Anima

          On Sunday, April 24th, 2016, my daughter and I drove to the historic Emma S. Clark Memorial Library in Setauket to listen to Anima Brass, a brass quintet, play. It was a beautiful spring day for an excursion, made all the better for the anticipation of hearing Classical music: few things are more uplifting. I had some reservations, for the free concert was given by students at Stony Brook University. Would these young musicians be as polished as professionals? Or more akin to the sometimes-rough-around-the-edges high school performances I’d smiled through as my children grew?
          The performance space was the library’s historic periodical reading room, the original 1892 Tudor-style building. It was a perfect venue to hear Classical music. The vaulted, beamed ceiling, the wooden staircase winding up to a loft, and stained glass windows, including a large one of the angel Gabriel, transported me back in time, setting the stage magnificently. The scattering of comfortable leather armchairs were already taken, so we sat on a pair of plastic chairs. Many in the audience were elderly, as one might expect for a Classical concert; some were family members or friends of the performers. People were dressed casually, just locals enjoying a Sunday afternoon in their community, not at all like the formal atmosphere in Carnegie Hall. The room filled; more chairs were hastily brought in; the crowd spilled into the room beyond.
          Anima Brass entered in suits and ties. All five were young men, which didn’t surprise me given my own experiences playing baritone horn in my youth. There were two trumpeters, John-Thomas Burson and Thomas Pang; Austin Sposato on French horn, Michael Lockwood on trombone, and Jeff Smith on bass trombone. The band set up quietly in a nook by the fireplace while a librarian introduced them, and without further ado began to play.
          First in the set was Scherzo, a 1963 composition by John Cheetham, an energetic and complex piece that was reminiscent of a Wild West movie soundtrack. Following that came six brief chansons, or songs, by late-1400’s French composer Josquin des Prez, arranged for brass quintet by Raymund Mase. The songs ranged from somber, with long drawn-out notes, to joyful, with lively toots and sweet harmonies. I closed my eyes and it might have been 500 years ago. Next, the band performed Russian composer Victor Ewald’s Quintet #3, written circa 1912, a romantic piece in four movements. The five musicians were like fingers on a hand, working seamlessly together; each instrument a separate thread weaving a tapestry of sound, creating a whole far greater than merely the sum of its parts.
          After a brief intermission, during which the performers spoke quietly with audience members of their acquaintance, the concert resumed with Three Pieces, written in the 1800’s by German composer Ludwig Maurer and edited by Rogert Nagel. Many in the audience closed their eyes as they listened, heads nodding in time with the rhythm, smiles on their faces. Following that romantic selection came something wholly unexpected: the world premiere performance of a piece composed by a Stony Brook graduate student, Joe Sferra, seated beside me in the audience. Sferra was called upon to introduce his work, titled “Anima for Brass quintet”, which he had written specifically for Anima Brass. He described it as a piece with a “disembodied start” that “coalesces” and then “gradually falls apart”, and I knew I was about to hear something very different.
          The opening was disjointed, each instrument seeming to pipe up almost randomly, which gave the listener the opportunity to hear the unique tone and character of each one individually: the playful slides and swoops of the trombones; the dulcet tone of the horn; the light toots of the trumpets. The sounds became cohesive and a jazzy melody emerged, only to fracture, with pregnant pauses keeping the audience expectant and off-balance. It was a fascinating glimpse at how Classical instruments can be used in surprising ways to create something completely different from “Classical music”, something that honors the style and form of its roots, but is innovative and free.
          The final piece was a return to more traditional fare: German composer Oskar Bohme’s Sextet in E-flat minor, for which the quintet was joined by guest Lucas Balslov on trumpet. The additional trumpet made for a fuller, richer sound. The music built to a crescendo that filled the room, soaring to the vaulted ceiling. A final fanfare closed the concert, and Anima Brass bowed as we applauded.
          As the audience drifted somewhat reluctantly into the modern addition to the library and the everyday world, I lingered a moment to thank the talented young musicians for a delightful afternoon. Anima Brass and other Stony Brook groups offer free performances throughout the community every weekend, and I am resolved to attend more. Music is food for the soul and I find myself hungry for more.

--Sarah Wood

Migos

          I went to see this fantastic trio called Migos based out of Atlanta, Georgia. The concert was held in the nightclub, Irving Plaza, on Irving Street in the city. The style of this music could be defined as two things, trap music or southern drill, depending on who you talk to. It’s more of an aggressive style of rapping that focuses on a dangerous life of selling drugs and toting weapons, all in the name of making it big. I picked this group because I have a deep fascination with the rap scene that emerges from the South and how the culture spreads into vast corners of the country, also because they are indeed my favorite artists in the game right now. To give a little background of the group, they are all family with Quavo (Quavious Marshall) being Takeoff’s (Kirshnik Ball) uncle and Offset (Kiari Cephus) being Quavo’s cousin.
          The venue was perfectly my style. The moment I walked into the venue, I thought to myself, “I’m home.” There was a constant light display shining around the entire venue with all different colors. It gave the whole experience a very drug-induced vibe and I’m pretty sure that is more or less what the rappers were going for by choosing this abundant light. The venue was set up so if you battled and squirmed you could reach the front of the stage. I kid you not when I say I was less than five feet away from the trio, and that fact alone made the night worth every single cent I paid. I was in utter and complete euphoria over seeing my favorite artists in the entire world so up close and personal.
          Throughout the entire night, the venue and the environment around me reinforced the idea that the people who listen to this type of Southern rap are quite the rowdy crowd. There was a fight midway through the show and the rappers sang “Aint’ Here For That” acapella until the brawlers were removed from the venue. It was hilarious to see the rappers clowning on the two fools for fighting in what was supposed to be a good time. The performers interacted with the audience almost constantly, asking the audience to sing the lyrics. The group also created a dance move called the “dab” in which one tucks their head in the elbow of their arm while pointing both their hands in the opposite direction, so that was the dance move that was seen the most.
          This rap group does not actually use any instruments themselves, but relies purely on their lyrical craft. The music and lyrics itself are especially meaningful in the sense that every song details the struggle they have gone through to reach this point of fame in their career and how humble they are to be in the position that they created for themselves. Whether it’s talking about being locked up in the cell or selling pounds of drugs, they speak the truth of the past present and future, while setting trends and creating a new style. Their rapping style can range from melodic and slow to fast and loud when they have something emotionally-charged to get off their chests.
          In total, the whole experience met my expectations and went above and beyond how enjoyable I thought the night would be. I could have never imagined the level of tom-foolery that would be permitted within a legal establishment, or the level of emotion that could ring from lyrics about things that rappers have been talking about for decades: money, drugs, and guns. This concert solidified these rappers as my favorite and has only encouraged me to start buying the entire album to support them being able to tour and do dope stuff for their dedicated fan base. The rappers did so much to ensure a great performance and I can say wholeheartedly that I would go back and see them as many times as possible, for it was one of the most entertaining events I have been to in quite a long time.

--Gabriel Mark