Having a Blast at TC Lounges Jazz Night

Last night, September 19^th, at the TC Lounge in the East Tower, I attended an amazing jazz night around 8:30. I’ve heard of these nights, but never actually went to one until last night. I sat in the corner with my cup of coffee not expecting much, but boy was I wrong. By the end of the night I honestly didn’t even want to leave, the music was just that great.  The night started off with some simple jamming on the piano. The pianist was playing a repetitive piano movement for a warm up while a man clapped a distinct 4/4meter along with him.

The first song included a stand up bass, some drums, and a trumpet player. Man that trumpet player absolutely blew me away. He improvised various beautiful solos that did not have a distinct melody. The overall sound of the piece was smooth and soft and the one instrument that definitely stood out was the trumpet. They all ended the song with some interesting staccato notes that were syncopated and they finally completed the song on what I believed was a minor note. From the first song, I realized how much I really enjoy listening to jazz music. This particular piece made me feel relaxed but had an upbeat feel at the same time.

The second song was a complete different feel than the first. It was the same three instruments, but it was very upbeat and fun and if I could I would have definitely danced to it! More great improvised solos came from the trumpet, making people hoot and holler. The bass gave a great undertone to the piece with its repetitive notes, definitely playing into the incredible jazz feel. The drums were more prominent in this song with random loud strikes of the snare at certain points. In the middle of the song, the dynamics became very soft causing a much more solemn mood. It quickly reversed back to the upbeat, louder tune that it began as, bringing out the fun feel once more. The song ended pretty abruptly, but it fit the tune perfectly.

They then played a familiar song, but I could not recall the name of it for the life of me. It was the same instruments once more, but the song started out very slow and pretty quiet. When it finally picked up the pace, there was a stand up bass solo that was attention grabbing. It added very well to the tone of the song, and the texture became deeper. Throughout this song, the drums were pretty quiet and just played a back layer. I caught myself thinking so many times how much I loved the trumpet solos. He was absolutely amazing and can’t wait to hear him again sometime soon. I noticed when the volume drops in the songs, people talked more, and I just didn’t understand why because I couldn’t concentrate on anything else but the amazing music.

In the next song, my favorite instrument to listen to came into play, saxophones!! There were three saxophones, a pianist, a stand up bass and a drummer. The saxophone players made beautiful harmonies that definitely stood out to me. After playing together, they all had their own solos that were amazing and stood out equally as much as the other.

I finally recognized a song when a saxophone by itself came into the mix and started playing the song “There’s A Place For Us”. I personally loved the effects the cymbals were bringing to the tune. Being a drummer, I personally love all of the light touches that the drums enhance. There was a wonderful drum solo in this song. The mood was soft and kind of sultry, knowing the song and how it is sung.

            The last song that I heard was with a trombone, bass and drums. I never really heard a trombone solo before so it was pretty interesting. There were very upbeat rhythms towards the beginning of the song and it was very fast, fun and able to dance to. It caught my attention from the very beginning, with the trombone and drums being loud and overpowering. A common thing I noticed in all the fast paced songs, including this one, was that it gets quiet in the middle and the mood automatically changes. The drummer rocked out in this song and definitely stood out the most with its amazing solos.

            In conclusion, I absolutely loved going to the jazz night and will definitely be there in the future. I saw common themes in each piece, and I would definitely compare this to some of the folk music we had heard in class. It was definitely more upbeat and entertained the crowd more, but it had that communal feel that folk music is supposed to have. I personally loved the trumpet, saxophone, and drums the most and can’t get the great rhythms out of my head. This event has inspired me to want to go to many concerts in the future.

 Few of the instruments I heard last night