Local jazz lovers know that they can rely on Tuesdays at Aslan Depot to see a bunch of the best local jazz musicians. This week, however, they’re going to need to come back again the next night to catch a phenomenal touring artist. The Swiss-based trio led by Nicole Johänntgen are going to be there for a show on Wednesday, Sept. 18 that is not to be missed.
The group even has a cool local connection, which may be partially to thank for this show even existing. Tuba player Jon Hansen grew up here, then moved to Los Angeles and Seattle to study music before eventually ending up in Switzerland, where he connected with the German-born Johänntgen. They recently released an album, “Labyrinth,” featuring percussionist David Stauffacher, and are touring the West Coast in support of it (with a surprise guest percussionist substituting in for this tour).
The music they make defies a lot of jazz conventions. Although they typically fall into the standard roles of melody, harmony and rhythm, Hansen’s tuba lines can be quite melodic, and both he and Johänntgen can slip into percussive roles on their instruments. Stauffacher plays a hybrid kit, with some pieces of a traditional drum kit beside congas and bongos.
Johänntgen also occasionally switches to singing, sometimes with lyrics, sometimes wordless vocalizations. The compositions tend to have interesting structures with multiple parts to them, as opposed to the standard jazz approach of just playing the melody once or twice and then improvising on it. The music jumps through many styles from the entire history of jazz, with Latin and New Orleans grooves contrasting with thoughtful melodies and the occasional hint of dissonance and the avant-garde.
It’s apparently not easy for European musicians to get visas to come perform here, to say nothing of the logistics of putting a tour like this together. So if you want to see some real, high-quality jazz that puts a truly unique spin on the standard forms of the genre, you’re definitely going to want to put this one on your calendar.
News
Speaking of jazz on Wednesday nights, the Jazz Center of Bellingham has its fall and winter schedule out and there’s some great stuff in there. Those shows take place on Wednesdays at the Firehouse PAC, typically two a month. Some of the season’s highlights include the Naomi Moon Siegel Ensemble (Nov. 20), Jose “Juicy” Gonzales’ ever-popular Charlie Brown Christmas show (Dec. 18), and the Cyrus Nabipoor Quartet (Jan. 8, 2025).
Rumors have been swirling since the Underground announced its closure that it will be relaunching under a new name with more emphasis on live music. It had already been moving in that direction over the last few months. Those of us who saw a bunch of great shows there back when it was the Nightlight would certainly love to see more shows happening there again. I’ll pass on any more info on that as soon as I can get it.
Make.Shift’s lighting rig is badly out of date and it would be great if they could have something that would make shows there a little more visually exciting. Fortunately, some bands are doing a benefit to try to make that happen. The show on Sept. 21 features Frog Rocket, Serious Talk, Cold Sludge and Drayton, and all the proceeds go toward new lights.
In another gesture of venue appreciation, that same night is the annual World Gratitude Day fundraiser at the Firehouse. Guitars and Gratitude host this evening featuring a whole bunch of other local acoustic musicians, collecting donations to help keep that venue going.
Jesse Stanton's music column, The Beat Goes On, appears weekly. Reach him at jsbhammusic@gmail.com; @JSBhamMusic. Check with individual venues to make sure events are still taking place as scheduled. Live music events in Whatcom County: http://www.cascadiadaily.com/category/living/arts-and-entertainment/music/music-calendar
