Breakjazz Sunshine

Breakjazz -- "A recently-defined sub-genre of jazz created by combining an acoustic jazz band with one or more DJs and/or turntablists who add improvised electronic elements to the musical performance (e.g. scratching, samples, loops, vocals from a CD, vinyl record or other electronic source)"

An improvisational mix of turntables, trumpet, sax and bass = BreakJazz at the Mod Club last night. Jazz may be unfairly known as a stodgy medium, but events like last night's JazzByGenre, may well dispel that theory.

Opening act KUSH (Etric Lyons, Eddie Bullen, Robert Sibony, Nick "The Brownman" Ali , Arturo Tappin, and DJ/Turntablist J-TEC) brought that heat. It didn't always blend, but it was never discordant. You couldn't always hear J-Tec's scratching, but when it was on, it was on -- I appreciated the old-school house breaks.

Touted as a new sub-genre, Breakjazz has been around for more than a minute. And it's especially dope to hear live.

Headliner Roy Ayers may be getting up there in age, but the jazz funk vibraphonist still got it. Dude's been sampled countless times by hip-hop producers so even if you've never heard of Ayers, you've heard his acid jazz breaks somewhere. Getting to hear a live version of "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" made my night.