Notes over Coffee
Have you ever wondered how jazz music made its way from the southern areas of America, like New Orleans and Tennessee, to become popular in nearly almost every other somewhat populous American city? Jazz music is an art form which originated in the early twentieth century. The music was primarily popular in African American communities in the Southern United States. The original forms of jazz were a confluence of African and European music traditions. Throughout the years, jazz has evolved into different subgenres depending on the musical tastes of the artist. Glad Panda, the featured artists at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival on March 11, 2009, is the result of the collaborations of several local Eau Claire jazz musicians. By each bringing their own unique talents to the venue, and some synthetic mustaches, they shared their music not only consisting of your typical idea of jazz music, but some compositions swinging more towards the alternative rock side of the genre spectrum.
Walking across the main street of downtown Eau Claire, I could already hear the vibrant clashing of the symbols and the thump that would soon make my heart vibrate in my chest due to the heavy bass of the drum. I had no idea what to expect out of Glad Panda as I continued my pace toward the loud sound, but was anxious to locate Eau Claire’s next big music craving. I opened the door of my destination where the sounds I had been hearing from the sidewalk across the street where amplified by numerous degrees. The espresso smelling restaurant, a well-known place in Eau Claire to meet for coffee or enjoy a hoagie, was packed to capacity with people. From students, to younger couples, to groups of retired-aged friends, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the dimly lit Acoustic Café with Glad Panda.
My eyes immediately were drawn to the drummer, Karl Markgraf, wearing a plain T-shirt to go along with his synthetic mustache and long, shaggy hair. He had an essence about him that drew attention to him out of the one other band member sharing the stage. The unpronounced band member, Patrick Kuehn, whom sat on a tall, wooden stool, had curly, tangled blonde hair, almost resembling that of a mop. Following their first song, parts of which reminded me of a familiar main-stream band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, they jokingly told the audience that their black, bushy mustaches were indeed synthetic. Their first impression on me led me to believe that they were down to Earth, not to mention that when a portion of their drum set fell off of the stage towards the end of their first song, they kept playing their song, just like that particular instrument had no right to continue its presence on that stage. Once their first song came to an end, the musicians just up and left the stage to go sit at the long-rectangular table of friends, and once they felt like playing again, they jumped back up onto the stage only to ask their friends and the rest of the audience what they should play next.
For the following song, two new faces came onto the stage, bringing with them two new instruments. A saxophone player, someone whom you would originally think of when the thought of traditional jazz music came to mind and the other new jazz musician to the stage brought with him a bass, the largest stringed instrument of the violin family. This next song was a more “jazzy” type of composition. The artists gathered around a music stand this time, leading me to believe that this second song was a more traditional jazz song, one of which wasn’t made up in a garage during a teenaged band practice. The song, although traditional, was relaxing, yet upbeat. A song you could casually sip your hot coffee to on the cold Thursday Eau Claire night.
For the next song at this particular jazz festival, a clean-cut, college-aged singer was added. He had strawberry blonde hair and housed black, thick rimmed glasses around his eyes. He had a voice which reminded me of being on a cruise ship, listening to Frank Sinatra sing over the speakers in the formal dining room. This song, unsure if the comfort level was reached or the song just held a specific meaning, but the musicians’ body language seemed to begin to match their relaxing song. The drummer had his eyes shut while still hitting the drums, the bassist plucked the strings while swaying his shoulders side to side, the guitarist had his head hung over his lap while tapping his foot to the beat of the drum across the stage, and the saxophonist swayed back and forth while his fingers glided over the keys precisely at the right moment.
As a college freshman in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I don’t consider myself to have had much introduction to music other than the songs I’ve heard on the radio throughout my life. By attending this specific night of the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, I feel I was able to broaden my horizons in the area of music genres and share the passion the artists have for it. By experiencing new forms of music, one is able to connect with people and really “get into” the music as well as the musician’s frame of mind, which offers you an insight into their life as an artist.
