Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Uptown Jazz Dallas IJF on March 27, 2011 at 12:59pm

(pictured above: San Francisco Jazz Collective, residency group from SFJazz Festival)

 

What a great way to spend a Saturday evening. Under the stars in the some soft grass and listening to jazz interpretations of Stevie Wonder. Really nice! The audience, though somewhat subdued early, loosened up once the SFJazz Collective got going into their 90 minute set.

 

When opening new venues like Artist Square, there's always something that can be done better. So, seeing that this is 'one' of a few venues in the Dallas Arts District that are of interest to the Festival as a potential venue for presenting a portion of Uptown Jazz Dallas IJF's programming, I'm interested in the public's opinion of the venue.

 

For me, my assessment is that the venue has great potential. The following are the areas of interest that matter most to the Festival:

 

Concessions:  The Center needs to make sure to focus on providing better concessionaire service. The lines to get food and beverage were way too long for an event like this. Speed is everything in this kind of setting. Spending a lot of time trying to get something to drink/eat takes away precious time that could be spent with the one's we came to share the outdoor experience with. Not only that, but that's money not being processed fast enough (from a revenue generating point of view). I'm just saying...

 

Sound:  I'll just keep this part simple. The highs and mid-range sounded great. The lows (bass drum and acoustic bass) were near non-existent. Which is not good when listening to formats like jazz, soul and rhythm & blues where the groove is the "foundation" of the music. This is a typical mistake that some new venues/centers make when tuning their systems because of their sensitivities toward opera, theatrical and symphonic productions. Ultimately, this is something that has to be addressed before any major production house, or, Festival, takes the venue seriously as a place for bringing their audiences to experience an outdoor concert. As for this Saturday evening, as it progressed, sound got a little better for those nearest the stage where the new sound-system's subwoofers are embedded in the base of the stage of Artist Square. I think it'll get there eventually. That's my hope.

 

Lighting (Stage):  Lighting and ambiance is also important. A great Lighting Director and Technician can bring out (enhance) great stage performances. This evening was 'simply' lit. It added zero energy, which meant that SFJazz Collective was placed in the center of a huge stage to just play.  That's not necessarily a bad thing but it could've used something. This has nothing to do with SFJazz Collective but the show's producers and may be a budget issue. So, we give them a 'pass' this first time, but, if that approach continues, well...

 

Artist Square Design & Floorplan:  What can you say? It's a great design. A mammoth stage and enclosure with some soft-grass to lay in (Bermuda-I believe).  It's many ways you can mess up something like this, but, the architects thought this through. And, ATTPAC's thoughts toward seating was safe. They had soft 'fixed' seating in front of the stage with VIP tables/seating along the right elevated deck side of the main lawn. The lawn, which is the 'principle' thing at this venue has a slope that views downward toward the stage. This always works for outdoor venues. Laying in the grass with a picnic-like layout is the way to go (though you can't bring your own food and beverage to Artist Square), but quilts and such were accepted. And, on this evening, for some reason we were a little chilled with the cool-front that showed up out of nowhere. Just the night before we were in the 80's. Last night was chilly with a breeze on top. But, I was watching the weatherman and was prepared with a jacket, jeans and a throw-quilt. It was somewhat comical to see people who also brought their quilts and you could see patches of what looked like people laying in their beds under the covers. I cracked up!

 

Overall:  We have some of the greatest venues in the world now in the Dallas Arts District. Annette Strauss Artist Square will take it's place as a favorite over time. As long as the venue is allowed to be what people need it to be. A place where great productions can be presented with all of the great production value that comes from the world's greatest show producers. If those show producers can't do what they are required to do, then they find venues where they can. But, I'm confident that Artist Square will come along and the City of Dallas' entertainment landscape will be the better for it.

 

Now, if you were able to attend the concert and have some feedback, please add your 'constructive' comments.  Seeing that this is one of the first 'real' discussion threads since we opened up the network to public access, I encourage everyone to be nice :). If you have some photos from the evening, you can upload them in the thread as well.

