Experience
This amazing performance by Stefon Harris (vibraphone and marimba), David Sanchez (saxophone), and Nicholas Payton (trumpet), along with four other gentlemen, was shocking. It was full of energy, and yet, I was so soothed by the music. I loved that the performers were so relaxed and were walking on and off stage, even taking pictures of each other, and drinking water in the middle of a song. It was nice to see that they were smiling at each other and helping each other.
When David Sanchez played saxophone, I could see emotion and passion on his face that was transferred and played in his music. My favorite performer was Stefon Harris. He was stretching his body all over the vibraphone, holding the pedal with one foot, holding 3 or 4 mallets with his hands playing double or triple notes, and playing so fast and so energetic while humming the tune.
I liked the song La Pluma the best because I really felt like if a pen had a theme song this would be it! After the show, I bought their CD and got it signed by Stefon Harris and David Sanchez. They were very friendly and I took pictures with both of them. If 90 Miles returns to Brownsville, I will definitely watch the show again.
Expectations
I am not familiar with Cuban music or culture. The Ninety Miles concert will be an interesting show for me because I do like jazz music. I find it as a calming version of rock ‘n’ roll, yet I am going to listen to a different type of jazz. I learned that there would be three musical instruments in this show: vibes, saxophone, and trumpet.
I did not know what a vibraphone was, and I had to look it up on Google! From the video I watched, I found it to be a fun instrument to play and listen. I am interested to hear its delicate, high-pitched sounds blend with the deep, blissful tunes of the saxophone and the sharp and playful sounds of the trumpet.
Since the performers are young, I expect the show to be full of energy, tempting the audience to get up and dance. I think the audience will consist of men and women from late 20s to early 50s and not many children. I do not think there are many jazz fans in Brownsville, so it will not be a crowded show. However, I am glad that a different type of music and show is brought to Brownsville. I will attend the show with my parents, they seem to be interested!
Experience
[Kevin was out of town for this show, so his mom wrote his blog for him this time.]
I was amazed last night at the Arts Center. Ninety Miles was playing. I had never heard jazz music before. They were great they did a spectacular job.
They played several songs and the audience was applauding very loud. I had a great time listening to the upbeat modern jazz music. The whole band had the passion to the beat of the music. They were very energetic and astonishing. They were incredible. They blew the audience away with the songs they were playing.
Stefon Harris introduced himself to us by opening with some jokes and introduced his band to us one by one. The audience got even louder when he did that. I think it is hard to remember all the notes on each instrument they play. But of course they are professionals so they know what they’re doing without making any mistakes.
It was wonderful for them to come and play in Brownsville Texas. I enjoyed every minute of their music. They really did a great job. I hope they come back soon.
Expectations
Jazz has always been a musical genre favored by many Americans, but have most U.S. citizens heard a mix of our country’s jazz with another or just a different cultural jazz alone? That’s what the project Ninety Miles was inspired by, which influenced three talented musicians from diverse parts of the nation with lively experiences to create and perform for new ears.
One of the nation’s best vibraphonists got together with a saxophonist and trumpet player to form a band called Ninety Miles and achieve a harmonious blend of our traditional bebop with Afro-Caribbean and Latin emphasis, which I assume has to sound more contrasting than most artists exposed to known listeners. A profoundly anticipated act like this should give off a colorful, upbeat resonance toward the crowd whom expect a similar intonation ranging from ragtime to fusion and soul, and everything in between these variant types of tunes should be what hearing viewers shall receive labeling their sensation under modern jazz broadening our taste in music. This group of artistic, uplifting instrumentalists, being critically-acclaimed, should introduce us to something we’ve probably never heard before, and that’s an amazing concept to motivate change in people’s interests.
Experience
Ninety Miles was an intriguing experience. At first, it was a stretch for me to understand the sound or rhythm because it felt awkward to me (as if the melody and the accompaniment did not go together). However, after the first composition was over, I began to enjoy the music. It was as if I finally understood the international flavor of the jazz music presented.
Though I was not accustomed to the sound and melody of jazz music, I was pleasantly surprised at how very much I enjoyed the musicians’ performance. They all interacted very well with each other and communicated to us and each other through the music. We listened to many original compositions created by some of the same musicians. My favorite part was watching David Sanchez, the saxophonist, not only have a solo here and there, but how he would interject himself in other areas including assisting with the percussion. His passion was shining through his stellar performance.
I also thoroughly enjoyed all the solos by the musicians from the percussionist to the vibraphonist. Stefon Harris was amazing to watch. At one point I thought he would end up doing a split since his arms were so stretched to the max.
Overall, I know jazz fans loved the performance (I sat near two jazz fans and after the show they could not stop expressing how much they loved the concert). As for me, a non-jazz fan, I did learn to appreciate a different art form that I would not normally prefer. Surprisingly, my nine year old daughter did not dance off her chair, even though she did appreciate the performance.
Expectations
Ninety Miles is a performance that I would normally not attend. I am not a jazz fan. However, since this performance is a mixture of jazz, Latin and afro-Caribbean influence, I cannot wait to hear Ninety Miles (especially because I am of Latin descent, and I married a Jamaican). This will be intriguing to hear. Hopefully, the Latin and afro-Caribbean mixture will keep me interested in the performance and make it more enjoyable for me. Otherwise, this may just be a performance that I might just have to endure.
My nine-year-old, on the other hand, is a jazz fan. She loves to dance to jazz, so I am interested in what her response to this blend of music will be like. Since she has both the Latin and the afro-Caribbean genes in her, I wonder if she will sit through the performance or if I will have to strap her down so she does not dance off her seat.
Overall, I expect this performance to be a high-quality jazz concert since the performers are Grammy nominated musicians. Jazz fans will be delighted to hear this trio of musicians. For non-jazz fans like me, it might hopefully open us up to new experiences and a new appreciation of genres of music that we might not normally prefer.
Experience
Ninety Miles - the project started in Cuba and performed by Stefon Harris, David Sanchez, and Nicholas Payton - was an impressive collaboration between three superb jazz musicians. Watching Stefon play the vibraphone was truly great. He played some portions so fast, that the vibraphone mallets were just a blur of red. David played a marvelous saxophone. Nicholas' true New Orleans roots shone through in his trumpet work. They definitely complemented each other and were able to mesh their sounds well. Their collaboration made for a fine concert, although I was not able to understand where the Cuban influence was. All told, I was very impressed and look forward to more experiences with jazz music.
Expectations
I know very little about jazz music, so what is coming with next concert is very much unknown to me. I've never heard of any of the performers: Stefon Harris, David Sanchez or Nicholas Payton. Looking them up on the internet, they have been around a while, so they're a popular set of jazz musicians. I had to look up what a "vibraphone" was, and the description conjures up thoughts of music harkening from the World War II era. It will be nice to hear if that style is correct or if it's updated to newer styles.