Funky? Bluesy? Contemplative? How do you like your Jazz? There was something for everyone on the JazzTube this week.
I managed a quick chat with Yassmo’ before his band The Phonk Diggers got their second set underway. I hadn’t had a chance to hear the music, but praise was in order for the imaginative and inventive names that accompany his Jazz Projects. Yassmo’? More Jazz. Phonk Diggers? Well, Funk is definitely in the first name and if you like it, you’re a ‘Funk Digger’. I stuck around for the first set and can confidently say I too ama ‘Phonk Digger’. Loud ‘n’ Proud and of course above all – FUNKY! The Man who started music as a bar pianist to get through college was making his third appearance on the JazzTube and has even turned an earlier appearance into a ‘Live Album’ on YouTube
Yassmo gets into a Funky groove
Down at Uni/Markt, the atmosphere was altogether smokier. Don’t panic – nothing to do with the trains or the track. Smoky as in bar-room atmosphere. The Bernd Delbrügge Band were laying down some late-night Soul, Jazz and Blues. I know – it’s only 6pm – but that sax sure sounds bourbon soaked. Just when I planned to move on to the next band, Delbrügge pulls an Ace from the pack in the form of Tom Waits classic ‘New Coat of Paint’. I’m going to catch a later train to the Museumsmeile…
Sax-power from Bernd Delbrügge
Planning is everything if you really want to catch all three bands at Jazztube. The last station to start, hence last to finish, is Heussallee/Museumsmeile, and I’m still in good time for the final set of the afternoon from Bungalow. It’s a new name to me but there are some old (as in familiar) faces awaiting. In particular, I remember Malte Viebahn from the Bonn Jazz Youth Orchestra concert at Pantheon. Also there – and here again this evening – is Andreas Theobald who I last saw playing alongside the enigmatic voice of Sabeth Perez with a Quartet at the Bonn Jazznacht in Dottendorf. I mention this to point out that we have a very high standard of musicians laying down grooves on the JazzTube tracks. You very much DO get something for nothing even in this day and age. At least in Bonn, and especially during the JazzTube.
Johannes Weber (Bungalow) puts his Telecaster to the test
The music from Bungalowis an experimental Jazz confection. The material is written by the band themselves, and clearly, when you look at the closed eyes and delicate note picking, felt as much as played. Good to see too a Fender Telecaster played in a Jazz context by Johannes Weber. Jazz is very probably the sort of music for which Leo Fender created it – competing with the rest of the band for volume. Todays Band is all about subtlety, but the Tele is perfect for picking out tuneful runs, and a great foil for Theobald’s imaginative keyboard explorations together with some interesting synth work by Malte Viebahn. Usually, at this time a concert at Stadtgarten is waiting for me, and relaxation is a luxury I can’t afford. Today though it’s wonderful to have time, sit back, and let the mellow tones take away the cares of a working week. I could see from the similarly relaxed and happy expressions around me that I was not alone.
Next Friday (21 Sept) really is the final JazzTube to be heard in Bonn’s Underground stations in 2018. If you managed to get round to all the bands every week, you will be in a perfect position to vote for your favourite. If you found yourself perfectly contented just to sit down and enjoy all three sets by only one of the bands, and never left your spot – that’s alright too – VOTE for the band that inspired you to stay!
