Music can capture emotions from sadness, happiness, excitement and more.
Background music is considered essential to set the mood and tone for movies and television shows. Sometimes, for cartoons and animations, the music may even influence the show design.
To highlight the relationship between jazz and animation, the Central Florida Community Arts (CFCArts) Big Arts Band will be performing the Hand-Drawn Jazz show from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Lake Deaton United Methodist Church, 6500 Wesleyan Way in Wildwood.
The CFCArts Big Band is a Florida-based community band made up of 65 musicians who perform music including swing, funk, rock, Latin and jazz. The upcoming show will feature 25 of the 65 musicians who will play music from shows including “The Pink Panther,” “Toy Story,” “The Incredibles,” “Cowboy Bebop” and “Encanto.”
“When you are watching these animations, the soundtrack that typically accompanies the show usually falls into the broader category of jazz,” said Justin Muchoney, music director of the Symphony Orchestra and Big Band.
The band director said the main goal of the band and the Hand-Drawn Jazz program is to allow the audience to experience in real time how music can either inspire a characters design or be made to mimic the feelings a character experiences.
“If the band plays ‘The Bare Necessities,’ then Jason is drawing Baloo for the audience to see,” Muchoney said. “They get to see the how the lines and whimsical nature of the character goes with the music. You hear a musician play the degree of freedom that influences the way the characters lines are drawn — is there a scene of movement, energy or emotion that matches?”
He said the two forms of art go together so well, because they are both built on improvisation and fluid movement that doesn’t exist in more traditional art forms.
To help the audience understand the connection between jazz and drawn art, the band brings Jason Zucker, a Florida based Disney animator for The West Wing Studio, to draw characters who perform the song being played by the band.
“It’s a conversation between Jason and myself,” Muchoney said. “We talk to the audience and we talk to each other. I will ask questions about the animators, he will ask me about the musicians and we discuss it all right before the audience.” The show is a part of the Salon Speaker Series presented by Beacon College, 105 E. Main St, Leesburg.
Though tickets for the Jan. 30 show are sold out, registration for future speaker programs will open by Feb.1.
Muchoney said he hopes the program is a gateway that leads locals to a deeper appreciation of jazz and the arts.
“This is a fun experience and it’s nostalgic,” he said. “The band has a great time on stage. It’s a highly engaging laid back experience from everybody. Everyone will hear music and see characters that they have some connection to.
To see the future presenters set to lead a program for the Beacon Salon Speaker Series, visit beaconcollege.edu/news-events/salon-series.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
