Blog #6 - Vox Arcana

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the Vox Arcana workshop, but I did attend the concert. I have actually never been to a jazz concert, much less an experimental jazz concert. I was not very sure what to expect. In class we had seen a video of the group in their studio, but I feel like their performance at Thomas More was different. The video that Professor Langguth showed us in class showcased Vox Arcana in their more traditional jazz performances. That type of performance I could relate to since it sounded like the more familiar jazz pieces that I had encountered throughout this class. The Vox Arcana concert was certainly a unique experience. I was eager to encounter a group who specialized in improvisations since I was not very familiar with how improvisation occurred in a concert. What I gained from this concert was an appreciation for the skill and creativity of the band members. I found it very interesting how they introduced unique sounds in their performance, such the cello solo, the exchange of percussion instruments from drums to xylophone, or the high notes produced by the clarinet. It led me to think of how their performance reminded me of John Cage’s idea of indeterminacy. There were elements of chance and randomness, but the performance overall had structure and order. There were definite themes in each musical piece that the improvisations adhered to. I gained an appreciation for how they could be unique and improvise but stay within the boundaries of their compositions.