Unbound By Genres: Jazz Quartet Birckhead On Meshing Modern Music With Trad Jazz

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Alexandra Evangelista |The Peninsula

Doha: As Wednesday evening wore on, the sound of saxophone echoed from the spherical lounge of The Ned Doha. The spotlight was on the jazz quartet, Birckhead, as they introduced themselves through a composition called 'Cacao'. The quiet and steady hums of conversations in the busy venue were drowned out by the soft tunes of the saxophone- turning heads from the audience just in time for the rest of the instruments- the piano, bass, and drums to follow through in unison.

Birckhead, a band rooted in sonic experimentation, is led by woodwind artist and composer Brent Birckhead in uniting contemporary sounds with the traditional vocabulary of jazz. From the '90s rhythm and blues to hip hop and afrobeats, the band takes influence from various genres and makes it their own. Birckhead is in Doha through the United States Embassy in Qatar's flagship music exchange progamme called American Music Abroad (AMA).

“I think the fact that we can mix the genres is what jazz is about-the ability to adjust on the spot. What makes jazz unique is that it is a freedom music,” the Brent said.

“You learn what the rules are, and you break the rules and I think that's an attribute of jazz that's unique and stands out wherever we go,” he added.

On the idea of adding a new flair to his compositions using Arabic musical instruments, the artist did not hesitate to say,“Absolutely. I think it will only be right. Especially being around the musicians and the people that have created it.”

He also added:“It's a challenge because it's something that's completely different but it's something that we look forward to in these cultural exchange programmes.

Brent's creativity in music is unbound by genre and conventional practices. Besides pulling inspiration from classical legends like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane- his compositions are also elicited from encounters with his peers, travels, and students.

Furthermore, education also plays a part in this craft as he perceives learning as part of his discovery and creative process when composing. During the band's few-day visit to Qatar, Birckhead will be conducting several jazz masterclasses across different learning institutions in the country.

Having a glimpse of that, Brent shared that helping students grasp the basics takes him back to a rudimentary level which shapes his outlook as a creator of music.“It reminds me of why I like doing what I'm doing,” he stated.“The discovery process, then that discovery process inspires me to write new music, it inspires me to keep practicing.”

“And as a teacher, that's what I've learned. It's to work where people are, and not where you expect them to be,” Brent added.

Birckhead will perform this evening at the Drama Theatre in Katara, in cooperation with the United States Embassy in Qatar. He also performed yesterday at Katara.

Speaking with The Peninsula, Brent stated that he simply wants the band's music to spread love and healing for all.“I play with a lot of love. And everybody in the band plays with a lot of love and healing as well. I want them to feel renewed when they hear the music. I think that's an important part of all the music that we do, and as an artist in general,” he said.

As for his aspirations for the band, the artist was firm on the desire for growth and to reach a wider audience, in bigger and smaller stages, while stringing along his passion for education and igniting musical interest in students.

“In the coming years, we want to do this even more so, we love to collaborate more with the artists wherever we go, record albums that are compiled from artists all over as well. So, we can make sure that we have harnessed the energy that we brought and got from all of these different places,” he stated.

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