By: Ella Grace
CHICAGO– On Wednesday, April 9, saxophonist Nubya Garcia brought her unique UK neo-jazz to SPACE in Evanston, IL. A medium-sized venue tucked away behind a pizza joint, SPACE was packed standing-room only with a multi-generational audience.
Opening for Garcia on this leg of the tour, the show began with vocalist Magi Merlin accompanied by bassist Funky What and some pre-recorded tracks.
Traveling from their home of Montreal, Magi Merlin donned a thrifted Canadian tuxedo and noted that their merch was made with thrifted t-shirts. Together, the duo performed several songs that they co-wrote, a few of which are featured on their brand new EP A Weird Little Dog, released just five days before the show. Two painted duct tape dog sculptures decorated the stage as a nod to the EP. Magi Merlin utilized effect pedals to sing poppy vocals over a nice mix of upbeat, funky beats and some more chill, trippy tracks. Though their music was extremely different from the main act to follow, the audience seemed to enjoy their set and they did a good job of getting the crowd excited for Garcia.
Accompanied by a band of drums, upright bass, and keys switching between grand piano and Rhodes, Garcia entered the stage and began her set with a chill, meditative opening.
I was instantly struck by her beautiful buttery tenor sax tone, which she maintained throughout the full dynamic range, even at the softest, most delicate moments. Use of effects pedals enhanced her sound, including delay, reverb, and octave effects. The overall mix was great as well, with balanced sound across the band.
Garcia did not address the audience until a couple songs in. As she picked up the microphone to speak, audience members shouted compliments like “I love your nails!” before she could even get a word out. The room radiated positivity.
Another voice from the crowd yelled “I love your Tiny Desk!” referencing Garcia’s NPR Tiny Desk Concert which was recorded two weeks before and released publicly that morning. Garcia noted that the day felt special and monumental for that reason.
This show and the Tiny Desk Concert were part of a larger ongoing tour to promote Garcia’s most recent album entitled Odyssey, released September 20th of last year. She played exclusively works from the album for both performances. At SPACE, Garcia opened with the first track on the album, “Dawn.” She played five other pieces from the album including “Solstice,” “Clarity,” and “We Walk In Gold.” Though Garcia leads the band, she lets the other talented musicians shine with their own solos throughout the set.
An artist with bold fashion, Garcia came dressed in an all-black outfit with a long, flowy trenchcoat in contrasting white over it. Her hair was slicked back into a bun to reveal large golden earrings, and she wore big black leather heeled boots. “If you think it’s hard playing the saxophone, try doing it in heels!” Said Garcia.
In a jocular tone, it seemed intended as an unserious anecdote, but it also speaks to a larger point. Jazz has historically been and continues to be a fairly male-dominated genre and Garcia is a trailblazer as one of few female jazz instrumentalists performing at her level.
About halfway through the show, Garcia asked the audience for a lighter. After procuring one, she used it to light some incense, explaining that she made the incense herself to go along with the album before handing it down to be passed around the audience as she performed the next piece. It smelled amazing. Garcia explained that she wanted to engage all five senses, as most concert experiences neglect the sense of smell.
As the set seemed to be coming to a close, Garcia took off her coat and said they would perform one more song despite already going over their time. They ended the show with the last track on the album, “Triumphance.” Garcia noted that “Triumphance” is the first song she has written lyrics for, a sort of spoken word string of affirmations that she shared with the audience to close out the show.
Repeated like mantras, the lyrics included: “Your journey is yours… Your difference is your power, our differences are our collective power.”
Jazz is a large umbrella term encompassing dozens of subgenres including Garcia’s own style of neo-jazz. While some might argue more progressive styles fall outside the categorization of jazz, you can hear a deep connection to the lineage as Garcia quoted standards like “Equinox” and played with a prophetic sound reminiscent of John Coltrane.
All of the subgenres beneath jazz’s umbrella maintain an emphasis on improvisation, innovation, musical conversation, and collaboration. By thriving as a black female instrumentalist in jazz Garcia reminds us that we all benefit from including a diversity of voices in the experience of musical conversation.
“Our differences are our collective power,” Says Garcia.
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