Unbound by genres: Jazz quartet Birckhead on meshing modern music with trad jazz

Doha: As Wednesday evening wore on, the sound of saxophone echoed from the spherical lounge of The Ned Doha. The spotlight was on the jazz quartet, Bi...

Doha: As Wednesday evening wore on, the sound of saxophone echoed from the spherical lounge of The Ned Doha. The spotlight was on the jazz quartet, Birckhead, as they introduced themselves through a composition called ‘Cacao’. The quiet and steady hums of conversations in the busy venue were drowned out by the soft tunes of the saxophone— turning heads from the audience just in time for the rest of the instruments— the piano, bass, and drums to follow through in unison.

Birckhead, a band rooted in sonic experimentation, is led by woodwind artist and composer Brent Birckhead in uniting contemporary sounds with the traditional vocabulary of jazz. From the ‘90s rhythm and blues to hip hop and afrobeats, the band takes influence from various genres and makes it their own. Birckhead is in Doha through the United States Embassy in Qatar’s flagship music exchange progamme called American Music Abroad (AMA).

“I think the fact that we can mix the genres is what jazz is about—the ability to adjust on the spot. What makes jazz unique is that it is a freedom music,” the Brent said.

“You learn what the rules are, and you break the rules and I think that’s an attribute of jazz that’s unique and stands out wherever we go,” he added.

On the idea of adding a new flair to his compositions using Arabic musical instruments, the artist did not hesitate to say, “Absolutely. I think it will only be right. Especially being around the musicians and the people that have created it.”