Listening to a great song can take us places. It’s about how it makes us feel. In general, understanding the technical demonstrations of the musicians playing isn’t important but it can help in learning to appreciate a mostly instrumental genre such as jazz. As a music educator and serious foodie, in teaching music to non-musicians, I often make parallels with cooking. I use food analogies to bring more into jazz.
There are three elements that make music what it is…melody, harmony and rhythm. There are endless configurations in how these three elements can be orchestrated. With food, a salmon fillet for example, is the melody or theme. It can stand alone but often we add seasonings to enhance the theme. These herbs and spices act as harmony. Two or more notes played together make harmony. Cooking the fish is the rhythm. Seasonings can also take away from the flavor or melody. Or we can over or undercook the fish. So, having a fundamental understanding of how these things work together will achieve the best results.
Enjoy both music and food from Jae! Hear his jazz program, Sinnett in Session, Monday through Thursday at 9 p.m. on WHRV, and watch his new cooking show, Cooking with Jae, on our Facebook page on Sundays at 6 p.m.
