the drummer Matt Rephaelian (The drummer did not play on the first piece.) This was a French song and, according to L’on Vallas, Debussy initially planned this as a piece for flute, oboe and harp. He subsequently decided that the viola’s timbre would be a better combination for the flute than the oboe’s, so he changed the instrumentation to flute, viola and harp. Actually I thought the first did not interest me, and I cannot even figure out whether the first piece was finished or not until everybody clapped their hands. When the first piece finished, Olivia stood up and introduced herself and the other players, also thanked everybody for coming. The second piece was a harp solo called "Suite of Dances" and the rhythm was soft and quiet. The most that impressed me was Olivia Fortunato, started to play with the drummer Matt Raphaelian. These three pieces ended up being jazz. The piece "Samba", composed by Bernard Andres is Latin Jazz music. The other piece she combined the music from renaissance with blue jazz named "Bluesette". Also, the last piece she combined the new jazz song "Take five" composed by Paul Desmond with an old traditional English Christmas song "Greensleeves". Its distinctive catchy harp melody; imaginative, jolting drum solo were really attractive to people’s attention. During these pieces, the two played the harp and drum which combined perfectly, the harpist led the main rhythm and matt played the gong (cymbals) lightly which gave the audience a fresh feeling of jazz music compared the traditional music which we usually listened. These three pieces gave audience a perfect experience that was memorable. The concert was finished at around 8:00 pm. Different from the last two concerts which were only about Gypsy music and about jazz music history Contemporary Improvisation, this concert is much more casual and relaxed. Audience enjoyed the concert. It was really a fantastic and memorable experience that I never had about music.
Argumentative position
There is a new feeling and experience with jazz with the use of a harp. In the concert that I attended, there are a lot of changes in the way jazz is being played which gives jazz a new experience. This has led to a growing demand for those who are able to play jazz so that they can offer education. With the experience I had, the drummists were led by the harpist who made the whole experience and process beautiful. I have never experienced this thing before. He harp is changing and improvising the way music is played in the traditional settings. Traditional playing of jazz is changing and new ideas have been edged into the process. For a long time, the harp has not been used in jazz performance. This has changed with time. I strongly believe that the harp is a good match with other instruments when they are used in music. I do not believe on the notions that have been put forth that harps are meant to be used for classical music. It has been argued that it is ethereal in sound and not fit to be used in performances of jazz.
With the use of harps in performing jazz, there will be new ways of performing jazz. This will require that the traditional performance of jazz will have to be adjusted. This will come up with interesting manner in which jazz is played. It is important to understand the way jazz is undertaken. It will change the overall look of jazz and with this trend, the traditional ways will be replaced with the modern ways of playing jazz. Wilder argues that it is important to understand the role that jazz has. I believe that jazz can be played with any combination of instrument if they are combined well. It is important to understand these combinations and make the use of harps and other instruments to match well.
I also strongly believe combinations of various styles of singing with that of different instruments will make jazz evolve from its traditional settings. With new fans into stage and with new instruments that have been developed, there is a need to have new instruments being tried so that jazz can be as interesting as before. New listeners of jazz will have different taste. Improvising helps new fans and listeners understand that they are able to make things up from various elements and components that are provided to them. This way, they are able to learn that they are musical in this aspect. Music is made from different elements that could be in existence or that could be made from scratch. This means that the technical skills that are required to play the various musical instruments and the traditions that are attached to these instruments should be used as tools to improvise. They should not be used as obstacles that will hinder the performance of music.
I advocate for the improvisation of jazz and other music genres. I strongly believe that the players in this field should be left to adjust the plays and be able to understand the new developments in music. If artists are allowed to add new styles and instruments to various music genres, there will be interesting combinations that will be interesting to the future generations. I advocate for the improvisation of music genres so that new genres will be attained in the future. If the traditional settings are maintained, there will be loss of interest in jazz. From the first paper, I have advocated for improvisation of music. I have advocated for change of some elements of musing to suit the situations in which they are being played. Departing from the traditional performances of classical performances, the use of harps brings forth a mixture of performance. There was a change of events and how the various music elements were brought up. The improvisation of the ancient music with instruments like harps with a touch of the modern era was refreshing in the concern.
