My name is Jude Swire-Clark and I have been involved in music for about 10 years. My parents are both musicians who sing and play instruments, and that's how I was introduced to music. I have played in Band, Orchestra, Jazz Band, and sang in Choir, just to name a few things. I am now a music performance major on the french horn. I started playing french horn in 6th grade and have participated in all things band related for almost 10 years.
I was born and raised in Easley, South Carolina. I have a big family with one older sister and three younger sisters. In my free time I enjoy playing pickleball, playing video games, and watching Netflix. During the summer, I compete in an activity called DCI (Drum Corps International), which is an activity for musicians under the age of 22 to compete against other groups at the highest level of marching arts in the world.
An example of music I like now is big band style jazz. I was in my high school jazz band for 3 years and ever since, I have loved jazz. At the moment, my favorite jazz album is by The U.S. Air Force Airmen Of Note called "Somewhere Out There". I really like the songs Spain, Take The "A" Train, It Could Happen To You, and Somewhere Over The Rainbow.
An aspect of music that I'm passionate about is DCI, which I talked about in my second paragraph. I have been participating in this activity for 3 years, and this year will be my fourth season. This activity has been life-changing---making friends, maturing, and becoming a better performer. This is the biggest stage in the world for the marching arts, performing for almost 30,000 people at DCI Finals. In DCI, you can find all sorts of music like, jazz, classical, funk, rock, and others. With every new year, groups perform different music, which is one of the reasons I love the activity. It exposes you to so many different types of music that is arranged for just brass and percussion instruments.
One genre of music I don't like would be bluegrass music. Something about the fiddle and banjo combination just gets annoying really fast. Not to say that bluegrass music is not "good" music, but the style and repetitiveness is not for me. One artist specifically that I don't enjoy listening to is country singer Zach Bryan. The style that Zach sings with is often out of tune, and as a musician with a trained ear, I simply can't force myself to listen to his music. Zach Bryan is one of the most popular country artists at the moment. This is definitely an unpopular opinion, but for me, this is a no go.
The last type of music that I want to share is funk jazz music. "While jazz often features a swing beat, jazz funk is backed by a groove rhythm that is more like a rock beat. The rhythm tends to be more complex than that of soul music. Jazz funk adds electric instruments and effects to more traditional acoustic instruments such as sax and trumpet that feature in jazz." (BCC Jazz article ). This style of jazz is my favorite to listen to while I drive or walk to class. The electric bass just gives you that extra pep in your step. One of my favorite funk artists is Cory Wong.
Hello! The song choice I found most interesting was Zach Bryan’s “Blue Jean Baby.” Although I only know like 2 songs from him and wouldn’t say I typically listen to country, I do enjoy his song called “28.” I found this interesting as he is such a popular artist but definitely understand your perspective on it as well and do agree. My favorite would have to be “Somewhere Out there.” I rarely listen to that style of music - really never - but I love the vibe this song gave off. I can imagine hearing this on vacation in a restaurant which I love!
ReplyDeleteHey Jude! I thought your passion for big band style jazz was really interesting. I started getting more into jazz a few years ago, so listening to "Somewhere Out There" was really nice, I'm glad I got introduced to it from your blog. I also have to agree with the Zach Bryan music being a no go. I'm not the biggest fan of his music like you, and I agree that when he sings out of tune it can really stick out.
ReplyDeleteHi Jude! I think It's cool that you like big band jazz style, the first song that you put kind of reminded me of family guy for some reason... I think it's crazy that you don't like Zach Bryan, I think he's pretty good I but totally understand your opinion! The song Turbo that you shared has a cool vibe and I enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteIf you like Funk Jazz, I think you'll like a lot of Japanese funk jazz; it got REALLY popular over there! There's actually a lot of Japanese funk Jazz that I listen to.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can see why country is out of tune to us musicians, it's mostly because of the constant vocal sliding while singing; the culture of country music also revolves a lot around "anybody and everybody sings, even if you're not good," since singing helps the day go by quicker for farmers.
"Somewhere Out There" somehow reminds me of Mr. Incredible at the beginning of the movie Incredibles, but I really like this piece and I'm glad I got exposed to it.
Hey Jude, I read that you are from the South, but while looking at your name, I wondered if you know where your last name comes from. You might have European descent. I also found it interesting that we both dislike country music. I only started listening to this genre when I came to the U.S.; honestly, it’s not my go-to music. I will also try the music you wanted to share with us, funk jazz—something I have never heard of!
ReplyDeleteHey! Jude, YES to the jazz music. I also was in marching band, concert band, and jazz band at my high school (Chesnee). I agree with you on the part about Zach Bryan, I can't personal vibe with his music, but lyrical he is GREAT!
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