Penn Station: redefining jazz for the discerning ear

(From left) Adam Birenbaum on piano, Chad Leftkowitz on tenor sax, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, Yosvanny Terry on alto sax and Clarence Penn on drums. PICTURE: St Regis Doha

By Hamza Jilani/Staff ReporterRelocating to Doha can be an adventure with a number of hurdles to jump over before getting to the finish line where one can finally label of the  desert coastal city as “home”. My last hurdle landed me at the Jazz at Lincoln Centre, St Regis Doha, which made me realise just how close to that finish line I really am.As one of the bustling city’s best-kept secrets, the jazz venue is anything but crowded and offers the perfect experience for a couple hours of unwinding from the day’s work to the sweet and sultry sounds of raw and organic jazz music performed live by some of the world’s renowned artists and bands.The five-member line-up called Penn Station and led by Clarence Penn was the first jazz night I had attended at the St Regis – one before at the Museum of Islamic Art and organised under the JALC. But this one was different. While all the talents are booked directly from New York’s famous JALC – the one and original who has struck its only partnership export to the St. Regis – where only the best make it to the stage, Penn Station’s ballistic performance and sound really left me and my company (and obviously everyone else in the room) with a lasting impression. As a jazz lover myself, I can only really define Penn Station as an outfit that is seemingly redefining jazz rather than playing within the flexible but set parameters of the genre. Penn Station, much like the St Regis, has only been around for about a year but its members come from diverse backgrounds and influences with decades of spotlight and professional experience. Drummer Clarence Penn, who has composed Grammy Award winning music, enjoys a lineup with the likes of Adam Birenbaum on piano, Chad Leftkowitz on tenor sax, Yosvanny Terry on alto sax and Yasushi Nakamura on bass who collectively spellbind their audiences with precision transitions song in and song out which gather deep cultural influences from Latin and North American sound works. The solo performances of each member, combined with the synergistic harmonies of other accenting instruments, really show the power and dedication of the team to their individual sense of music and delivery.Speaking of the band’s touch, Penn says that he loves music from around the world and incorporates that into his sound, dubbing it as a “world sound” that has its foundation in Jazz but gather sounds and nuances from swing to odd-metered and rubato hardcore jazz including Flamenco, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and other Pan-American beats. “I’m fortunate to be able to play many styles authentically, so we can create a variety of music culture and make it feel authentic with extreme dynamics,” he said. “We never forget the audience in our performances with long solos and lack of interaction.”Having composed 100 songs, Penn adds that he draws influences from life, art, family, music, travel and even food, “which is why I think people relate to us so well”.But just how does a band become great? Well, as Penn puts it, when you are performing among and for cutthroat competition in a place like New York, you just make sure that whatever you sound like, you sound amazing.“People are really into cutting edge music in New York, so we’re into presenting the newest ideas. It’s always amazing to play in the city because, since there are so many great musicians there, you want to sound your absolute best,” he told the Gulf Times. “Not that we don’t play this way always, but when you have an audience of musicians watching you, the pressure brings something different out!”While playing in Doha for the first time, an experience Penn describes as welcoming with his local audience seeming to be open to the new experience, the high-in-demand Penn admits that he’s played “everywhere except China”. The full-time musician since 1991 and father of two spends his time learning new music from other accomplishing artists if he’s not practicing his and writing his own for hours on a daily basis when he’s not performing live.“Despite the small audiences, I hope the St. Regis and these bands know that they are highly appreciated by their attending audiences,” observer Anas al-Absi told the Gulf Times on the sidelines of Penn Station’s performance. “We might be few in number at this point, but jazz was never a music type made for pop culture, but for ears with a sense of class.”