Blog 5

The last concert that I went to was at the PLU too. This time it was Studio Series presenting “The Composer’s Forum.” It was on Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 3pm, again at the most beautiful Lagerquist Concert Hall.

This time it wasn’t as big as the last concert that I went to, but this time they played instruments and not singing. At this event they had three musical groups. Most fascinating was that they were students just like me, and they created these pieces that they presented at that concert during this semester. You never now maybe one of this pieces would be world famous one day, and I am going to be the one who heard it for the first time, at the very first presentation of it.

First composer was Alex Justice with his piece called “Time Dance,” and his crew with two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba. This piece mainly built off rhythmic ideas that are brought together by a relatively dominant melodic line, beginning in the horn. There are a couple of places where the feel of the piece changes dramatically, meant to introduce some new rhythmic and melodic ideas. The piece is written in four-four, but notated in a complex meter, resulting in phrases that end in the middle of a bar. The composer said that this piece follows a first movement that is still in the process of being completed.

Second composer was Dalton Rouse and his piece called “Quartet.” His crew was playing on saxophone, clarinet, trombone and euphonium. Dalton said that this piece is his first attempt at composing for winds. The shift in mood throughout into whatever story one’s mind sees fit. Each voice should be thought of as a different character. It is all about imagination in this piece.

Third and fourth pieces was by the same groups, but different composers. This group used electric guitar, saxophone, keyboard, bass guitar, and drums. First was Elliott Turner and his piece called “A World of Love and Pain.” Elliott said that his piece is constructed in a simple AABA song form, reflects the contrast between a very lyrical A section and a much more harmonically complex B section, emphasizing the contrasting world of ‘love’ and ‘pain’ that this piece tries to capture. The saxophone and guitar have a uniquely mellow, distinct sound, adding to the lyricism of this piece, and jazz waltz feel has a 

natural flow to it that reflects these themes as well.                                                         

Next piece that this group played called “Why Stop?” And it was written by Marc Harper. This piece attempts to incorporate modern dance themes with the new wave of East Coast jazz. Marc said that it is a simple ABC form piece, and the overall motivation behind the B section comes from many rhythm based dance ‘breakdowns.’ This song is not intended to be complex. The main purpose is to allow an audience that does not traditionally listen to jazz, to have jazz sneak up on them. Marc also said that the title is derived from his idea that jazz musicians should not give up on their dreams of playing such a wonderful form of self-expression.

Overall the concert was great, especially the last band, these guys have a bright future ahead of them. The only thing was that the concert was super short, in our calendar it says that it would be from 3 to 5, but in reality it was like 40 minutes.