Courtyard Concert Series | Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey

The freeform, jazz influenced instrumental hip-hop trio Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey has been a Tulsa institution for more than 20 years. For the better part of a decade, the internationally known collaboration has included Brian Haas, Josh Raymer and Chris Combs. They recently released The Battle for Earth (read our review here) and a comic of the same name and will tour the U.S. this month. A day after their blockbuster show with Thundercat at the Vanguard’s Higher Plains Music Festival (which Combs helped organize), JFJO played a stripped-down set in the courtyard.

The Tulsa Voice: Best way to spend a Saturday:

Brian Haas: My favorite thing to do on a Saturday is go on a hike. I live in Santa Fe. But, where do I hike when I’m here?

Josh Raymer: Turkey’s kinda the jam, but there is Chandler—

BH: Keystone’s a good hike. There’s a good hike at Keystone called the Two Rivers Trail: diverse topography, really old canyon system, Cedars.

Chris Combs: You can take your dogs.

TTV: Do you have dogs?

JR: Between the three of us we have nine dogs.

TTV: Any Cats?

BH: Kinda—we traded a few of our cats for dogs. [laughs]

TTV: Favorite local venue to play:

JR: Colony, if I gotta pick one. I’ve just shared so many intimate, fun shows with friends there. Even if there’s nobody there but the people playing, it’s a special place.

CC: Three-way tie between Vanguard, Colony and Soundpony. 

BH: Probably Cain’s, although we don’t get to play there very often. But a great, packed show at Cain’s, I really love that. Also the Vanguard. We had such an amazing show there last night (Higher Plains Music Festival), it’s hard not to mention that place. The guy (Simon Aleman) that owns and books it cares a lot about the music, and that shows. Most venue owners and bookers never go to the shows they book.

TTV: Most anticipated shows:

BH: Thundercat last night. [everyone laughs]

CC: Really looking forward to Father John Misty at Cain’s.

BH: I’m just looking forward to our tour. We worked really hard to make this tour happen, so those are the shows I’m thinking about. 

TTV: Currently listening to: 

CC: I’ve been listening to a lot of Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Touré. Been digging that and a lot of Neil Young, actually.

JR: I’ve been going back and listening to some old Madlib records. I switch it up between old New Orleans stuff and just really funky shit. 

BH: Let’s see, Run The Jewels put out two records, and I keep going back to those two records. But I keep going back to Mozart’s complete symphonies. Today at the rehearsal space we were listening to the new Flying Lotus (You’re Dead!) for the millionth time. It’s so fun and weird, and unique. 

TTV: People might be surprised to know: 

BH: People would be surprised to know that I have three nicknames: Billy, Timmy and Jimmy. And also Uncle Bill Steve.

CC: Haas is a chronic nicknamer.

JR: I’m Ramses, Combs is Combsy or Comber—

CC: Haas doesn’t call anyone by his real name.

JR: People would be surprised to know that my pit bull’s almost 10 and she looks like she’s 4.

TTV: Best Tulsa show ever: 

JFJO: Last night.

TTV: Three albums I’d need on a desert island: 

[For brevity, the band picked three albums they could all enjoy, though Raymer promised to smuggle more in his pockets.]

JFJO: John Coltrane: A Love Supreme, Madlib & Freddie Gibbs: Piñata, Louis Armstrong: Hot Fives and Sevens

TTV: Tattoos? 

JR: You’re embarrassing us. 

BH: We are fully un-tattooed. We are the only un-tattooed band on Earth, because when most people start bands, the first thing they do is get tattoos. It’s a very important part of playing music. 

TTV: Music is: 

BH: When it hits, you feel no pain. 

If you enjoyed this, check out our Courtyard interviews with Jacob Tovar and Steve Liddell.