The music group that performed in the video is called the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour. It is a band that consists of “six of the fastest-rising stars in jazz” (Monterey jazz festival on tour, 2019, para. 1). In 2019, they “join forces for the first time to celebrate the Monterey Jazz Festival’s 60th anniversary” (Monterey jazz festival on tour, 2019, para. 1). Cécile McLorin Salvant, Bria Skonberg, and Jamison Ross on vocals (Jazz night in America, 2019).
Skonberg also plays trumpet and Ross on drums (Jazz night in America, 2019). Melissa Aldana plays tenor saxophone, and Yasushi Nakamura plays bass or, to be more precise, double bass (Jazz night in America, 2019). Christian Sands is a musical director who also plays piano (Jazz night in America, 2019). Moreover, he communicates with the audience and tells them about the performers between renditions.
Songs Performed
The musicians played six songs during the nearly hour-long performance. These are “Fog,” “Visions,” “Sack Full of Dreams,” “Ghost Song,” “Yasugaloo,” and “Splendor” (Jazz Night in America, 2019). It can be said that each song is a time to shine for a particular musician. In “Fog,” McLorin Salvant shows off his incredible vocals. “Visions” is about Aldana’s fantastic performance on the tenor saxophone. The audience first hears Ross’s vocals in “Sack Full of Dreams.” In “Ghost Song,” McLorin Salvant sings again, but this time she does it together with Skonberg and Ross. “Yasugaloo” is where Nakamura shows off his incredible double bass skills. Audiences hear Sands’ piano in most songs, but it is “Splendor” where he shows his best.
Musicians
It is safe to say that there is a sense of friendship between all the members of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour. This atmosphere of companionship reveals to the audience gradually, song after song. One can say that the whole performance almost feels like a meeting of distant relatives. In terms of roles within the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour, there are leaders and those who accompany them. McLorin Salvant is the lead vocalist, with Skonberg joining occasionally. Sands and Nakamura mostly follow Ross’s drum rhythm. However, both of them sometimes perform short solos in “Ghost Song,” “Yasugaloo,” and “Splendor” (Jazz night in America, 2019). Aldana leads wind instruments in the group, and Skonberg supports her part.
Stage, Audience, and Personal Opinion
Even though the performance was taking place at Lincoln Center, the stage feels like a jazz club, especially when the camera does close-ups of the musicians. The scene is full of soft and muted colors; its palette consists of black, orange, and yellow (Jazz night in America, 2019).
The lights are dimmed, and all of them are focused on the performers. The audience is almost entirely in the shadows. An unusual feature of the scene is the background. It is a giant transparent window that shows the night streets of New York (Jazz night in America, 2019). It is noteworthy that audiences respectfully listen to the performers and the music director’s words. They greet and give the musicians a long round of applause after the performance. They also applaud the music group after each song. I loved the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour; my favorite song is “Sack Full of Dreams.” I hope the COVID-19 pandemic ends soon so I can attend their live performance.
References
Jazz Night in America. (2019). Monterey jazz festival on tour (Live in New York) | Jazz night in America [Video file]. Web.
Monterey jazz festival on tour. (2019). Web.