When it comes to jazz, one might think of the well-known tunes of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong or Miles Davis as the defining sounds of the genre. However, this year’s JazzPOP series will showcase the evolution of modern jazz and demonstrate the ways in which jazz musicians have sought to broaden their musical scope.
The sixth year of JazzPOP performances, presented by the Hammer Museum, will take place on the first three Thursdays in August, beginning this Thursday. This year, the Hammer will welcome Todd Sickafoose’s Tiny Resistors, Aaron Novik’s Thorny Brocky and the Empty Cage Quartet.
JazzPOP curator and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa says that she is interested in audiences being exposed to the creative ways that musicians are approaching jazz now, as opposed to how it was approached many years ago. Many jazz groups now experiment with the tendencies of other genres and use more improvisation in addition to composition.
According to Mezzacappa, Tiny Resistors is one band that embodies this boundary-pushing aesthetic. The band consists of UCLA alumnus, bassist and composer Todd Sickafoose, violinist Jenny Scheinman, trumpeter Ara Anderson, pianist Erik Deutsch, guitarist Jonathan Goldberger and UCLA alumnus and drummer Mark Ferber.
According to Sickafoose, Thursday’s performance will be an opportunity for him and his bandmates to return to Westwood and present their music.
“I have fond memories of my years there, so this will be really nice,” Sickafoose said. “Mark (Ferber) and I used to be roommates, and we definitely put in our hours at Kerckhoff Coffee House.”
According to Sickafoose, the group experiments with combining different genres, such as indie rock, with traditional jazz or orchestral music. He says its sound has the familiarity of jazz infused with new musical innovations.
“It’s a jazz band, but we love all sorts of music,” Sickafoose said. “Everyone’s got some classical training, and we also use different types of music within the range of jazz and sonic possibility.”
Mezzacappa said that an inventive spirit is a common feature of this year’s JazzPOP peformers. Bass clarinetist Aaron Novik of Thorny Brocky said that his band also delves into other genres.
“We’re really into folk and rock music, so I think it’s all in there,” Novik said. “We like to take on our music from different perspectives. Everyone experiences art differently.”
The Tiny Resistors are rooted in folk music and Sickafoose said that spontaneity, not just composition, plays a role in creating their music.
“In this day and age, it is a post-modern musical world,” Sickafoose said. “What’s really exciting that goes on in this band is the true spontaneity of these musicians mixed with a lot of thought and love that goes into the writing of the music.”
According to Sickafoose, the close connection members of the Tiny Resistors has created a musical freedom in the group’s music that he is excited for the audience to experience.
Mezzacappa said that the Tiny Resistors and other groups performing in JazzPOP will be important examples of how jazz has evolved.
“Many people’s vision of jazz is like a VCR ““ it’s so outdated,” Mezzacappa said. “You think you know what jazz is, and you don’t realize what it’s become. JazzPOP is a good answer to that.”