Have you ever wondered how jazz music made its way from the southern areas of America, like New Orleans and Tennessee, to become popular in nearly almost every other somewhat populous American city? Jazz music is an art form which originated in the early twentieth century. The music was primarily popular in African American communities in the Southern United States. The original forms of jazz were a confluence of African and European music traditions. Throughout the years, jazz has evolved into different subgenres depending on the musical tastes of the artist. Glad Panda, the featured artists at the Eau Claire Jazz Festival on March 11, 2009, is the result of the collaborations of several local Eau Claire jazz musicians. By each bringing their own unique talents to the venue, and some synthetic mustaches, they shared their music not only consisting of your typical idea of jazz music, but some compositions swinging more towards the alternative rock side of the genre spectrum.
Walking across the main street of downtown Eau Claire, I could already hear the vibrant clashing of the symbols and the thump that would soon make my heart vibrate in my chest due to the heavy bass of the drum. I had no idea what to expect out of Glad Panda as I continued my pace toward the loud sound, but was anxious to locate Eau Claire’s next big music craving. I opened the door of my destination where the sounds I had been hearing from the sidewalk across the street where amplified by numerous degrees. The espresso smelling restaurant, a well-known place in Eau Claire to meet for coffee or enjoy a hoagie, was packed to capacity with people. From students, to younger couples, to groups of retired-aged friends, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the dimly lit Acoustic Café with Glad Panda.
My eyes immediately were drawn to the drummer, Karl Markgraf, wearing a plain T-shirt to go along with his synthetic mustache and long, shaggy hair. He had an essence about him that drew attention to him out of the one other band member sharing the stage. The unpronounced band member, Patrick Kuehn, whom sat on a tall, wooden stool, had curly, tangled blonde hair, almost resembling that of a mop. Following their first song, parts of which reminded me of a familiar main-stream band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, they jokingly told the audience that their black, bushy mustaches were indeed synthetic. Their first impression on me led me to believe that they were down to Earth, not to mention that when a portion of their drum set fell off of the stage towards the end of their first song, they kept playing their song, just like that particular instrument had no right to continue its presence on that stage. Once their first song came to an end, the musicians just up and left the stage to go sit at the long-rectangular table of friends, and once they felt like playing again, they jumped back up onto the stage only to ask their friends and the rest of the audience what they should play next.
For the following song, two new faces came onto the stage, bringing with them two new instruments. A saxophone player, someone whom you would originally think of when the thought of traditional jazz music came to mind and the other new jazz musician to the stage brought with him a bass, the largest stringed instrument of the violin family. This next song was a more “jazzy” type of composition. The artists gathered around a music stand this time, leading me to believe that this second song was a more traditional jazz song, one of which wasn’t made up in a garage during a teenaged band practice. The song, although traditional, was relaxing, yet upbeat. A song you could casually sip your hot coffee to on the cold Thursday Eau Claire night.
For the next song at this particular jazz festival, a clean-cut, college-aged singer was added. He had strawberry blonde hair and housed black, thick rimmed glasses around his eyes. He had a voice which reminded me of being on a cruise ship, listening to Frank Sinatra sing over the speakers in the formal dining room. This song, unsure if the comfort level was reached or the song just held a specific meaning, but the musicians’ body language seemed to begin to match their relaxing song. The drummer had his eyes shut while still hitting the drums, the bassist plucked the strings while swaying his shoulders side to side, the guitarist had his head hung over his lap while tapping his foot to the beat of the drum across the stage, and the saxophonist swayed back and forth while his fingers glided over the keys precisely at the right moment.
As a college freshman in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, I don’t consider myself to have had much introduction to music other than the songs I’ve heard on the radio throughout my life. By attending this specific night of the Eau Claire Jazz Festival, I feel I was able to broaden my horizons in the area of music genres and share the passion the artists have for it. By experiencing new forms of music, one is able to connect with people and really “get into” the music as well as the musician’s frame of mind, which offers you an insight into their life as an artist.
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