by Gus Marshall
On Friday, October 5, Beacon Hill's Clock Out Lounge hosted an engaging evening of contemporary local latin jazz and funk.
The first band of the night was Duende Libre, a lounge-esqe jazz power trio joined by guest vocalist, percussionist, and cultural connoisseur Frank Anderson.
Supported by first-rate drummer and percussionist Jeff "Bongo" Busch, Duende Libre was propelled through a plethora of world rhythms, with a deep knowledge and understanding of rhythmic traditions and their cultural significance.
Impressive electric bass player Farko Dosumov added funk to the pocket with a masterful command of his instrument and elusive timing.
South end resident, pianist and composer Alex Chadsey, took the reigns of this drifty ensemble and galloped down the path of Afro-Latin rhythms into the land of world jazz fusion.
The Pazific is a eight piece world music party troop, fronted by the passionate and powerful bilingual lead vocals of Alex Rose and her husband Jefferson Rose's lively bass lines and supporting vocals.
Formed in June of 2017, The Pazific pays tribute to their West Coast roots and their respect for The Pacific Ocean, while also referencing the bilingual nature of their music and heritage by using the word paz (Spanish for peace).
Jefferson and Alex Rose spoke with the South Seattle Emerald about how the band came to be, and the importance of nurturing your own cultural identity.
Gus Marshall: Where did you grow up?
Alex Rose: Northern California, mostly in Watsonville, close to Santa Cruz.
Jefferson Rose: Anacortes and Seattle, WA.
GM: How long have you been performing?
AR: I started with musical theater when I was about seven, then moved on to choirs, and eventually bands
JR: I've been in bands since I was about fourteen years old.
GM: How did the band come together?
JR: After returning to the Northwest after six years in Barcelona, in 2011 I formed the Jefferson Rose Band, a six-piece instrumental band exploring world rhythms and grooves. I met Alex when we both joined a '90s hip hop and R&B cover band in 2012. I asked Alex to join my project in 2013 and we recorded an album together in 2014. In 2016 we married and began writing more seriously together and decided to form a new project, The Pazific. We recorded our debut record, The Fusin EP (released in November 2017), with an all-star cast of Seattle musicians and then formed a band to perform the music live at the beginning of 2018. We've also had the great fortune of touring to Europe with these two projects, playing with flamenco musicians that I played with in my time living out there.
GM: What effects do you feel singing songs in English and Spanish has over your fan base and audience?
AR: It's always been important to me to nurture my identity as a Latina, and especially when I first moved here 10 years ago, I had a hard time knowing where I could do that in Seattle and feel at home. Thankfully, over the years I've plugged into organizations, arts scenes, events, friendships that enable me to stay connected to my culture and heritage. That sense of belonging and connection to culture is a big part of why we make music in both English and Spanish — because both languages are part of my Mexican American experience and countless others.
JR: Regardless of what language you speak, our music can speak to you.
📸 Featured Image: Pazific performs at the Clock Out Lounge on Beacon Hill. (Photo: Susan Fried)