Author: Brianna Peterson

 

1. You do not have to be an expert at jazz to participate!

While there is a part of the workshop that encourages people with instruments to join the workshop, another segment of the workshop engages students in the history of jazz and applying journalism to jazz.

2. People of all ages are welcome.

Individuals of all ages are encouraged to participate to show off their talents. Jazz is not limited to a certain age group, and all can enjoy it.

An account of this can be shown through an interview of a vocalist participating in this workshop, illustrating how inviting this workshop is and how it’s a fun experience.

3. There’s a packed schedule with a fun itinerary.

The span of UNC’s Summer Jazz Workshop is a week. It’s filled with fun events, which make the days go by fast. The scheduling includes concerts every night, showing different approaches to jazz and how it’s expressed in many cultures.

4. Jazz is more than music.

Jazz allows individuals to create their own sense of style all while promoting cooperation and communication. Performers improvise parts of the music, allowing for creativity and individualism to shine throughout their performances.

This workshop enables many people to experience different aspects of jazz, which helps individuals to appreciate the time and craft that goes into performing.

This vocalist is a first-time participant in the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop this year, going by the name K.B. (To respect her confidentiality, only initials will be used for this post).

K.B. is a performer, and her choice of instrument is her voice. K.B. says, “Singing is just an instrument.” 

The reason why she participated in this workshop was her brother, as he had also done this workshop in the past. She explained how he played many instruments but did not sing, so he suggested this workshop to her. 

Often when a vocalist is on stage, they are assumed to be in the spotlight. However, K.B. sees it this way: “Singing is usually the main focus. But the way I think of it, singing is one puzzle piece of the art of jazz, and it adds as much as a trumpet would in a piece.”

When asked what she hoped to gain from the workshop, she wanted to go out of her comfort zone and try new methods of singing because she usually sings to pop music. She tries to practice her runs to help with scatting as well. 

In jazz, scatting is a style of improvisation on vocals used to accompany the instruments in jazz, and she wanted to try it. K.B. expressed that she tends to use a nasally voice to add to the music.

Her inspirations for singing are Ella Fitzgerald and Nina Simone. K.B. likes their kinds of singing and feels like she sounds close to them in terms of style. 

From California to North Carolina, she always enjoyed singing as a child. After finding recordings of a young K.B. singing in her phone, her mother put her in vocal lessons.

K.B. expressed that while she does intend on singing as a profession, she’d be willing to keep her singing as an enjoyable hobby.  

K.B. said that she is enjoying her time at the workshop. She likes how she is able to challenge her creative freedoms through jazz.

“I really like it. I enjoy the combo that I’m in. I like the people,” K.B. said. “Everyone is really good and talented, which I love listening to.”

 

Walking into Moeser Auditorium, the crowd is buzzing in excitement to listen to the tunes the musicians are going to play. People of all ages gathered to appreciate jazz and the elements of jazz that make it a significant part of music. After a casual introduction, the concert starts smoothly.

They called the first tune Open Sesame. This tune was powerful from the syncopated beats from the saxophone solo, along with helpful accompaniment from the piano, drums, bass, and trombone.

The second tune played was called Brooklyn en la casa, and true to its name, the tune sounded like taking a leisurely drive through the streets of Brooklyn, also having the element of surprise having loud moments.

The third tune had an evident shift in tone. There was soul written all over it. There were church-like elements to how the tune was played, and the musicians added their own touch of playfulness to take the tune to the next level.

The fourth tune was called “A Moment to Breathe” and started with a slow and gentle solo from the piano, providing a moment for the performers to take a break. In comparison to the other tunes, the song sounded sweet and soft, then gradually got more dynamic as the tune progressed.

The last tune had created engagement with the crowd, the musicians urging the audience to clap the beat throughout. Cheers and praise filled the crowd from the variety of tunes the performers played.

The performers put their whole body into playing, whether that meant swaying to the beat or bopping their heads showing the amount of passion they have for music. The level of playing was evident as well, hands gliding over their instruments like it’s second nature.

Collective improvisation was used throughout the whole performance, also showing the expertise and dedication the performers have to be able to display their talents. The crowd fed off of their energy, making the concert very enjoyable.