PICTURED: Lester “DJ 2-Tone Jones” Wallace (left) and Gerald Watson of Shaolin Jazz, coming to OPAC on Aug. 27. Picture by Andrew Williams
by Marina Dunbar
On Saturday, Aug. 27, prolific dwell film-scoring duo Shaolin Jazz will deliver its “Can I Kick It?” challenge to the Oxnard Performing Arts Heart (OPAC). The occasion will current a screening of the 1973 cult traditional martial arts movie Enter the Dragon, directed by Robert Clouse and starring the legendary Bruce Lee. The creative duo will apply their information of music-mixing and turntabling to provide the movie a brand new, distinctive rating that blends hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz and rock music.
Shaolin Jazz consists of musicians Gerald Watson and Lester Wallace, often known as DJ 2-Tone Jones. The challenge was not initially envisioned to be about scoring traditional martial arts movies. It was not even supposed to be a dwell occasion with a dwell viewers.
“It began as a mixtape idea again in 2011,” explains Wallace. “We created a mixtape that fused jazz music with lyrics from the Wu-Tang Clan and we referred to as it Shaolin Jazz: The 37 Chambers. It grew organically after that with plenty of content material and engagement, with a kind of engagements being the ‘Can I Kick It?’ film screening occasion.”
Drawing from a wide selection of genres and musical influences, Shaolin Jazz might be thought of a journey by blues-based music, tracing the historical past of recent well-liked music again to its R&B roots. “I’ve been an avid hip-hop fan since highschool, that’s after I actually dove into it. That led to me changing into a fan of jazz and funk, soul and rock music that hip-hop comes from. I by no means anticipated to do something skilled with music, I simply form of stumbled into it,” says Wallace.
A earlier “Can I Kick It?” occasion in Downtown Washington D.C. Picture by Gerald Watson
A lot of the inspiration for Shaolin Jazz got here from the earliest types of film-scoring. Again earlier than Hollywood movies had music and even sound, musicians would usually play inside the theaters to accompany and assist to inform the unfolding tales. A number of famend musicians started their careers enjoying alongside films. Wallace remembers being notably impressed by a ebook about legendary jazz pianist Fat Waller, who performed in film theaters as one in all his earliest gigs.
It was not simply any movie style that spoke to Shaolin Jazz, nevertheless, as this duo has been notably enthralled by traditional martial arts movies. The concept of mixing the old fashioned with the trendy fashion is the core ethos of the challenge.
“In case you watch a few of these earlier kung-fu flicks, you’ll see a lot of films the place the protagonist not solely learns a sure fashion [of fighting], however they study to form of remix it if you’ll,” Wallace explains. “They’ll take completely different types and convey them collectively… and their actions are additionally partially primarily based on the actions of their opponents, so regardless of how a lot you put together you must study to adapt to the state of affairs you’re in.”
Studying to adapt to your state of affairs is an efficient method to describe each the artwork of DJing and dwell film-scoring. “There are occasions once we notice {that a} sure music or sound may match the power of a sure scene, but it surely may additionally inform a unique story or form of deliver out a unique sort of emotion. We positively do this on a humorous stage too… We wish to entertain individuals.”
Shaolin Jazz is a one-of-a-kind challenge that showcases music and movie historical past while concurrently making a brand-new expertise with every viewing. The duo has introduced its distinctive efficiency idea to notable venues throughout the nation, and is now bringing it to the OPAC. Admission is free and donations are appreciated.
Can I Kick It? on Saturday, Aug. 27, at 6 p.m. at Lion’s Park behind the Oxnard Performing Arts Heart, 800 Hobson Method, Oxnard. For extra data, go to www.oxnardperformingarts.com.