Comin home baby:
I’m too loud when I come in, I should have remembered the dynamic raise after the intro. Everyone is audible and each part is balanced. Everyone could have dropped back slightly during Isobel’s solo but not too much in order to keep that energy high. All of the solos were interesting and fairly complex. The stops on each repetition are always clean and there is a definite silence besides drums ringing out, but this is good. Our ending repetition was stuttered a little bit but still sounded good, Albert went on to play it a fourth time by accident though.
Blue Bossa:
The intro stops on the G were all over the place due to Isobel playing them too early but was otherwise good. The lead sounded smooth and relaxed. Albert’s keys sound overpowering in this one dynamically, maybe his volume could have come down a little bit. People switching to solos sounded good as everyone took into consideration that we needed to drop back and leave space. Moving from solo to solo was quick and no space was required moving from each solo, meaning everyone was prepared. No one played over the bass solo which is something we often mess up. Re-introducing the band from the bass solo sounded good as some rung out chords were played in the second half of the bass solo. The outro repetition and slowing sounded well-rehearsed.
All blues:
Our tempo was steady and appropriate for the song. This is something Oliver had trouble with previously so I’m glad he managed to fix it and figure out a fitting tempo. The introduction of guitar and keys was steady and sounded good as it was gradual and dynamically there was a slight raise soon after some parts came in. The lead was clear and wasn’t overpowered at all, so the levels were generally good but I was too quiet for the entirety of this song. Us dropping down for Albert’s solo gave Albert plenty of space to play around, this was a great choice in the moment. We sounded lost after the bass solo, and we all could have been a bit louder going into the lead part again. Our fade-out was very pretty but wasn’t as long as it should have been, or as long as it had been rehearsed. It still sounded well planned and well rehearsed, though.
Boogaloo Joe:
Starting with Isobel on guitar was a good call, it’s the part with the most power and emphasis on the high energy that the song requires. Albert’s part playing alongside Isobel’s lead sounded rhythmically interesting. Me switching between high and low chords in accordance to Isobel’s solo and following the lead sounded better than I thought on the day as that wasn’t how I rehearsed it but tried it out regardless. The high energy was maintained well throughout the whole song, but we overpowered Isobel’s lead just before the bass solo so we weren’t as cautious about dynamic control as we should have been, and some of us played into the bass solo by accident. The stabs during the bass solo were all on time and were a good tool to get the band back into the repeating outro without anything sounding too sudden. Since we were running over the amount of times we played the repeating outro, Isobel gave Ollie a glare to signal that he should wrap it up. This was good communication in the event of a mistake and worked well.
Sunny:
The lead levels were good in the first two loops and weren’t overpowered. I think I played it accurately. Solos were prompt and no space was required between any of them for prep time. Accompaniment with all solos and lead was balanced. The tempo throughout didn’t feel like it changed noticeably until the lead came back in, I felt rushed and like was playing faster than in the start of the song. Going back to the lead after the bass solo was delayed, I think I was confused as to whether or not the bass solo was longer. This is probably because I’m used to Ethan instead of Nic and Ethan was talking about changing the duration of his solos in the previous rehearsal. Our outro was well planned and everyone remembered what was happening for it.
White Christmas:
The melody was clear and easy to follow. We had staff and residents singing along and dancing which is great audience interaction for a space this small. The tempo was steady and appropriate for the song, Ollie did really well with maintaining this too. Isobel’s solo might have been a little bit much in comparison to the main melody but sounded good regardless. Everyone was comfortable sight-reading and following the chords and melody, I don’t think anyone played a wrong chord anywhere. One error happened in the melody on Albert’s keys but it was barely noticeable, it was during the second repetition of the main line in the first verse. Our slowed outro went as planned and sounded professional.
Last Christmas:
Albert started late on his part, this might’ve been because Nic changed when bass was coming in in comparison to what Ethan was doing or because he wasn’t ready. The melody was played along with chords on guitar, it sounded like it worked very well despite its complexity. Minimal mistakes were made with this. Keys accompanied the melody in the higher range and made it sound twinkly and magical, this was really fitting for the type of song it is and the theme of Christmas. The guitar solo fit really well and people were still able to sing the original lyrics along to it, so it wasn’t too much or distracting. Albert’s solo was very soothing due to the tone and use of high range notes. Luke’s solo also sounded good but was a bit quiet as it clashed with Isobel. The whole band had a moment of confusion and had to be led by Nic back into a chorus. The outro didn’t sound very planned, I think something went really wrong structurally.