Joe’s Pub New York, NY
Web: nationbeat.com
Contact: [email protected]
Players: Scott Kettner, percussionist, bandleader; Tom McHugh, trombone; Mark Collins, trumpet; Paul Carlon, tenor saxophone; Heather Ewer, sousaphone; Christylez Bacon and Melanie Scholtz, guest vocalists
Material: To celebrate the release of their new album, Archaic Humans, Nation Beat held a show at Joe’s Pub. Nation Beat is a jazz group from Brazil, founded in 2017 by Kettner. The album blends jazz, forró, maracatu, beatboxing, and vocals into something beautiful and unique.
Musicianship: Nation Beat’s musicianship is unparalleled. They strive to blend New Orleans-style jazz with the Brazilian maracatu, a performance style created for festivals in the northeast. Every member capitalized their opportunities to shine with features and solos, often repeating improv sections. Kettner and Bacon went head-to-head before “A New Flow,” battling it out between Kettener’s pandeiro and Bacon’s beatboxing. About halfway through, Kettner treated the audience to a pandeiro solo. He used alternative techniques such as dragging motions and different parts of his arm to create unique sounds, before incorporating a loop pedal and additional percussive instruments to compose a new track on stage.
Performance: A mixture between a theater and a jazz club, Joe’s Pub is a swanky venue, organically encouraging feedback from the crowd. Any time someone soloed or the band finished an impressive section, the crowd went wild. Audience participation was a major part of their show. Before beginning “Give A Little,” Bacon took a minute to sit with the audience and explain how important they were. From there, he went through the call and response of “give a little!” at the end of his phrases. This returned with their version of “Hey Pocky Way,” but the ultimate testament to the symbiotic nature of the show was when couples got up from their tables to dance in the aisle.
Summary: Nation Beat is one-of-a-kind. They never miss an opportunity to fold different cultures into their sound, constantly evolving as they play. It makes them a perfect embodiment of jazz—creating, growing, and changing with their music. Their album Archaic Humans debuted in May, so make sure to give it a listen
