Image by Krupesh Patel via Instagram
Blue Chops Jazz is a student-run band that formed this year. I heard about the band from my roommate who’s friend is in the band. The band focuses on Jazz music and all the members are current University of Michigan students. I went to their concert on September 30th at 8pm at one of the band member’s houses.
This was the first Jazz performance I heard live. Located in the basement of a college house, the setting of the concert provided a unique experience to the audience which were mostly college students. More specifically, they were the friends of members in the band. Some of the members seemed interested in the music, but I think the majority were there to support their friends. There were beer cans lying everywhere in the house. Many were gathered around the beer table in the corner trying to get a beer before they ran out.
The music can be heard anywhere in the house. At the same time, side conversations can be heard as well. The band tried to cater to the college student audience by playing some popular college songs towards the end. Listening to the music, I felt that the sounds from the saxophone and trombone stood out distinctly from the other instruments. The saxophone reminded me of New Orleans, the hometown of jazz music. Moreover, I also thought of the time I went to the Motown Museum during my freshman year. The saxophone provides calm music that uplifts your mood. The music is cheerful. The trombone has more intense sounds which interrupt the flow of the saxophone. Those interruptions make the music more interesting. As I was not used to listening to jazz music for this long, I felt bored after a while. The music seemed to all blend together and couldn’t tell if a piece was played multiple times. I missed the energy present during rock or pop music. I felt that this music would be nice to hear during a dinner at a fancy restaurant with a date.
Certain musicians in the band played more than others. I think there were 2 distinct members who controlled the music. Without them, I think there would likely be no band. The rest of the musicians seem to chime in at random moments. It is interesting to see college students try to bring back jazz music. Many college students prefer hip-hop, rap, and pop music. The musicians seemed to be passionate about the music, especially the saxophone player. Most of the musicians were sipping beers while playing. I thought this was interesting as they brought a unique twist to traditional jazz music. The college audience is more likely to connect to the musicians if they are drinking beer as that’s a common college student interest. I think this band is made for the college audience. They don’t expect serious, long-term jazz followers to be attending their concerts. Rather they are catering to the younger crowds of Ann Arbor who have little to no experience with Jazz but are open to learning more.
