jazz by myself and three musicians on piano, bass and drums.
Wait, what? A concert and no
rehearsal? I’m not implying that
all jazz performances should be
unrehearsed. But this one was
designed to demonstrate the essence of jazz.
First of all, don’t try this with
anything but excellent and very
experienced musicians and singers. What the audience heard
was an initial rendering of a tune
as it was composed, followed by
variations on the original chords
and melody. New versions of the
piece were created by the artist
in the moment. Improvisation is
the opposite of reading music.
It was a spontaneous expression
of brain neurons fired in tandem
with the sonics of the heart and
soul.
Jazz musicians and singers become instant “arrangers” and
composers. A pop song or an
old standard ballad might be
performed as a samba. Whatever “spin” the player wants to put
on a song is OK in jazz. A jazz
PREVIEW
Dorado Schmitt &
Django Festival Allstars
Wednesday, November 11
Doors 7pm / Curtain 7:30pm
Victoria Theater
NewJerseyStage.com
2015 - ISSUE 10
137