Languid, layered jazz improv intrigues supportive audience

A concert of an almost entirely improvisational nature was performed in Kulas Recital Hall on Thursday by Jazz Piano major Allan

Baker, and Composition major Robert Reich. Although many would consider this type of concert to be a piano banging festival, Baker and Reich exhibited just how entertaining and musical such a pairing can be.

Baker used the lingering chatter of the audience as a segue into his extended single piece. Flowing back and forth between thick, percussive textures and more pointillistic sections, the music on the whole avoided consistent focus, in favor of a more spread out, roaming feel.

Occasionally, the audience was granted smooth, recognizable chord progressions, as an anchor to the listening experience. The skillful placement of these more tonal sections, as well as the exploration of space and timbre, were the strengths of Baker's performance.

The free improvisation of Reich's solo performance used many of the same textures, though it created a musical character distinctly it's own. Floating timbres were abruptly juxtaposed with harsh percussion.

The four or five shorter pieces that complimented Reich's long opening work often took on a humerous quality. Unlike Baker, who avoided direct musical quotations from established pieces of music, Reich used them freely, much to the audience's delight.

The two performers then collaborated on one more improvisation to conclude the performance.

The originality of this final piece did not match that of the solo performances, unfortunately. There was clearly interaction between the musicians, but this musical back-and-forth failed to translate successfully in the ears of the audience.

Nevertheless, events like this are what help make Oberlin interesting.

The informal setting provided a perfect atmosphere for freely improvised music. Musicians on the Oberlin campus should continue to express their music in this student-run format. Reich and Baker should be applauded for making their music accesible to the listening public so early in the semester.