Arts & Culture
photo by Dan Neckar
Upright bass player Matt Hayes of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey kicks off 56 hours of jazz
The Pointer
dneck184@uwsp.edu
Last weekend 90FM and Centertainment Productions hosted the 27th annual Jazzfest, a 56-hour marathon of classic and modern styles of jazz.
The station kicked off the event by broadcasting a live performance by the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey who played for students and community members in the Dreyfus University Center at the Encore on Thursday.
The Tulsa, Okla. based band has had a revolving cast of members since its conception. Its current lineup consists of Brian Haas on keyboards, Chris Combs on guitar and lap steel, Matt Hayes on upright bass and Josh Raymer behind the drums. They have toured extensively since the ‘90s, sharing stages with acts like Les Claypool, Mike Gordon of Phish and Medeski, Martin and Wood.
JFJO’s approach is difficult to classify, with sounds bouncing from traditional jazz to a twisted variety of fusion, mixing in elements of rock and hip-hop. Their energetic mix of styles create compositions like “Dretoven,” which Haas described to the audience as “a kind of blend between Beethoven and Dr. Dre.” Their performances also include reborn standards from greats like Coltrane, Ellington and Monk.
But while they embrace the pioneers and icons of jazz, they are quick to dispel the music’s limitations.
“I don’t believe jazz should be turned into classical music,” said Haas. “Jazz should be living, breathing, vibrant, dangerous, dirty and risky.”
“It’s not something that can be pegged down to rules because jazz is
really just the progression of the music,” said Hayes.
The members of the band strive to destroy those rules enforced by people who consider themselves authorities in the jazz community. They frequently mention their dissatisfaction with legendary trumpet player and jazz traditionalist Wynton Marsalis.
“It really just comes down to capitalism. Cats like Wynton are just trying to guard their jobs. In order for them to keep getting paid, the public has to think that they are the authority on the subject, but there can’t be any authority on something as elusive and nebulous as jazz,” said Haas.
90FM Program Director Jarad Olson said that the collaboration between the station and Centertainment Productions was key in bringing an alternative-oriented band to Jazzfest.
“That’s probably the best jazz band we could’ve gotten for the event. It was perfect because they value a lot of the same things we do, trying to explore jazz more than rehash the same ideas,” said Olson. “They were really creative. They weren’t just switching genres between songs, they were doing it between measures,” he said.
Olson attributed the demand for Jazzfest to the university’s music students and faculty, as well as the support of jazz off campus and in the community.
“It really comes from the community and our strong jazz program on campus. If you look at our local concert updates, a quarter of the bands play jazz. I think it’s easy to say that it is still very alive in Stevens Point,” said Olson.
