PAGE?5
GIVING from jazzA SLAP on THE ASS Zhang JAZZ nerdery A departure Jennifer
IT’S THE GEEK ISSUE, and both the JZ Festival and the Shanghai East Bank Jazz Festival are fast approaching. So let’s talk for a moment about a topic close to my heart – the intersection of geekdom and jazz, or rather, the ongoing struggle for the de-geekification of jazz. that all jazz fans must be Music Geeks, or ‘Musos’ if you will, and that jazz itself must adhere to certain principles, is a difficult preconception to shake. ? Robert Glasper, who is headlining the JZ Festival alongside Mos Def and the Brand New Heavies, aims to break this mould in spectacular fashion. He’s worked with Kanye West, J Dilla and Jay-Z, and his 2012 album Black Radio won widespread acclaim from critics with its stylish blend of hip hop and jazz. On the album, a Herbie Hancock tune sits comfortably alongside a version of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. ? ‘I want to be on everybody’s iPod,’ he said in a recent interview with Downbeat magazine. ‘I’ve gotten bored with jazz to the point where I wouldn’t mind something bad happening. Slapping hurts, but at some point it’ll wake you up. I feel like jazz needs a big-ass slap.’ ? Luckily, it seems like he’ll be in good company in Shanghai. ? Theo Croker’s ‘Afrosonic Orchestra’, who will be taking the stage before Glasper, is a prime example of jazz meeting ‘less geeky’ turntablism in a fusion of music which turns traditional views of jazz on their heads. Master scratcher Cavia and Amin El Filali of Exquisite Delegates and the Word can often be found amongst their ranks tearing it up on the stages of Shanghai whilst bemused bosses sip Cognac upstairs. ? Croker also breaks down the barriers between trap, dubstep, hip-hop and jazz in Buck Em Clowns, a project involving Shanghaibased music producer Conrank. When we spoke to Croker before
et’s face it, few other genres have the sheer amount of nerdery associated with them that jazz does. Before last year’s JZ Masters Hall gig, legendary bassist Ron Carter summed it up well when he expressed exasperation at the notion that audiences were supposed to turn up knowing his age, how many records he’d recorded, and when he’d played with whom. ? There’s obviously nothing wrong with knowing insane amounts of jazz trivia or ogling a beautiful collection of vinyl, but often it seems that these kind of pursuits are a prerequisite for enjoying jazz. This expectation
L
SHANGHAI247.NET
247TICKETS.CN