We’ll drink to that

JFJO celebrates 20 years with beer, coffee, and vinyl

Twenty years ago, a new sound was born in Tulsa. It was experimental jazz, rock, and funk, peppered liberally with extended flights of mind-bending improvisational fancy and avant-garde bravado. Its name was Jacob Fred.

Keyboard wizard and creative mastermind Brian Haas was there at its conception, and has shepherded Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey from a local oddity to an outfit of international renown over those two decades, navigating several personnel shuffles along the way. The band’s current three-man lineup, with Chris Combs on guitar (electric and pedal steel) and Josh Raymer on drums, has formed JFJO’s core for the past seven years and has produced some of the group’s most highly acclaimed work.

On Saturday, April 19, the trio will celebrate with a special concert the vinyl release of its newest album, “Millions: Live in Denver,” as well as the unveiling of a craft beer label, “Jazz Millions” from Prairie Artisan Ales, and a special coffee blend from Topeca Coffee, both named in honor of the band. Topeca Roastery hosts.

Combs took a break from JFJO’s recent multi-state tour to talk beer, beans, and the state of the band 20 years in.

How did the JFJO beer come about?
We’re big fans of Prairie [Artisan Ales] and have a lot of respect for them as craftsmen. They’re fired up and creative, and it’s been fun watching them grow to become one of the best breweries in the country. Late last year I sent them an email, which felt like a shot in the dark, asking if they’d be interested in a collaboration. [Owner] Chase [Healey] got back to me 15 minutes later saying they’d love to do it. We briefly discussed what kind of beer we were looking for and settled on a “farmhouse IPA.” Chase put together the beer and his brother Colin designed the amazing label. In January they hosted a brew party and JFJO played to an intimate crowd of friends and family while Chase brewed the beer. 

It’s all been very natural and very Okie. We recently hung out with a brewer for Lagunitas—another of our favorite breweries—at a show in Petaluma, Calif., and he was a huge fan of Prairie. He said the Bomb! [Imperial Stout] changed his perception of Oklahoma and what’s happening here. We’re proud to be aligned with people doing that kind of work.

And the coffee?
Mason Remel of Hodges Bend happened to be in New York with a group of some of our favorite Tulsans and Okie ex-pats when we played the New York Winter Jazz Fest in January. After our set at the festival we all went up to a rooftop overlooking Manhattan. Mason proposed the idea for the coffee and we began working on the release party at the Topeca Roastery.

Tell me about the album you’re releasing.
We recorded it over two nights at DazzleJazz Lounge in Denver last November. It’s all old material from 1994 to present that we have reworked.

We wanted to celebrate JFJO’s 20-year history by honoring the music and people that have defined the band. It’s been a blast to move forward by looking back. This is my seventh year with the band. Most of that time has been focused on discovering ourselves and redefining the band through searching for what’s next.

We have found what we’ve been searching for musically in the trio setting. I feel like we’re playing together and communicating better than ever. Really we’re just trying to have as much fun as possible. The more fun we have, the more fun the crowds have, the better the music sounds.