All About That Jazz
Everyone has a live show they remember whether it’s a concert or a live band at a restaurant. In my case, I went to a restaurant called Shanghai Jazz over the summer for a friend’s birthday on June 12 where they performed (you guessed it) jazz music. I mean it’s literally in the restaurant name. The most notable performers for that night were drummer Karl Latham, contemporary jazz pianist and composer Laurence Hobgood, and bassist James Robbins. While the trio itself creates soothing music together, “Karl Latham is an inventive powerhouse whose influences are many but whose ideas are his own” (allmusic.com). This goes to show that jazz is about making other music your own.
Music is about being creative and adding your own spin on it. These jazz musicians were able to play their own creative content but also use a variety of music styles from other people they were inspired by. My favorite part was that before the start of each song, they would go up and say what the inspiration behind it was and the story behind it. They would describe whether the song was written recently or whether it was from long ago. The music itself was soothing and calm, perfect to go with dinner. Believe it or not, it made time go by fast that by the time it was over, I didn’t realize it had been that long. In fact, people were enjoying it so much that they would constantly shush our table so that they could continue listening to the music they were so enamored with.
Many artists also reimagine previous works, which allow for there to be a new spin on old versions of songs. For example, Hobgood is known for “his stylized re-imagining of both classic songbook repertoire and more recent artists' work” (Wikipedia) such as Carole King; Earth, Wind & Fire; Paul Simon; Burt Bacharach; Sting; U2; etc. These three people are known in the jazz industry for working with others, and based on their performance its clear to see they have professional experience. Their work shows they are not just amateurs, but that they know the industry through and through. Robbins himself even uses his experience to teach others at the American School of Modern Music in Paris. These individuals use their experiences with other artists in order to create their own original spin on jazz classics. Essentially, they are adding their own spice to an already made dish.
All in all, this trio together makes it work. Their sound together fits perfectly like a puzzle. It is interesting that they incorporate popular sounds from the jazz world and make it their own. I find it amazing that they are able to make such an unpopular music style interesting for those of my generation. You usually would not find those my age listening to something other than artists like The Weeknd, Post Malone, etc. I myself do not personally like jazz, but I would give this group a solid 8/10 based on their performance, as they were the first group I thought of when given this assignment.
Sources (if you want to learn more about the artists or want to see when their next shows are):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Hobgood#Awards_and_nominations
https://karllatham.com
https://www.smallslive.com/artists/2032-james-robbins/
