The gypsy theme for our second jazz festival weekend at Parc Floral was interlaced in most of the performances. The “Costel Nitescu Quintet” featured a medley of solos and ballads that carried upbeat tempos. However, I found the lead violinist to be too excessive and overdone. Subsequently, a group called “Bojan Z – Expatriots” took the stage and gave jazz a modern twist with the addition of beatboxing and record scratching. The lead vocalist entwined the political struggles of his racial background in his music by gesturing outlandish antics; in one scene, he washed “blood” off of his hands, and wrestled himself to the ground in another. Regardless, both groups displayed excellent syncopation and creativity in their shows. 🎤
More friends from Loyola Marymount University accompanied us to the jazz festival the next day. We arrived a little late, and we were all astonished by the sheer increase in the number of people who came that afternoon. The “Bireli Lagrene Gypsy Trio” utilized their guitars and bass instruments to make a pleasant string production. That group implemented a lot of familiar pop tunes in their music to engage the audience. “Kocani Orkestra,” the final ensemble for the day, utilized their massive collection of brass instruments to generate loud, thunderous music. This assembly did not feel like authentic jazz to me; it showcased music that was more ethnic and cultural in heritage. Thanks to the “history of jazz” course I am currently taking, my tastes in jazz have become more picky and mature; none of the bands I heard this weekend were too impressive. I anticipate hearing better performances next week. ⚡️
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