Author: audreymg

It’s official, there is no better combination than jazz and chocolate. It was the Valentine’s Day date to rule them all with Josef Deas’ jazz trio playing classics while chowing down on Zingermann’s triple chocolate cake. The Josef Deas Trio is composed of upright bass, drum set, and trumpet playing pieces by Coltrane and all your favorite classic jazz artists. This was a pleasant surprise for me as more modern jazz is truly a hit-or-miss in my mind. Sorry mom and dad, but I really hate the “smooth jazz” and “watercolors” music channels you made me listen to growing up. The real highlight was the drummer tapping out a complex rhythm with one hand and a different one with the other. He drove the trio through highs and lows. At one point in the performance he started increasing the tempo, over the course of the piece he pushed the trio faster and faster leaving me to wonder if they were ever going to slow down. The bass and trumpet kept in time not missing a single beat. Halfway through the night, our the trio turned into a quartet with the addition of an alto sax. I don’t know the saxophonist’s name but I’ve seen him many times playing sax in a tuxedo outside the Potbelly on State and Liberty. It felt like a special treat to see the busker with such a passion for his craft show up for the performance.
Adding to the general ambiance of the night was an interesting crowd. There were couples slightly dressed up and clearly there to celebrate the holiday, but there were also others just there like it was any other Thursday night. In one corner I watched two women pull out all sorts of pink and red flowers and glittery items as they started to construct what I imagined to be gift bags for a weekend Galentine’s Day party. Meanwhile, the middle-aged couple at the table next to us was friendly and chatty throughout the night. By the end of the show the husband was nodding off at the table as his wife lovingly gazed on and laughed with us at his inability to keep eyes open. My favorite audience member was a little girl probably no older than 3 or 4. She came ambling into the room with her dad trailing along, excited to watch the performance. Her dad informed us that she loves music and just had to watch. I imagine that little girl has a bright musical future ahead of her as I know very few infants with such an appreciation for the jazz classics.

In my musical experience, it doesn’t get much more obscure than a Monday night concert at the Bling Pig with a band that got its start on the New York subway. Lately, I’ve been finding myself going to concerts and events without much in the way of expectations or preconceptions. Blame it on the sentimentality of second semester senior year, because I’m suddenly desperate to soak in all the experiences I haven’t yet had during my time here at Umich. So, when my boyfriend invited me along to go see a show at the Bling Pig with his friends, I said yes. I grew up hearing my dad rave about the Bling Pig as a landmark venue for the region where he spent much of his raucous, hippy youth. Sadly, I’d just never made a point of going to see a show there. When the opportunity presented itself, I knew that it was my chance. That’s how I ended up at the Blind Pig on a Monday night for a performance by a band whose name I didn’t know, and man, am I glad I went.
The Bling Pig has that sort of grimy, hole-in-the-wall feeling that all the best venues have. Apparently, they usually serve free popcorn but that was not the case Monday night, to my boyfriend’s chagrin. We grabbed a hightop chair and section of counter along the side of the room so that this fun sized individual could actually see the stage. The opening act was The Essentials which seems a bit presumptuous, if you ask me. A small band from Toledo, The Essentials classify themselves as reggae/surf/punk. I would classify them as knock-off Sublime. If you can’t tell, I wasn’t particularly enamored with their set; it just brought back too many memories from my middle school girlfriend’s house in the summer.
Despite, this subpar opening act (it can’t be disappointing if you don’t have expectations) I was pleasantly surprised when Too Many Zooz took the stage and a neon-clad man started belting out a catchy tune on baritone sax. Too Many Zooz is probably one of the strangest groups I’ve ever seen perform both in appearance and sound. The members, Matt Doe, Leo P, and the King of Sludge definitely look like they started out playing on the subway. Each of them has a distinct style which does not mesh with the others creating a slightly confusing visual experience that makes it nearly impossible to look away. The saxophone player was the clear highlight of the performance as Matt Doe climbed on speakers in his neon rave outfit and expressed the full range of the bari sax. Their self-described music genre, brass house, is just as wild as the appearance and incredibly accurate. I couldn’t help but think “if they played this kind of music at Rick’s I would probably go a lot more often”. The performance was lively and fun, never allowing the energy to decline. I found myself wishing Leo P’s theory of our sweat condensing into clouds which would then rain down on us and provide some relief from the temperature of the room would come true. I know that I can’t always be this lucky, but this chance definitely payed off.

Image courtesy of Too Many Zooz’s official Facebook page

This Thursday, aka Valentine’s Day, my man is taking me out for some Jazz + Chocolate at Cultivate Coffee and Tap House in Ypsilanti. Cultivate is a hipster coffee shop meets brewery meets venue meets community center. If there’s something you want to do, you can probably do it at Cultivate. I first visited Cultivate a couple weeks ago to get some work done and found a dynamic, inviting space. The main room is full of long picnic tables but, unlike most spots on campus, no one gives you a dirty look if you sit next to them. There were students getting homework done while sipping coffee, folks meeting up for lunch and a beer, and teachers tutoring high school students. In addition to this awesome space and atmosphere, Cultivate also provides support for local businesses and runs a community garden behind their converted auto shop. One of the best things about Cultivate is that it’s actually super accessible from campus, just hop on the number 4 bus to Ypsi!
This Thursday, Cultivate will be transforming into a romantic spot for lovey dovey couples to drink wine, eat cake, and listen to jazz. Josef Deas will be performing, though I’m not entirely sure what that will look or sound like. He’s a local artist that has been on the scene for over five years and has performed at the Blind Pig in the past, so he must be pretty legit. One of my favorite things about jazz is how diverse the genre can be, so I’m always up for a jazz fusion-y surprise. And, if nothing else, there’s always the cake.

Graphic courtesy of the Cultivate Facebook page