Jazz Concert Report

Concert Report The Wayne Shorter Quarter concert was unlike any concert I have ever been to. The variety of instruments and style of the performers contributed to a unique experience. Not only was the music I heard versatile on several levels, but the behavior of the performers, appearance of the audience, and atmosphere of the venue contributed to my take away from the show. These factors allowed me to obtain a better understanding of jazz as not only an art form, but as a culture. The audience was the first thing I noticed when entering the venue. Most of the attendees were middle-aged and Caucasian. They were dressed in casual but nice clothing. It was not a formal event but no one was wearing tennis shoes are gym clothes. I also noticed that alcohol was being served with light refreshments. This contributed to the relaxed and casual environment that I expected of a jazz concert. I also spoke with a few concert attendees that were closer to my age. They said that they were part of a jazz band and were big Wayne Shorter fans. This showed me that Wayne Shorter’s music has listeners from multiple generations and is still influencing young musicians today. In the actual concert I noticed that the audience did not respond to the performers in any way other than clapping. I expected the audience to be more engaged and not just sit passively. However, they did thoroughly enjoy the performance because they received encore performances. My take away from the audience is that they were older adults who are strong jazz enthusiasts. This did not seem like a concert someone would go to if they did not have a deep knowledge of jazz. The appearance and behavior of the performers contributed to the casual feeling of the concert as well. All the performers were wearing normal day clothes and were not formally introduced. Wayne Shorter had a detailed introduction but the other performers did not. I realized that everyone in the audience probably knew a lot about the other