1st Amateur Concert Report

1st Amateur Concert Report

I attended my first Amateur concert on March 2, 2007 at Yuba City High School. I watched the Yuba College Jazz Ensemble play six songs. The instruments that I saw were the baritone sax, tenor sax, alto sax, piano, trumpet, drums, tuba, trombone, electric jazz guitar, and electric rock guitar (not too sure). The first song they played was Full house by Dave Lalama, which was a swing piece. This song started off with the baritone sax, tenor sax, alto sax, and the trumpet playing together. The instrument that stood out to me in this song was the drum. The drummer kept a steady beat during most of the time. I also heard a lot of call and response. The second song was Dos Gatos Bailando (Teo Cats Dancing) by Roy Phillippe. I am not too sure what kind of piece this was, but it sounded like a groovy salsa piece. It started off with drums and piano. The baritone sax and trumpet played alone and then the trombone added during the middle of the song. The third song was Jumpin' East of Java by Brain Setzer, which was a swing piece. This song included Bonnie Miller who was the vocalist, with a very lovely voice. During this song I believed the tenor sax stood and did a solo piece. The fourth song was my foolish Heart by Victor Young, which was a cool piece. This song was slower than the others. The tenor sax stood and did a solo, and then the piano player and the drummer. This song ended with the tenor sax and the trumpet. The fifth song was Don't be silly by Lars Halle, which was a funky piece. This was a great simple, but energetic piece. The last song was I Be Serious 'Bout Dem Blues by John Clayton, which is a blues piece. The opening of this song was between two trumpets. There were a few solos, ending with the full band. Although I enjoyed all of the songs, the one that I enjoyed the most was the funky piece, Don't Be Silly by Lars Halle. This song made me want to get up and start dancing. This was my first time ever seeing a jazz band in person, at first I thought I would not enjoy it, but to my surprise I very much enjoyed my time there.