The first live jazz performance under analysis is Joe Pass’s show in 1992. This musician is often called the most notable and virtuous guitarist of the 20th century. His playing influenced future jazz development because he established high standards to be in the industry. During the performance, Pass is accompanied by his friend, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, whom he calls the best musician in the world (Jazz Green, 2014). Thus, half of the performance is Pass’s solo, and the other features a duo of Pass and Pederson.
The entire performance only includes two musical instruments that create the perfect sound. Pass plays the guitar, and his solo is perfect and thrilling. When Pedersen appears on stage, he brings a bass-viol that adds an unusual sound. The combination of two string instruments is successful because they complement each other and create harmony. The guitar and bass-viol are popular in jazz because they allow musicians to create the required sound and rhythm.
The show consists of ten melodies with different, intriguing, and memorable names. They are “Put On a Happy Face,” “Daquilo Que Eu Sei,” “Beautiful Love,” “They Can’t Take that Away from Me,” “Summertime,” “Some Time Ago,” “Corvocado,” “Old Foks,” “Oleo,” and “I Can’t Get Started.” It is good that Pass announced these titles by himself so that the audience perfectly understood what composition they enjoyed.
All ten compositions were beautiful and stylish melodies that were delightful for jazz enjoyers. Almost all of them had a minor tonality, low tempo, and high pitch. Since these features were not the most prominent characteristic features of jazz, Joe Pass was deservedly considered a virtuous guitarist. He managed to create jazz melodies by using many elements that were not characteristic of the given style.
Group interaction is evident in the last five compositions of the performance when the duo is present. Pass and Pedersen efficiently cooperate because their music contributes to harmony and establishes fully-fledged melodies. The musicians frequently look at each other, but their music demonstrates that they have a perfect mutual understanding. It seems that the two spend many hours and days practicing to achieve this notable result.
Pass and Pedersen perform in a seemingly standard concert hall. It has a medium and traditional stage that does not have any decorations. It is mainly dark, while light only surrounds the musicians. The concert hall is not small because there are two tiers of spectators there. Since it is dark inside, it is impossible to state how many people visited Pass’s show, but it is possible to suggest that a few hundred were present. The audience was pleasant and cultured because they actively applauded and whistled when appropriate.
The second performance under analysis is a concert by Dianne Reeves, who is a notable jazz singer. She became famous because she combined jazz, pop, and African folk music successfully. These features are present in the video by Diaz (2015) because Reeves relies on her powerful voice to blend musical styles. Reeves’s vocal is accompanied by a small orchestra, and their match creates excellent jazz. As for the orchestra, it is small and only consists of four individuals. They play the guitar, piano, drums, and bass-viol, and one should state that these instruments form the basis necessary to play jazz.
During the performance, Reeves presented many compositions, but only one of them was titled. It refers to “You Taught My Heart,” which was a slow-tempo song with a major tonality. As for the other compositions, they were mainly wordless, and this aspect was impressive. Reeves only pronounced specific vowels to show the strength and deepness of her voice. This approach allowed the audience to feel as if they were listening to a foreign singer. During the show, Reeves and her orchestra played songs of different tempos, tonalities, and pitches. In some of them, the singer managed to incorporate elements of African folk music, which can be considered her visiting card.
It is possible to state that there was a perfect group interaction between Reeves and her orchestra members. On the one hand, the music and her voice created harmony, which made it a pleasure for the audience to listen to the show. On the other hand, Reeves maintained eye contact and frequently interacted with her musicians. These aspects ensured that the singer and her orchestra were considered the whole one.
The performance took place in an exciting and suitable venue. Since the stage was so small that Reeves and her four musicians could hardly find the room, the first impression was that the place was small. However, when the audience hall was broadcast, it appeared that the venue was rather spacious because a few hundred people attended the show. It was dark inside, while some spotlights illuminated the stage, in general, and Reeves, in particular. The venue additionally had good acoustics, which was evident when the audience applauded and cheered the musicians. One can state that people of diverse backgrounds attended the performance, and they enjoyed it.
References
Diaz, J. (2015). Dianne Reeves – full concert 2014 [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Jazz Green. (2014). Joe Pass – JazzBaltica 1992 [Video]. YouTube. Web.