Houston Ross Trio

For my second concert report I attended Miller’s on the Downtown Mall once again. I went on a Saturday night and it was actually a little less packed than the last time I went. On this particular night the Houston Ross Trio was performing jazz selections. The band is comprised of three members (hence the name “trio”): one on guitar, saxophone, and drums. This includes two black males and one white male, ages ranging from late 20s/early 30s to late 40s/early 50s. While listening to the music I could pick up on a variety of concepts discussed in class, such as musical characteristics, gender performance, and race and gender in music. For example, the three instruments produced a polyphonic tone. Each member played their own tune creating layers of sound. Although the instruments were being played simultaneously, each one has its own distinctive sound and it was easily recognized. The saxophone played a soft soothing sound, the guitar was more upbeat, but with a slow to moderate tempo (overall), and the drums gave the song a “bang!” with the clashing of the cymbals. The collaboration of all three instruments produced a rhythmic sensation that everyone could enjoy.

Another thing that I immediately noticed was the way in which the guitar was being played and I automatically thought of gender performance. As we discussed in class, one can perform gender in music in various ways: through dress, instrument used, the way in which the instrument is used, one’s voice, etc. Since the guitarist was a male he reifies the idea that a guitar is a masculine/male instrument. Also, he wore a looser strap while performing which is closer to the sexual organs and exerts masculinity; a sense of power. Although the gender performed was not the opposite of the guitarist gender (i.e. him performing femininity), it still reinforces the idea of “this is how a man is suppose to play a guitar.”

Race and gender in music can also be seen while watching the band’s performance. As discussed in class, music genres are male dominated for the most part. This is clearly visible in the Houston Ross Trio seeing that it is an all male band. In addition, their genre, jazz has not only been attributed to males, but to black males in particular. Black males were the originators of jazz. Since the band is composed of two black males and one white male, it can be assumed that jazz is a black male dominated category. However, I should say, that this particular band upholds certain origins of jazz (instruments included).

As far as the demographics of the audience at Miller’s, I would have to say it was predominantly white, with ages ranging from early 20s to early 50s, and they were casually dressed. A majority of the people were there to enjoy nice music and to socialize with friends. Many people stayed to their selective cliques while others mingled with strangers at the bar. This older white woman even kiss a man or two as she made her way through the bar area, demonstrating a drunken action or a more than friendly gesture. Strangers even danced with one another to selections played by the band. Overall, everyone was having a good time.
I noticed from the beginning that the band had little interaction with the audience. This could possibly be attributed to the fact that they did not have a vocalist. Usually a vocalist can emphasize the instruments used with his or her voice and intrigue the audience; creating a connection with the audience through the song’s theme. However, the band did take requests from the audience which presented some interaction, even if it was very little.

On the other hand, the audience’s interaction to the music performed ascended as the night went on. When I first walked into Miller’s, everyone was mellow and one older woman was the only one “extremely” engaged in the performance by making the statement “I love you!” to the guitarist. However, as the song selection changed people began to dance more and shout “Wheeeeew!” from the crowd. I also noticed that when the band played Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” everyone got excited and began to dance with one another in front of the band. And at the end of each song the audience roared and applauded the band’s efforts.

I actually had an interesting time and would not mind going back to hear the House Ross Trio play once again. I have always been a fan of jazz and I found their music relaying and vibrant (especially when they performed I Heard It Through the Grapevine!).

Jazz Chamber

This Sunday, The Forum at O’Hill was filled with the smooth sounds of the UVA Jazz Chamber. The performance consisted of four different groups ranging from beginner – intermediate to advanced. The students in the ensembles belonged to the McIntire School of Music at UVA. They were coached by UVA faculty members who enjoy playing jazz music in their spare time. The first group to perform was appropriately named The Friday 12:30 combo after their rehearsal time. This group was good but they were clearly the less advanced Jazz ensemble.
The vocalist for the first group was a first year girl named Jenny Burke. When I began to think about how I was going to describe the female vocalist for the Friday 12:30 combo I had to stop myself. I was about to describe her like “Rolling Stone” magazine would. I found myself looking at her clothing and her hairstyle first and then her music. So, I took a step back and focused on her actual performance .She had a nice voice but it was often over powered by the band. It seemed like she was a little nervous because she didn’t have a very strong stage performance. When she held the microphone she clenched it very tightly with her hands and kept it contained in the microphone stand. The only interaction she really had with the crowd was through her eyes. This was good in some aspects because it made the performance seem more intimate. It was also bad because she came off kind of stiff at many moments in her performance. Although, the vocal performance could have been better the band was excellent. Many of the songs they played had a strong blue’s influence. The guitarists played with a lot of distortion like some of the electric blues players we have studied. It was hard to tell but I think some of the songs featured the 12 bar blues as well. If it was not the 12 bar blues it was definitely a technique that jazz musicians derived from the 12 bar blues because many of the songs seemed like the beat looped in a continuous pattern. The songs always seemed to end how they started.
The next group to perform opened up with a bang. They preformed one of my personal favorites “Pure Imagination” featured in Willy Wonka the movie. The main difference between the two jazz ensembles’ was the confidence of the lead singer. The first thing she did was rip the microphone out of its stand and take command of the stage. She also made “cheesy” gestures at the audience and made facial expressions to match the mood of the songs. It was interesting to watch the dynamic between the lead vocalists and the guitar and bass players. I noticed they played their guitars upright and kind of nerdy. It was like you could tell they weren’t very sexual people by the way the played their instruments. Whereas, the vocalist’s really took command of the stage. Even though the jazz groups were not rock bands it seemed like they played by the same old rules. Meaning, if a girl is the leader of the band the band is not going to be “real” rockers. They’re not going to be really aggressive because they are commercialized and unserious. The other part of the group that was interesting was the guy playing keyboards. In most groups if there is a female in the band she is either on lead vocals or keyboards. Even though the keyboardist was a guy he was definitely the most put together out of every male in the group. He also seemed very confident on the keyboards. For Instance, instead of the drummer counting the group in and laying the foundation for the rhythm on the songs he did.
Overall, the Jazz chamber at the O’Hill Forum was very good. I have never really listened to a jazz performance before so I didn’t know what to expect but I really enjoyed it. I recommend anyone who has ever had an interest in Jazz music.

By: Asia Johnson