The Art of Jazz

In contemporary culture music is found in various forms produced by a variety of instruments, new and old. Instruments found in the jazz performance by the band “LMT” consist of basic instruments (in a newer form): electric bass guitar, electric guitar, drums, and of course vocals. The group is made up of three members, each to an instrument, except for the bassist who is the vocalist as well. It appeared as if each member of the band complimented one another instrumentally. They also incorporated newer musical tools such as the pedal, which produced various musical sounds that were utilized by the electric guitar.

“LMT” played a variety of songs consisting of some original pieces, which incorporated some improvisation, but mostly played cover songs such as an assortment of songs by “The Commodores” (for example, Brick House) and other jazz bands. One aspect noticeable was the lead singer, who appeared to be of African-American descendent. This was important and added to their musical sound because roots of the jazz genre are from former enslaved Africans in the U.S South, sort of made the music feel a little more authentic then having a Caucasian vocalist. His voice produced a wide range of tones and pitches which brought more excitement to their music, also to be mentioned he was the bassist which is a very important instrument in jazz.

The bass guitar seemed to be one of the most predominant instruments in the band, next to the drums. It came on very thick and heavy and seemed to work hand-in-hand with the drum kit. The bass player and the drummer appeared to interact with one another. It sounded as if the drummer strengthened the bass player’s walking bassline (steady bassline) by often playing the same rhythm on his ride cymbal (top right symbol for right hander’s, usually taller then the other cymbals). It was also noticeable that when the bass player was not playing a walking bassline, the drummer dramatically changed