Jazz Overhaul celebrates their debut album this week. Filthy is the quartet’s tribute to the sounds of 1990’s rock that put the Northwest in the popular music spotlight.
The band’s leader, saxophonist Cliff Colon, talked with KNKX about the album and its surprising origins.
“You said that we should make an album,” laughed Colon. “We weren’t even thinking about doing it until we did that studio session and I’m glad that we did. Everyone seems to be pretty excited about it!”
Colon and the band – keyboard player Jake Sele, bassist Osama Afifi and drummer D’Vonne Lewis – originally planned to roll out their recordings on YouTube, and they are still doing that.
The songs on Filthy are the same recordings from that video series. “It takes a while to edit those videos, so some of them are getting staged out over the next few months,” Colon explained.
Fans can watch the videos for free, buy digital downloads and CDs, and even pick up a vinyl record version.
“Everyone wants the vinyl,” Colon said about his first experience with the format. “It sounds so good!” He added, though, that the limited running time means more songs will be available digitally than the collection available to spin on record players.
“I think we hit a nostalgia sweet spot,” Colon pondered, saying that listeners “they recognize the song itself and then they can appreciate the improvisation aspect of it.”
Colon explained that the diversity in the Jazz Overhaul audience reflects the band’s desire to bring instrumental music to people who don’t have a connection to jazz. “They don’t know they like jazz, but then they walk away liking it!”
Upcoming release party concerts for Filthy will be at Bake’s Place in Bellevue on Jan. 17 and at the Black & Tan Hall in Seattle on Feb. 21.
Already looking ahead, Colon said the next Jazz Overhaul project may look further into the genre. “I’ve been wanting to do deeper cuts,” he said, suggesting lesser-known groups of the era like Mother Love Bone, Mad Season, and Tacoma’s beloved punk quintet Seaweed.
The lone non-Northwest song on Filthy is a cover of the 1992 Radiohead hit “Creep,” which Colon said fits the era and style and has become a rousing finale at Jazz Overhaul concerts.
Colon shared, “I just like playing music that has a little bit of a nostalgia with folks, that’s special to them in some way, and then see where we can take it.”
Following the tradition of jazz interpretations of popular music for over a century, Jazz Overhaul will continue to take the sentimental sounds of ‘grunge’ to jazz audiences and lovers of great music everywhere.
The New Cool airs Fridays at 9 p.m., hosted by Abe Beeson and produced by KNKX Public Radio in Seattle, Washington. LISTEN ON DEMAND
