Concert Critique # 1 Essays - Accompaniment, African-American Music

Concert Critique # 1 Essays - Accompaniment, African-American Music MUL 2380 M W - 7:05p 8:20p 10/28/2015 Concert Critique # 1 On October 2, 2015, The Jazz Station in Homestead hosted a unique and spectacular jazz concert playing the Afterglow Party. The performance was primarily a display for Harmonic Laboratory, a collection of artists situated in Florida International University. The concert was located in the Hult Center Lobby and featured works from several promising musicians who came up with an assortment of unique musical combinations. This was an ideal chance to witness an extensive diversity of music, which for the beginner jazz enthusiast, was wonderful. However, it was not only the music but also several different works of art that made this show successful. The ambiance in the Hult Center Lobby was largely responsible for the success of the jazz concert. The management had installed dim lighting and added the sensitive touch of a candle on each table that gave the whole concert a romantic feel. Although the Hult Center Lobby was packed with revelers and artists, the atmosphere was generally peac eful and soothing. There was likeability and effortlessness in the way each of the performances took place. One of the spectacular aspects of this performance was the addition of Harmonic Laboratory. The performance by this group was tremendously enjoyed because it seemed easier to listen and analyze the music. The first song that the group played captivated the whole crowd while the second performance was equally entertaining. Immediately the first song began, I realized they were singing several familiar tunes. In the music, I managed to grasp a basic right hand melody being played that gave the piece a lighthearted sound. The next showcase was a quartet with a tenor sax, the piano and trombone. This performance could be categorized as my favorite performance in the whole event. The music had a supernatural and mystifying tune achieved by playing with minors. There was a strong prominence on the antiphony aspect (call and response) particularly at the start of the music. Using minor notes and keys generated conflicting noises occasionally in the process of the performance. In this quartet, the audience was given the privilege of viewing all the instruments on stage including the tenor sax, the piano and trombone. One skill the saxophone player was particularly adept at was the repeated use of sequential chords instead of the conventional ringing (arpeggios). The piano player would also play a strong tune simultaneously and then simmer down gradually. There was undoubtedly a rough feeling to this performance. The song would have made a convincing soundtrack for a James Wan movie such as Saw. This music had everything an accomplished jazz song should have and I was beside myself with satisfaction and admiration. Towards the conclusion, the music gradually developed its climax and then it abruptly ended. The next performance was the whole group Harmonic Laboratory and involved all the instruments on stage. The song began slowly and disorganized but soon picked up into the conventional stay rhythm that is common to jazz. The trombone began and followed by the trumpet and lastly, the piano. This blend and the way the music was played gave off a genuinely depressed feeling. The sound was somewhat gloomy. The two instruments were also competing with each other and kept overlapping and increasing in volume. In between the pauses, the leader of the group casually talked to us, and he kept us engaged as they prepared the next set. The song entitled What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong was played by a quartet having a drum set, a bass guitar and piano. The drum set started the piece and applied exceptionally strong kicks and snares to stress the melody. The bass guitar joined in a little later with a rougher accent after which Jeremy Schropp finally kicked in with the piano. All the players used a 4/4 time with a temporary interjection by the bassist who resorted to chords one and three using the right hand. The music was unquestionably a combination of soul and blues. It had strong beats and ostinato (repealed bass lines) that made most of the audience starts to nod their heads and tap their feet. Towards the conclusion of the song, the piano started to get more dominant

Mount Vesuvius According to Pliny

Mount Vesuvius According to Pliny Mt. Vesuvius is an Italian volcano that erupted on August 24* A.D. 79 blanketing the towns and 1000s of residents of Pompeii, Stabiae, and Herculaneum. Pompeii was buried 10 deep, while Herculaneum was buried under 75 of ash. This volcanic eruption is the first to be described in detail. The letter-writing Pliny the Younger was stationed about 18 mi. away, in Misenum, from which vantage point he could see the eruption and feel the preceding earthquakes. His uncle, the naturalist Pliny the Elder, was in charge of area warships, but he turned his fleet to rescuing residents and died. Historical Importance In addition to Pliny recording the sights and sounds of the first volcano to be described in detail, the volcanic covering of Pompeii and Herculaneum provided an amazing opportunity for future historians: The ash preserved and protected a vibrant city against the elements until future archaeologists unearthed this snapshot in time. Eruptions Mt. Vesuvius had erupted before and continued to erupt about once a century until about A.D. 1037, at which point the volcano grew quiet for about 600 years. During this time, the area grew, and when the volcano erupted in 1631, it killed approximately 4000 people. During the rebuilding efforts, the ancient ruins of Pompeii were discovered on March 23, 1748. Todays population around Mt. Vesuvius is about 3 million, which is potentially catastrophic in the area of such a dangerous Plinian volcano. A Pine Tree in the Sky Prior to the eruption, there were earthquakes, including a substantial one in A.D. 62** that Pompeii was still recovering from in 79. There was another earthquake in 64, while Nero was performing in Naples. Earthquakes were seen as facts of life. However, in 79 springs and wells dried up, and in August, the earth cracked, the sea became turbulent, and the animals showed signs that something was coming. When the eruption of the 24th of August began, it looked like a pine tree in the sky, according to Pliny, spewing noxious fumes, ash, smoke, mud, stones, and flames. Plinian Eruption Named after the naturalist Pliny, the type of eruption of Mt. Vesuvius is referred to as Plinian. In such an eruption a column of various materials (called tephra) is ejected into the atmosphere, creating what looks like a mushroom cloud (or, perhaps, pine tree). Mt. Vesuvius column is projected to have reached about 66,000 in height. Ash and pumice spread by the winds rained for about 18 hours. Buildings started to collapse and people began to escape. Then came high-temperature, high-velocity gasses and dust, and more seismic activity. *In Pompeii Myth-Buster, Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadril argues that the event occurred in the fall. Translating Plinys Letter adjusts the date to September 2, to coincide with later calendar changes. This article also explains the dating to A.D. 79, the first year of Titus reign, a year not referred to in the relevant letter. ** In Pompeii Myth-Buster, Professor Andrew Wallace-Hadril argues that the event occurred in 63. Sources Volcanic Phenomena at Pompeii[formerly at www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/archaeology/sites/europe/pompeii.html Pompeii][formerly at volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/volc_images/img_vesuvius.html Vesuvius Italy][formerly at vulcan.fis.uniroma3.it/vesuvio/79_eruption.html The 79 AD Eruption of Vesuvius]