It was a wonderful wintry Sunday with German jazz band, Jo in the house at Skinny Mo’s Jazz Club on December 14. The band comprises Jo Beyer on drums (the composer), Felix Elsner on piano, Sven Decker on tenor saxophone, Andreas Wahl on e-guitar, acoustic guitar and e-bow, who brought a twist into jazz music with electronic touches. The quartet was on their India tour and wrapped up the last show on December 21 in Mumbai. The driving mantra behind this band’s music is “do what you enjoy”, and their improvisations and modern twists to contemporary jazz is a proof of that. “It was a treat for Calcutta that Jo Beyer’s band could include our city in their India tour. Now that there is a venue dedicated to live music, it has opened up avenues for many organisations like Goethe Institute and Alliance Francaise and agencies like Gate Crash and Smoke Inc. to schedule gigs in the city. Skinny Mo’s also brings in international and Indian artistes from all over India and from Thailand. Programming efforts fall into place as people contact us,” said Munir Mohanty, the founder of Skinny Mo’s. t2 spoke to Jo about the band, their music and more. Excerpts:
How did you guys come up with the name?
I thought a lot about the band’s name and what was really important for me is that you don’t have any jazz association in mind if you see the name. Most jazz bands give off the vibe with their names but I wanted to choose a name that seems ideal for a pop band so that you don’t know what genre it is. I thought a lot about it and decided to name the band after my first name because it’s short and fun, it’s my band and I compose and organise everything and I invest my creative energy into this project and I wanted the band to reflect my personality.
What’s so unique about your soundscape?
I think there are different aspects of our band, which is pretty unique. The line-up and the instruments — it doesn’t have a bass, which is one of the first things people realise and it creates funny twists in our compositions. We can use lower frequencies with the piano and there’s hardly any clash. When I compose the music it’s not typically genre-specific, sticking to the nitty-gritty or handbook that defines what jazz is, it is avant-garde jazz with pop-ish melodies that blend to create a unique soundscape with some crazy improvisations. It is complex but not too abstract. The melody and harmony are relatable to everybody.
How was your experience in Calcutta?
This city is buzzing with a lot going on. We had no idea if people would enjoy our music, but the experience with the crowd at Skinny Mo’s was super nice. We got so many nice reactions. A lot of people told me they enjoyed the concert and spoke about how they could visualise images appearing along with our music.
What has inspired your soundscape?
It happened organically. We didn’t make a formal decision, I composed music based on the ideas that cropped up in my head and just wanted to put it all together in a lyrical context. It depends on a lot of factors starting from the social and cultural context and also the kind of music the members listen to. When we all come together a lot of influences are at play and that’s how we developed the soundscape. I put my motivation and devotion into the composition and trust the process, thinking too hard about the soundscape isn’t something that I do. The band is very connected and that’s what I enjoy the most.
Which artiste served as inspiration?
A lot of them! I listen to a lot of Keith Jarrett Trio, Jack DeJohnette... of course, he’s my favourite drummer and I love his swing. I love the way he connects to the audience and musicians and that inspires me, his flow on the drums is super amazing! I listen to a lot of Herbie Hancock. I also like Bill Stewart and others. Among the younger guys, I like Marcus Gilmore and David King from The Bad Plus, a band whose pop and catchy approach inspires me... being open and communicating on stage is great. The newer generation artistes like George Clayton, Justin Brown, Eric Harland, have incredible techniques. I listen to a lot of jazz but also electronic music, EDM and indie.
What’s the USP of working together as a band?
We have fun on stage and to put this energy or get into real contact with the audience. Extracting a real reaction from them and developing a connection is really special. With everything going digital, real-life experiences have become a rare occurrence and we need to make the most of it. You need to have fun while making music and performing and it’s something that people look for. In jazz, I’ve listened to a lot of music which is superb, but when I close my eyes to be honest, I feel like they are bored and aren’t having fun! The transfer of energy that always takes place at our concert is our USP. We get such a response from people after the concerts.
Even the switch between jazz and electronic music with pop touches plus fun, catchy, crazy and avant-garde improvs are our USP and people connect to it. Our music isn’t just for jazz lovers, we have a little something for everybody.