GREENSBORO, NC – We wanted to know how people were feeling about America; what did they love about the country?
Walking down the streets of downtown Greensboro, a few people stopped and gave a light sigh at the question.
“I guess it’s just the ability to voice your opinion. The ability to like something, dislike something and be okay. I mean, we all have different opinions but at the end of the day we all have to live together,” said Jurita.
Nathan, a passerby said, “We’re able to find a way to come together, put differences aside, move forward.”
But when asking people how they felt, a saxophone and trumpets sounded in the air. Music bounced off the sides of buildings in the heart of the city.
A group of UNCG students were standing on a corner, happily playing jazz music as people walked and drove by.
“What makes America great?” said Andrew Sanchez. “It’s a four letter word. Jazz.”
The band- with no name, decided to take the streets one day after the election to play music to lift people’s spirits and show unity.
“Jazz teaches us how to communicate with each other. It teaches democracy,” said Sanchez.
After playing ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’, Sanchez added, “Everyone in the group knows their role. There’s a person that plays the melody, there’s a person that plays harmony. There’s a person that plays counter-melody, people that play rhythm. All these people are so very important in creating this beautiful art form and this one result.”
Jazz music started in the late 19th century as, in the simplest of terms, a mix of European classical music and African slave folks songs. It’s considered America’s oldest art form, as the genre is hard to define and changes constantly throughout the decades and among different musicians.
Perhaps, it’s the best way to show a musical form of unity.
“No matter who you were rooting for in this election, this is the music that reminds us why this country is so great,” Sanchez explained. “We can still come together and rejoice and have a beautiful time together.”