JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY'S RACE RIOT SUITE (USA)
Brian Haas (piano, keyboards), Chris Combs (lap-steel guitar), Jeff Harshbarger (double bass), Josh Raymer (drums), Mark Southerland (saxophones)
Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey is an interesting band founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 1994, JFJO has brought their impressionistic and improvisational vision from the Midwest to many of the world’s finest music festivals and clubs. Music lovers and critics are blown away by JFJO’s instrumental virtuosity and creativity, musical risk, and near telepathic communication on stage.
Since its formation 18 years ago, the band has released 21 records and toured the top venues in the world such as the Damrosch Bandshell at Lincoln Center in NYC, Blue Note NYC and Milan Italy, Yoshi’s in Oakland, Bimhuis in Amsterdam and Fasching in Stockholm Sweden, to name a few. In recent years the band has performed some of their highest profile festival performances to date, such as the prestigious Newport Jazz Festival, and the Cork Jazz Festival in Ireland, where the band won a Guinness Jazz Award. These four musicians are musical chameleons who can move crowds in small jazz clubs, big rock clubs and performing arts theatres. Flourishing in the “jam” scene as well, the band has opened for Mike Gordon of Phish, Sound Tribe Sector Nine (sts9), Les Claypool, and held main-stage slots at many of the scene’s largest festivals.
In January 2011 JFJO recorded a suite of music based on the Tulsa Race Riot. For its 21st album, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey emerged with a masterwork: The Race Riot Suite, which they will introduce at Festival Lent. Written, arranged and orchestrated by Chris Combs, the album is a long-form conceptual piece that tells the devastating story of the 1921 Tulsa race riot– a real estate-driven ethnocide occurring under the guise of citizen-dispensed justice. The suite infuses 90-year old jazz techniques and modern rock styles.
JFJO will with no doubt be one of the biggest surprises of this year’s festival – and the Gods of jazz will be satisfied.
Project co-financed by the US Embassy.
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