Freaky jazz at the Knotty with JFJO

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has morphed in and out of every freaky, ambient space imaginable since I first saw them more than 10 years ago in a small Nashville club. The Tulsa band formed 14 years ago, the same number of albums they have recorded since their inception as an octet with horns - and there’s still no Fred in the band. Today, the improvisational trio defies classification, progressing boundaries of the experimental and contemporary components of jazz and the edginess of rock.

“I feel lucky that Reed [the bassist] and I were able to start the band and are still
 genuinely having fun,” pianist and keyboardist Brian Haas said from the road. “I’ve had a brother to expand on a language with for 15 years.”   

JFJO earned a devoted following through the vibrant jam scene that was exponentially blossoming in the late ’90s. Since 2000, the band has hit the pavement virtually nonstop, playing more than 250 shows a year. Tours of South America and numerous trips to Europe and beyond for jazz festivals kept the trio busy until they scaled back in 2006, taking a hiatus from the national circuit.

“We worked so hard for six years and we took the opportunity to sit back and enjoy all of the things that we had accomplished,” Haas said. “We were actually really busy, though. We played a lot in our hometown - Tulsa has such a vibrant music scene right now - and we decided to make a symphonic, large-scale album. You can’t make a soundscape record when you’re touring.”

The long dedication produced “Lil’ Tae Rides Again,” JFJO’s fourth release on Hyena Records, which hit the streets last week. A press release described the album as their “most idiosyncratic album yet.” Heavy remixing and rearranging during post-production makes this disc a mind-boggling collection of ambient muses. The only comparable album that comes to mind is Brian Eno’s “Music for Airports,” with each album taking a minimalist approach in instrumentation made complex through studio wizardry.

Much of the production was lead by Tulsa colleague Tae Meyulks (hence the album’s title). Meyulks is an electronic music guru who co-wrote, arranged, mixed, and mastered the album with the rest of the band over the course of 2007.

“Tae is an old school friend and a famous Tulsa composer-musician-genius,” Hass said. “We’re just experimenting to keep life fun. It came out of an honest progression and we meticulously spent a lot of time on it, twisted it around to see if we could turn it into thunder.”

Adding to the paranormal psychosis, recording sessions took place in a 100-year-old warehouse full of eerie artifacts. The album also marks the first studio effort with a new drummer, 22-year-old Josh Raymer, since parting ways with longtime beat keeper Jason Smart.

“Jason was the perfect drummer for Jacob Fred for those six years,” said bassist Reed Mathis in an interview with www.Jambase.com. “All the drummers were exactly right for the time they were in the group. It was time for a new drummer. In Jacob Fred we don’t tell the music what to do, the music tells us what to do. That’s kind of our mission statement.”

Mathis remained in high demand during the JFJO down time - touring with Steve Kimock (they played the Mangy Moose), and also collaborating with Marco Benevento and The Greyboy Allstars. Most recently, he became the new bassist for San Francisco rockers Tea Leaf Green.
For the first time since the ’90s, JFJO will be traveling with more than just three music makers since their original eight-piece lineup. Peter Tomshany will round out the quartet, totaling 15 instruments among the group. Visual artist Adam Skapple is also on the Lil’ Tae Tour, adding live video mixing for your sensory pleasure.

Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey will take the stage at 10 p.m. on Sunday at the Knotty Pine in Victor. The show is free. Call 208-787-2866 for more information.

Courtesy photo
Musical trio Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.

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Freaky jazz at the Knotty with JFJO | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

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