Hitting a nerve

Jojo Mayer brings his band to town to showcase their strong presence in the electronic and jazz scene

November 29, 2017 03:45 pm | Updated 03:45 pm IST

Early on in our interview, drummer, producer and composer extraordinaire Jojo Mayer sums himself up almost perfectly. When asked about his plans in India, where he and his band Nerve will play their first ever shows, he says, “I’m ready to soak up as much as I can and will go with the flow. I'm more of an improviser than a planner anyhow.”

The Swiss-born, New York-based Mayer has been an exceptional mind in the space of electronic and jazz music, using live drumming to a mind-baffling extent on his work, while also working with cutting-edge technology to create music that is in an entirely different league as both, electronic and jazz music. A veteran artiste of about three decades, Mayer will perform at Blue Frog in Bengaluru on December 8, followed by a headline set at the International Jazz Live Festival in Goa on December 10.

Ahead of the two shows, we spoke to Mayer about his technology, the relevancy of jazz in the modern music industry and future plans. Excerpts:

What is it like making your way down to India after knowing about the country for so many years?

I think I speak for everyone in the band to say I’m very excited to come to India with this band for the first time.

Besides the fact that India has one of the richest musical cultures in the world, we have a lot of fans here anticipating our shows. For very artist it is a privilege to perform in such an environment.

When you have a club show and open-air festival show in succession, what do you do differently?

It depends on the format of the events more than if it’s indoor or outdoor. Usually we can stretch out a bit more in a club as the setting is more intimate. But a great outdoor location can also be very inspiring. We'll see and deal with it once we get there. We like to be spontaneous.

In your interviews, you’ve mentioned artists need to challenge people’s opinions. Do your views often end up being considered unpopular?

Recently, I told a journalist who writes for a famous jazz magazine that jazz had its day. This provoked a tirade of names of contemporary jazz artists from his side to attest the relevance of jazz today. I then asked him how he would compare the first 30 years of jazz with the last 30 years. Evidently, the last 30 years pale in comparison, at the very best. And the reason for it is the term Jazz has been co-opted by interests that constitute the opposite of the evolutionary spirit of its founding fathers.

Today, when working under the label jazz, it is no longer tolerated to break the rules, to be revolutionary, ground-breaking and free. That's why in 30 years, music lovers will still listen to Armstrong, Basie, Monk, Miles and Coltrane when most musicians working under the label jazz today will be forgotten.

As a performer and listener, do you feel like it is tough keeping up with technology?

Technology has brought us a lot of convenience. But that convenience comes with a price. Probably a very high price that most people will only start to comprehend when we're in it up to the neck. At the present moment, we're in the process to lose touch with what makes us human. We scarify what defines us for convenience. We behave like the sorcerer’s apprentice with a magic wand. Without the wisdom of the sorcerer. To enter the technological age at the atavistic stage of a caveman is just a receipt for disaster. We will need to kick our human development into warp speed to be able to create a counterbalance and co-exist with the technology that is coming at us in the next 20 years. Robotization will be the first of many challenges for us and we're not yet ready to deal with this.

The question is not the legitimacy of a human performance over an automated one but the real question concerns the value of any performance – human or robot. We need to create new syntax in order to understand this and I hope we can contribute to this with our music.

So, to answer your question, I'm trying to understand both the obvious enjoyable benefits of technology as well as the hidden ramifications. According to that, I'll make my choices.

You released the self-titled album Nerve earlier this year. How important are studio releases for you?

The recording studio has somewhat become a place where we return between tours to negotiate, develop and consolidate our experiences on the road. It's a quiet zone, the eye of the hurricane. In this stillness we make momentary snapshots that capture our current artistic development as well experiment with new ideas.

Not all, but lot of our recorded material generates from live jams. Once recorded in the studio we deconstructing these ideas live all over again. We hope our audience enjoys to share this process with us when listening to our releases. Live or recordings are both just means to communicate with our audience.

Who are your current favourites in music?

I think although popular music culture is at the end of the rope these days, there are only a few exceptions of innovative spirit and greatness like James Blake or Kendrick Lamar. But under the radar, I find many great artists who create incredible ground-breaking music that inspires me. They all exist in microscopic little cells all over the world. I think some of the greatest musician currently in this world are my bandmates in Nerve, Jacob (Bergson), John (Davis) and Aaron (Nevezie). But, I also heard great stuff recently from Clark, Daedalus and Deantoni Parks.

What else is coming up through 2018 for you?

I will do some more recordings and international touring with Nerve. Our upcoming release will be completely improvised, and all acoustic production. No electronics. Grand piano, acoustic upright bass and acoustic drums, recorded on all analogue equipment and straight to quarter-inch tape.

Also next year, I'll score the music for a documentary movie about architecture that features some of the seminal architects of our time. My bandmates from Nerve will also be taking part with this to some extent as well.

And this Winter, I will take on my first assignment as an actor in a lead role in a movie shot in the Caribbean. I'm really excited to expand beyond my role as a drummer and collaborate with some incredibly talented people outside the music world.

Jojo Mayer & Nerve perform at Blue Frog, Church Street on December 8. Tickets: Rs 2,400 (including three drinks). Available on Bookmyshow.com

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