Author: adleyc

The UNC Summer Jazz Workshop wrapped up this week and was a fabulous experience for me. I enjoyed being fully immersed in jazz, as well as learning more about journalism. I would recommend it to anyone, as long as you’re somewhat interested in music, you’ll have a great time. Here are my top four takeaways from an amazing week.

Jazz is difficult

Though I play guitar, I came to this workshop as a non-performer. This allowed me to see the inner workings of the practicing, learning, and understanding that goes into a jazz performance. I sat in on the daily improv sessions, where students would play various songs and then have a chance to improvise on them. These sessions displayed the remarkable ability of the students who made up majestic solos on the spot. It truly takes a lot to be a jazz musician and what the students here are doing is impressive. 

There’s more to journalism than you think

I had no prior journalism experience before this camp, and the journalism course is designed for that, people who know little about journalism. But going into it I figured we would just be writing about the workshop and reporting, but there is much more to it. I learned that journalists have to think about phrasing headlines that make people want to click on them, that articles need to be concise but have valuable details, and how just how much thought goes into every post, tweet, or news article put out by journalists. The camp gave me a great look into journalism as a beginner and has made me interested in the field.

Learning the history of jazz allows you to appreciate the music more

The jazz history portion of the course was very informative. Though the course only spans five days, I was able to get a good overview of the evolution of jazz and the highlights of famous musicians. Learning about jazz has definitely made me start listening to jazz. I’ve added a ridiculous amount of jazz music to my library after taking the class, and even while just listening to it, I can hear things I wouldn’t have heard before. 

The professors and faculty are superb

Dan Davis and Andy Bechtel are magnificent professors for the jazz history and journalism courses. Professor Davis is very passionate about the subject and keeps you fully engaged the entire time. His love for jazz makes you love jazz. Professor Bechtel is very experienced in journalism and teaches the basics in a clear and easy to understand way. He is always there if you need him and provides great tips on journalism. All the faculty are supportive and welcoming, creating a great environment.

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.