During the 7th day of the Jazz Fest the ‘Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey’ rocked the Montage Grill!

The band out of Tulsa, Oklahoma consists of Brian Haas on piano, Josh Raymer on drums, Chris Combs on lap steel and Matt Hayes on bass. The lap steal was added in 2008 and contributes an unusual country/western sound into the more jazz oriented music. Their sound is full of intense energy and psychedelic moments. They work with swing, funk and drum n’ bass grooves. Since their creation in 1994, the band has been consistently touring; they’ve also released a number of albums including their most recent, ‘Stay Gold.’

Their first piece at The Montage was largely compositional from what I could tell. The 2nd song was where the improvising really came into light. The rhythm of the song moved around in styles, a little swing, a little funk and a little double time. Haas (piano) and Hayes (bass) took long and impressive solos. A Charles Mingus tune came after to which the audience gave a roaring applause.

Then they performed the title track of their latest album ‘Stay Gold’ by Combs (lap steel). The tune had a combination of sections and a recurring melody highlighted by combs. Latter on they performed a Luis Armstrong arrangement that again took you on a journey of different styles, including blue grass, New Orleans, and ragtime. The ragtime stylings were most prominent during Haas’s solo when he used a stride piano technique.

The set ended with a tune called ‘Hamby’s Window.’ Haas announced to the crowd that the song is about “running your head through a glass window.” The piece contains simple recurring melodies and speeds up over time. By the end of the song, listeners were on the edge of their seat wondering if the band could really keep up the tempo! The encore combined two songs, one of which I think they called ‘Infused Tear.’ It was the only time Raymer (drums) took a solo, but Raymer is quite the player and over all might be the star of the band.

In all, it was a terrific performance by a great band. Get to a “JFJO” concert soon!

Find info on the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey including tour dates and their latest album at http://www.jfjo.com

By Colin Cannon (ColinCannonMusic.com)