Jazz Concert Paper

The CSUN Jazz A Band performed at the Valley Performing Arts Center on February 28, 2013 at 7:30 PM. The director, John Daversa, put together two sections of the show; the first section exhibited the works of Dee Barton, a local jazz musician that recently passed away and the second half introduced two renowned vocalists that accompanied the jazz band. The first vocalist was Renee Olstead, an entertaining vocalist with a strong and soulful voice. The second vocalist was Tierney Sutton who has an amazing talent of creating an instrument with her voice. Each unique section created different environments and tones that resonated the styles of each musician. Upon entering the Valley Performing Art Center, I was greeted by an usher that was handing out programs. The auditorium had large curved pieces of wood on the roof for better acoustics. On the stage was a large backdrop with numerous amounts of different colored lights shining on it. The stage was oriented in such a way where each musician could be seen. The band consisted of a piano, vibraphone, guitar, bass, drums, and an ensemble of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, flutes, and clarinets. The audience sat in seats in front of the band on the first floor and I was seated near the front. The show started with the John Daversa giving an introduction of the show and the special guests. Throughout the concert, special musicians got to come to the front and play solos into a microphone. The concert was centered around the musical genre of jazz. Jazz is an All-American genre that started in the early 20th century. The biggest names in jazz history include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Bassie, Art Tatum and Benny Goodman. These musicians created a new kind of music that the world has never seen before. The groundbreaking feats that these people made changed the world of music and made it something that breaks all the rules of traditional music. The prominent musicians of the concert were the CSUN Jazz ‘A’

Cited: California State University, Northridge – College of Arts, Media, and Communication. Jazz “A” Band. Northridge: Department of Music. n.d. Print. Ensembles – Jazz Ensembles. The award winning CSU Northridge Jazz “A” Band. Calfornia State University, Northridge – College of Arts, Media, and Communication. n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2013. John Daversa. N.p. n.d. Web. 18 Mar 2013. O’Malley, Ed. Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards for California Public Schools. Prekindergarten Through Grade Twelve. California Department of Education. 2001. Web. 18 Mar 2013.