Reed Mathis (left), Jason Smart and Brian Haas BILL DOUTHART Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Grows Up The Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey turned 10 last rehearsed. They’re a leaderless trio in which year, and they’ve come a long way since they each member—Haas, bassist Reed Mathis and started playing in the bars and restaurants of drummer Jason Smart—can contribute equally. Tulsa, Okla. One notable difference is their They’ve made big strides toward the jazz- smaller size. Early recruits to their fan base will world acceptance they’ve always sought. Their remember them as a funky seven-piece, horn- new recording contract with Hyena and their fronted outfit. But personal and musical differ- CD on that label, Walking With Giants, have ences eventually led to a downsizing. gained them a foothold in jazz venues around “The band had two personalities,” said JFJO the country. “Before the album came out, it was keyboardist Brian Haas. “It had this completely a struggle to get some of these acoustic rooms to drunken party personality perpetrated by the let us in,” Haas said. “Now we’re rolling into horn players, in a way.” these rooms and selling them out.” The other personality was one that thrived on People say that Jacob Fred has gone acoustic, creative group improvisation. It prevailed. A which is only partly true. While Haas increas- turning point came in late 1999, when a Los ingly leaves his Fender Rhodes behind in favor Angeles booking agent was in Tulsa and heard a of acoustic piano, Mathis has actually returned trio version of the band as well as the full to playing more electric bass and is employing a ensemble. He offered to book the trio for a tour. host of effects as usual. Half the time, they Ever since, the smaller group has been on the switch roles with Mathis playing solos or road and playing 150 to 200 dates a year. Early melodies—shifted up two octaves—and Haas on, they had misunderstandings with promoters playing bass lines on keyboard. Before, it was who were looking for something like Groove easy to confuse Mathis’ processed bass leads Collective and got something more like with Haas’ Rhodes, and Mathis chuckles when Medeski Martin & Wood. But before long, peo- he recalls how even some reviewers have been ple started learning what the new Jacob Fred fooled. was all about. The past few years have seen JFJO transform Still, the band often finds itself miscatego- from wild young 20-somethings to, well, older, rized. Whenever a writer labels them a “jam more tasteful 20-somethings. “I listen to record- band” they go ballistic. Sure, they gained much ings of us from even two years ago, and Brian of their notoriety on the jam-band circuit since and I are just creaming the tune,” Mathis said. they started touring widely in spring 2000, but “It’s like a vomit of ideas.” they never felt they belonged to that scene. Haas and Mathis interact musically like Their music, they say, draws its inspiration from brothers, but it took Smart to take the music to improvisers like John Coltrane, Ornette the next level. Smart heard the band numerous Coleman, Albert Ayler and their living role times with a few different drummers. When he model, saxophonist George Garzone of Boston- joined the group in late 2001 he introduced based trio the Fringe. more space. “It was like late-period Coltrane all “What we play is free-jazz, but it’s cohesive the time, which a small percentage of people free-jazz where we make up melodies,” Haas can deal with,” Smart said. “I wanted to rein it said. Onstage, their goal is to improvise new in a bit so listeners could have more opportunity DOWNBEAT.COM songs that sound as if they were meticulously to be part of it.” —John Janowiak 22 DOWNBEAT March 2005.