 

Keith Hill

Founder | CEO

Uptown Jazz Dallas International Jazz Festival.

 

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Uptown Jazz Dallas IJF on March 27, 2011 at 1:59pm

John,

 

I never thought about that. The Park will dampen that a lot. I'm glad you got to go and that the promotion helped. Hopefully, we'll be able to do more of that with the Center.

 

Keith

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sonja Mc on March 28, 2011 at 3:24pm

Loved the venue and the concert. Have been following SF Jazz since the beginning. So very glad it came to Dallas rather than me having to go there.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jose Perez on March 28, 2011 at 11:36am

the venue was great!! so was the group, but I had to comment on the sound. I have never heard such clean balanced sound on an outdoor stage. Did they bring their own sound crew???? They were able to keep the natural sound of all the instruments which sadly rarely happens on large jazz stages. I hope this crew was local and if they are, they need to be involved in the festival for sure!!! Bad sound crew can ruin great music.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by AT&T Performing Arts on March 28, 2011 at 2:15pm

Hi Jose. It was our group of staff running sound. Thanks for the compliment!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by AT&T Performing Arts on March 28, 2011 at 2:15pm

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming out on Saturday night. Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more Jazz news. We have Candy Dulfer and David Sandborn coming up on May 11.

 

Tickets - http://bit.ly/UptownJazz

 

Candy Dulfer was just 19 years old when she recorded the album, “Saxuality,” that made her a worldwide sensation, selling over a million copies and earning her a Grammy nomination. Since then she has toured the world with her band, Funky Stuff, played more than 90 shows with Prince and performed with Prince and Beyonce at the Grammy Awards.

Her Super Sax costar, David Sanborn, is one of the most influential saxophonists of his generation. Sanborn, a prodigious crossover artist is as extraordinary as a jazz player as he is in his more familiar dance and R&B recordings. His passionate sound, instantly recognizable, has made him a favorite collaborator for such legends as David Bowie, B.B. King and Stevie Wonder.



• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Uptown Jazz Dallas IJF on March 28, 2011 at 2:28pm

We want to definitely encourage the Center to keep going. We're here to support your efforts. If you have any photos from the evening, please post them so we can share them with the folks.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by AT&T Performing Arts on March 28, 2011 at 3:08pm

Yes we just posted a bunch of photos on our Facebook page! Feel free to tag anyone you recognize. Photos are HERE....spread the word!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Uptown Jazz Dallas IJF on March 28, 2011 at 3:28pm

View more of the photos from ATTPAC's Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=339063&id=28989444668

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Craig Premo on March 28, 2011 at 3:57pm

I'm glad the Collective made an appearance in Dallas. I read online that the Artist Square allowed picnics so my wife and I were disappointed to find that this was not the case. The staff member (an older man in a red polo shirt) wasn't very nice about it either. We ended up eating near the Winspear and then leaving, because we already had the picnic with us. Are all events at Artist Square going to have this policy?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by AT&T Performing Arts on March 28, 2011 at 4:11pm

We are very sorry that you had that experience. Can you tell me where you read that? We do have concessions for sale in all of the venues and designated eating areas, however we don't allow outside food to be brought in or eaten in Strauss Square.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Craig Premo on March 28, 2011 at 4:38pm

It was part of what looks like a press release entitled "AT&T Performing Arts Center - Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park"

The copy states, "Elaine D. and Charles A. Sammons Park is a new, 10-acre public park that embraces and unifies the four new venues of the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Weaving together the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House, the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, Annette Strauss Artist Square and City Performance Hall..." In a later sentence it states, "...sprawling lawns on the eastern and western sides of Sammons Park provide an ideal setting for picnics, informal and formal performances and other outdoor activities."

We had never been to this venue before, but since it stated that Sammons Park encompasses Artist Square, it sounded like picnics were allowed. 

 

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page