Listening Assignment – Introductory ConceptsThe Los Angeles Jazz Quartet
...ial listener numerous associations are conjured in my vaulted memory and visionary future. Listening to music from the stance of a referential listener is most rewarding as you can daydream of the future and reminisce in fond memories tucked away within your mind. However, referential listening takes you away the beauty or mastery of the song and transposes the listener to another time or place; therefore the art of the piece is lost on the listener as s/he is consumed with other thoughts. Part II: The Los Angeles Jazz Quartet’s piece Reality isn’t one I’ve heard before. That being said I don’t wish to give the impression that I’m well attuned to jazz music. I am a casual listener who appreciates jazz for its deliberate musical changes and improvisational value. Within one jazz piece a listener is redirected, tossed around, turned inside out and upside down only to be place back on your feet exactly where the piece began. Reality is delicate and airy, with powerful leads from the saxophone before departing and the bass stepping in. All the while the drums and keyboard melodically keep pace. Reality demonstrates the unity of the ensemble and the variety displayed within the musical concept of t...