2020 The Year of Concerts: March
Jazz makes me uncomfortable.
Genuinely, the runs and the splats of the trumpet make me feel uneasy. I can't predict it, can't tell where it's going. It shrugs off control. It disobeys the rules - rewrites them even. Jazz goes where it wants to. It doesn't ask permission. It simply sets the fire.
Yet, there's something kind of mesmerizing about it. I can't really find a good way to nod my head so it just becomes series of uneven bops. Then a weird dance takes over. People start scating which is the equivalent of being totally lawless in my opinion. I've talked about Jazz before on here, and my uncertainty with it. Somehow, though I end up back here again - sticking my binoculars into this genre that baffles me, but demands my respect.
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| from: http://www.sammymillercongregation.com |
Sammy Miller and the Congregation are an interesting combo of what feels like jazz, opera, and easy listening. The lead, Sammy Miller has nerdy, school-boyish vocals, met with hopeful, positive lyrics. The band of Juilliard students formed with an appreciation for all the different disciplines of music. Sammy grew up in LA with his sister making music, but moved to NYC to be at the heart of jazz. The rest as they say - is history.
Today the band is doing things like, Camp Congregation which is the band's way of filling the distance COVID-19 has created. Be sure to check it out if that's your vibe, and consider showing these talented people some appreciation. Likewise, I was going to see these guys in my town but it's been postponed with everything going on. So, I got to create my own little concert on Youtube and get to know their music with a little improvisation.
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It's not the same as being there for sure, but music goes on.
I think my favorite thing about doing this series is it's stretching me to learn how to talk about music that may not be my first choice, but that is certainly great music from talented people. As I mentioned above, jazz is something I admire, but not something I listen to much. But simply because it's not my 'go to' doesn't mean it doesn't have something to teach me - that's why doing this was important to me. I've got to listen where I wouldn't, or I'll never hear anything new.
This group strikes me as people who make music because they have to. I'm quite partial to those types. People that have to be part of music because anything else wouldn't bring them the excessive joy it is to create sound.
Performance-wise SM&TC are laid-back. Sound-wise they are about the same, which I think makes them a good gateway for people that aren't used to this style of music (myself included). They've got a softness that makes you relax the tension in your jaw without knowing it, a playfulness that invites you into the moment, and a quality of sound that suggests instruments may just have emotions, too.
Overall, I hope you give this group a listen. They've got something unique and it's obvious, they love their craft. Remember there is no space with music - it's hand is always extended to you. So if you need a hug, you know right where to go.
...
"I'm stuck in this brain,
stuck in this brain forever."
"It Gets Better," by SM&TC
I think my favorite thing about doing this series is it's stretching me to learn how to talk about music that may not be my first choice, but that is certainly great music from talented people. As I mentioned above, jazz is something I admire, but not something I listen to much. But simply because it's not my 'go to' doesn't mean it doesn't have something to teach me - that's why doing this was important to me. I've got to listen where I wouldn't, or I'll never hear anything new.
This group strikes me as people who make music because they have to. I'm quite partial to those types. People that have to be part of music because anything else wouldn't bring them the excessive joy it is to create sound.
Performance-wise SM&TC are laid-back. Sound-wise they are about the same, which I think makes them a good gateway for people that aren't used to this style of music (myself included). They've got a softness that makes you relax the tension in your jaw without knowing it, a playfulness that invites you into the moment, and a quality of sound that suggests instruments may just have emotions, too.
Overall, I hope you give this group a listen. They've got something unique and it's obvious, they love their craft. Remember there is no space with music - it's hand is always extended to you. So if you need a hug, you know right where to go.
...
"I'm stuck in this brain,
stuck in this brain forever."
"It Gets Better," by SM&TC
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