Was it worth a decade’s wait for Jazzanova to play a live show in London? The crowd at Jazz Cafe certainly thought so.
Since they began creating music 14 years ago, Jazzanova have been difficult to categorise. Jazz? Well, yes. Dance? Most definitely. Soul? For sure. Nu-jazz, jazz house, chillout? Friday night’s gig was just as hard to pigeonhole. Add to this that Jazzanova is, strictly speaking, a collection of six DJs/producers, and as a live stage show you’re really facing a musical minefield.
Jazzanova didn’t navigate this minefield – they drove straight over it. The nine-piece band (consisting of two actual Jazzanova DJs, their new singer Paul Randolph and six very talented musicians) had the crowd moving and stayed true enough to the original tunes to keep even the most die-hard fan grinning ear to ear.
The live show explored diverse genres just like Jazzanova’s music with everything from slow swaying numbers to booming dance basslines. Jazzanova portrayed the same mixture of musical prowess, originality, vivacity and raw talent that fans have come to expect from this ever-changing Berlin-based beat collective. It’s easy to see why so many artists have remixed or guested with them over the years.
With the addition of singer Randolph, Jazzanova have certainly become a little more mainstream but they still delighted the crowd with renditions of classics such as ‘L.O.V.E and You & I’ and ‘Theme from Belle et Fou – Bows’, as well as receiving much love for their latest offerings.
Brownswood darling Ben Westbeech made a well received guest appearance on ‘I Can See’, the song he co-wrote for Jazzanova’s 2008 album Of All the Things. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another ten years to see a show like this.
Since they began creating music 14 years ago, Jazzanova have been difficult to categorise. Jazz? Well, yes. Dance? Most definitely. Soul? For sure. Nu-jazz, jazz house, chillout? Friday night’s gig was just as hard to pigeonhole. Add to this that Jazzanova is, strictly speaking, a collection of six DJs/producers, and as a live stage show you’re really facing a musical minefield.
Jazzanova didn’t navigate this minefield – they drove straight over it. The nine-piece band (consisting of two actual Jazzanova DJs, their new singer Paul Randolph and six very talented musicians) had the crowd moving and stayed true enough to the original tunes to keep even the most die-hard fan grinning ear to ear.
The live show explored diverse genres just like Jazzanova’s music with everything from slow swaying numbers to booming dance basslines. Jazzanova portrayed the same mixture of musical prowess, originality, vivacity and raw talent that fans have come to expect from this ever-changing Berlin-based beat collective. It’s easy to see why so many artists have remixed or guested with them over the years.
With the addition of singer Randolph, Jazzanova have certainly become a little more mainstream but they still delighted the crowd with renditions of classics such as ‘L.O.V.E and You & I’ and ‘Theme from Belle et Fou – Bows’, as well as receiving much love for their latest offerings.
Brownswood darling Ben Westbeech made a well received guest appearance on ‘I Can See’, the song he co-wrote for Jazzanova’s 2008 album Of All the Things. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another ten years to see a show like this.
