lighting a jazz concert

[juhlia]

Hello everyone, I'm quite new to stage lighting and next month I'm about to light a jazz concert for the first time. I was hoping you could share some general tips, do's & don't's for this kind of show.
I get that it's supposed to be toned down, but can I use for example some slow movements? Or can I use multiple colors / switch colors during a song? I know it mostly depends on what I imagine, but I want it to be appropriate.

Thanks in advance,
Julia

 

[Amiers]

Depends on the kind of jazz really. Ask yourself a few questions.

How big is the space?

Who is the target audience?

How many band members will there be?

Do I have enough lights to get all the faces and still have a good wash?

What are they wearing?

Answer these then from those answers you should have some concept. Then just throw in some color that fit your concept.




And you are correct it is your world you can put a tree or mountain where ever you want.

 

[seanandkate]

The cueing should probably be toned down (patrons come to hear the music and watch them play, not for fancy effects and lighting cue changes every 8 bars), but let the music be your guide. If it's a quick musical change, a quick lighting change will feel right. If you are familiar with the tunes, this will be a whole lot easier. You can have fun with colour to be sure, so long as the audience can see faces, and musicians can see their sheet music if they are using it. If they are, you might want to consider lighting more from the side than the front, as this can create glare as they are trying to read their charts. If you get the chance to ask the actual group if certain choices will be distracting, that's your best option.

 

[cdiamondz]

As someone who has played in concert band, glare from the front may become distracting, especially if it is very bright. Although, jazz groups traditionally do not have a conductor to focus on. Because looking up to a conductor results in the burning of one's nerve-based imaging system (eye balls) as you have a likelihood of starring straight into a reflector of a 750 watt source 4. When I light for a live performing band, I tend to stay with one or a few different tones. The audience comes for a performance of music; however, slight variations in the appearance of the players may bring out further emotion that is being portrayed by the music (warm ambers lead to jolly and happiness, deeper amber, but not quite red, leads to anger, and cooler, light blue hues may exemplify sadness or emptyness). These are more or less the basics of portraying emotion in lighting. My two pennies agree that you should try and get a group talk about the possibility of some potential lighting changes throughout the performance. Just make sure that if they agree that the changes are not drastic but just variations in the warmth/coolness of the light.

 

[juhlia]

Thanks for the advice, this is all very helpful. I will practise some looks at home and see if I have any further questions.

 

[lwinters630]

Lighting should support the event, not take away. If the audience notices the lighting and not the performance then we did not succeed.
If they use music stands, certain colors may make it difficult to read.

Talk to the leader, review the program, ask about color, feel, movement and offer suggestions.

 

[len]

Hello everyone, I'm quite new to stage lighting and next month I'm about to light a jazz concert for the first time. I was hoping you could share some general tips, do's & don't's for this kind of show.
I get that it's supposed to be toned down, but can I use for example some slow movements? Or can I use multiple colors / switch colors during a song? I know it mostly depends on what I imagine, but I want it to be appropriate.

Thanks in advance,
Julia

There's a story floating around about B.B. King or some other blues or jazz great. The LD asked him what he wanted for lighting and the response was "lwash light on the band, put a spot on me, then go to lunch."

 

[PeteEngel]

Just remember:

Jazz is the Teacher, but Funk is the Preacher!

Don't wear a Beret. They HATE that.