Jazz Nite brings unity during uncertain times.

Last night, Sunday, May 24th, my wife and I were laying down on the guest bed in our living room. She was giving me a stick-n-poke of a leaf sprig on my left ankle. She’s done this many times, but last night, I was reminded of how close and intimate humans can actually be towards one another. Last night was also the tenth installment of the virtual Omaha Jazz Nite. Its hosts are Keith Rodger and Neal Duffy. This past week, I’ve been in communication with them to get their incites and inspirations. I asked Keith what Jazz Nite was in his words and he said “Sunday night Jazz has been an established tradition for 40+ years in Omaha, Nebraska. With live music coming to an instant halt in the recent months, Neal and I have created a Zoom meeting room for jazz night hangs. Starting at 9pm CST, we pass our virtual aux cord back and forth to a strong community of 75-90 people every week! You can witness attendees create art, enjoy libations, sit by a fire, even roller skate. “This started as a way to see and ‘hang’ with our friends on our typical Sunday. I never anticipated this, we have people from New Zealand, NYC, Cali, South America, Asia; people from ALL OVER. We just want to provide a soundtrack to ‘your’ Sunday ritual. It's all about community”

Laying on the bed and watching the gallery of tiny screens, I bounced around from person to person. Someone had the zoom meeting projected on a sheet and they were roller skating, another man showing off his bottle of Andre’s champagne he was drinking from, others being families cozied up and holding each other. Everyone is muted aside from Keith, Neal, and whoever was guest DJing.

If I told my friend I was going to go to a “jazz night,” they are likely to assume a low lit space, a glass of wine, somewhere in a building where people are crowded, quiet, and listening, or the opposite: they are alive, up, and dancing. With COVID-19 being our reality, the “jazz night” space that Keith and Neal loved to perform in went to the bedroom, the living room, people’s actual homes. I asked them how it felt going from a room full of people to the room being a computer screen.

Keith said, “I think Jazz music is always best experienced in an intimate setting, so I felt like this type of event is better suited to experience at home. I miss the physical setting. I miss giving people a soundtrack to their late-night public experience. I miss the dance atmosphere more than anything.

And Neal saying, “At first it was a very different energy, in some ways it felt like I was performing in front of no one (which I am pretty used to), but providing your friends, touring crew, family, and some people I have never met a gathering space to feel some sort of normalcy is refreshing. It feels important, we have an opportunity to create a new routine and help educate and heal ourselves and so many others thru music.”

This idea of normalcy is the very present and very invisible struggle people are having in the pandemic. What does it look like to try and go back to close interactions? What is actually possible in the home? When my wife had finished the tiny leaf sprig on my ankle I sat up and scrolled though more of the screens. The back half were just the audience members names. No live feed from their end, just a centered all caps “NAME”. I remember thinking that with all the imagination, all the fun, are the digital barriers, the literal distance between me and Keith hindering me from achieving some true enjoyment with what is happening. I asked Keith and Neal this:

Keith said, “I don't think it creates any barriers between us and our visitors. The fact that we have a steady crowd that visits from multiple countries is a testament to our ability to bring unity during these times. I would never imagine people from places like Trinidad, Taiwan, Brazil, and Guatemala would all be hanging out with us each week. If we were doing these on a local level in a regular pub, we would not be getting the kind of love that people online bring. Jazz Nite has proven that some events belong in these spaces and will always prevail with others from outside of our local community. Omaha has a strong love for Jazz, but not always the strongest support for the hardworking local musicians and DJs in the field. I'm more comfortable with streaming now. This avenue may become more of a viable opportunity for me (and Neal) to do what we want with the music we love.”

And Neal, “Not at all, I understand this will not last forever, but it’s what we are creating right now that’s important. Growing up, the radio was so important in the discovery of new music, and now radio is really…I like to believe we are creating a new form of radio, a community that trusts we will provide quality content for their own Sunday routine.”

To see the hosts express such love and hope for what was happening, I felt better. I felt better knowing the intimacy I share with my wife, and the intimacy I share with this Zoom room full of people is all one in the same.

Omaha Jazz Nite is ongoing and happening every Sunday night from 9pm CST to 12am CST until we hear otherwise.

Contributors

Aaron Scobie is a writer and photographer based in Omaha, NE.

Anne Gustafson is a lifestyle and wedding photographer based in Omaha, NE.

Claire Sapone is a director, producer, writer and yoga instructor based in Omaha, NE.

Music, CultureJustin FennertMay 27, 2020Jazz Nite, Aaron Scobie, Anne Gustafson, Claire SaponeComment