The first day of the 2023 Summer Jazz Workshop at UNC finished with a concert featuring “The Music of Al Strong.”
The sextet featured:
- Al Strong, trumpet
- Rahsaan Barber, saxophone
- Roland Barber, trombone
- Dr. Stephen Anderson, piano
- Jason Foureman, bass
- Kobie Watkins, drums
The instruments were arranged in a semi circle, giving the audience a clear view of all musicians. The rhythm section was placed on the outside with the piano on the far left, bass in the center, with drums on the right side. The frontline instruments were then placed in the center of the stage.
The music began as soon as the musicians walked on the stage. The first piece, “Lullaby for the Ancestors” began with all instruments playing at maximum volume, then the trumpet took the lead and moved into a somber melody.
An improvised drum solo took us to the next piece, “At-Nimara’s Journey,” a groovy tune that allowed each musician to have their own solo improvisation, as well as collectively improvising during the song.
The improvisation throughout the concert impressed me. Each musician created their own unique, impressive solo, but the collective improvisation of the instruments together made the piece special.
The performers almost seemed as if they were trying to outdo each other’s solos. Roland Barber would play a stunning solo then step away while Al Strong would perform his own impressive solo in an attempt to up Barber. However this was done with the utmost respect, while one performer was soloing, the others would nod in approval and visually show how impressed they were with their bandmates skill.
The show progressed through multiple pieces, but they all flowed smoothly from one to the next. The Music of Al Strong didn’t come to just play us tunes, but to put on a full show.
The audience enjoyed the concert thoroughly. People bobbed their heads in time with the music, bounced their legs, and clapped throughout.
To end the show, Al Strong got the audience involved, leading them in a clap in time with the music. Strong led us in some song to get us excited for the camp and recapped his bandmates with us clapping in time.
This concert was my first live jazz experience, and I was blown away by the expertise, expression, and connection the players had with one another. Previously I had only listened to jazz music passively, but watching jazz is an immersive experience. I could feel the music during the concert. Now I can truly say you haven’t lived until you’ve seen live jazz music.