The various developments of jazz have been due to the changing political and cultural environments. This is a good indication and signal that this will continue to change. This way, there is a need to ensure that improvisation is enhanced. Jazz has been improvised depending on the changes on political scenes and cultural environments. With these continuous developments, it is important to understand the genres that are already there and the factors that need to be considered when undertaking the changes that are required. In looking at the historical context of jazz development, it is evident that the changes that have been experienced with jazz have been due to the changing environments. With these changes, there are changing demands of music genres. This is how changes have been experienced and met.
Support of my position
I support my position from the event that I attended at Lawrence & Alma Berk Recital Hall on 25th March. There was good performance and improvement of jazz in this event. The changes I saw included the fact that the harp was included in the play. I have never seen a harp being used in a jazz performance. I saw this and I was perplexed. I had a good experience and I learnt very many ways in which jazz can be played. The last performance had a mixture of instruments. The tone which was used in the event changed when the harpist was used to lead on the main rhythm. This brought a new mixture of instruments. I was able to understand the music and the way this music was played. The drums were integrated in a melodious way such that there was perfect harmony. The people who performed the event had everything right. There were enhancements in the performance as the various artists performed in perfect understanding of the event. This was the last performance which became different from the rest. Unlike the first performance, the musicians brought together the sense of freedom in the way they undertook the performance such that they were able to perform with freedom without the need to be confined to the set rules. In other performances that have been undertaken in the past, musicians have been confined to following the rules that have been laid down. This was not the case and the musicians were able to cope with the new culture where they were able to improvise their singing and sing in the style that they like and are comfortable performing. The performance can be seen to be a mixture of the past music and modern music. This is seen in the way the music that spans long periods of time and instruments from diverse cultures and their period of existence. The instruments that were used brought some sense of tradition from the cultures that produced them.
Analysis
There are many elements that have affected jazz music. In his article, Salamone (14) argues that culture plays a crucial role in the development and enhancement of jazz. There are various components that have been developed in various continents. Salamone (14) states that
“In common with most Western music, jazz is comprised structurally of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Somewhat, simplistically, it has been common to assign its harmony to Europe, rhythm to Africa, and to leave its melody somewhat up for grabs. Although there is some truth in this stereotype, it excludes rather more than it includes. Jazz, itself, grew up out of the myth of Africa prevailing at the turn of the last century” (Salamone 14).
He goes on to state and describe the culture that is in jazz music and describes the cultures and values that are found in jazz music. Salamone has been in the music industry as a producer for over 15 years. He has changed many issues and cultures about music. He has contributed to the changes in the contemporary society. This way, the different parts of the world have jazz variations.
Ake (13) is another author who has contributed immensely to the literature regarding the developments in jazz cultures. The author brings the issue of different players who have contributed to the developments of jazz. This is an aspect that brings on the developments of jazz in a well developed culture. Ake (14) is an author cum musician, though not popular who has been in the music industry. He argues that
“Certainly, any historical narrative that emphasizes the immense contributions to jazz by individuals of color is understandable and well founded – it remains irrefutable that the vast majority of the genre’s most influential players have originated from African-diasporic communities. This Afrocentric historiographical stance appears especially warranted in light of the adorable “White washing” of the music’s history that has surfaced on occasions” (Ake 14)
Ake (14) continues to argue that the developments and the mixture of the various cultures have enhanced the developments in this culture. The culture plays an important role in jazz music. Culture affects the components and the instruments that are used to play music.
Panish (12) is another author who strives to show the role of culture and ethnic communities have had in the developments of jazz. He works as a producer and singer. He has written many papers on this subject of jazz and culture. He argues
“Correctly or not, bebop musicians considered swing to be yet another white appropriation of black culture, and saw almost exclusively white musicians and businessmen making money from it” (Panish 12).
Annotated bibliography
Salamone, Frank. The culture of jazz: Jazz as critical culture. Maryland: University Press of America, 2009.
Panish, Jon. The color of jazz: Race and representation in postwar American culture. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Ake, David. Jazz cultures. CA: University of Carlifonia Press, 2002.
Works Cited
Ake, David. Jazz cultures. CA: University of Carlifonia Press, 2002.
Panish, Jon. The color of jazz: Race and representation in postwar American culture. Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Salamone, Frank. The culture of jazz: Jazz as critical culture. Maryland: University Press of America, 2009.
