Seeking to break away from narrow definitions of jazz, the Theo Croker showcased his personal blend of soulful and heavy grooves at our US/EU Jazz – Blues Festival: Video, Photos

Trumpeter, composer, arranger Theo Croker is part of the new generation of American jazz which draws inspiration from both traditions and more recent musical codes such as hip-hop, electro and R&B.

It quickly became clear that we were going to move: the drums, married to electro beats, left us no choice. The trumpet, accompanied by multiple reverb gadgets and special effects made us want to fly.

Theo Croker arrived at the Brussels concert hall with an unmistakable air of chill, an easy smile on display. That chill is the result of a clear musical approach and determination that dates back to Croker’s teenage days forming big bands and fearlessly pushing the bounds of the music played by his grandfather, trumpeter Doc Cheatham.

Seeking to break away from narrow definitions of jazz, the trumpeter showcased his personal blend of soulful and heavy grooves.

Croker’s performance here is a stripped-down version of a Theo Croker show. His first composition, “Jazz is dead,” is anchored by a bassline provided by Eric Wheeler that stayed in my mind for times. The declarative title is sure to catch attention and elicit questions, but listen to the lyrics to understand Croker’s determination to both reclaim, and expand, the form. The messenger features a dazzling solo from pianist Michael King, leading into Croker’s trumpet dancing over the melody. The joy in Happy Feet for dancers, featuring the rich vocals of Malaya, might have you adding the song to your next party playlist. The last song in the set, No Escape from Bliss, is an aptly named calming and contemplative resolution to the performance.

Jazz is Dead has been around so long that it’s even given its name to a recent series of albums by Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge on their Jazz Is Dead label. What Croker really means by it is that he doesn’t want his music to be pigeonholed, which is fair enough. In illustration, his set begins with a gentle flurry of electronic birdsong from DJ D’Leau, leading into the sweet and mellow ‘Soul Call’ played by Croker at the lower end of the trumpet’s range. His soft, flugelhorn-like tone has drawn comparisons with Roy Hargrove in the past. But you could tell from Michael Ode’s immense drum kit – including two bass drums – that we were in for a battering sooner or later, and so it proved, although generally the vibe was tuneful and atmospheric.

But be careful: this grooved music remains jazz. The pianist and keyboardist improvises wildly, the double bassist goes with expert rhythms, and the drummer, despite the power of his sound, is capable of versatility. For his part, Theo Croker, after a first thirty minutes mainly composed of musical motifs and themes, took to the solo more seriously in the second part. The 38-year-old is not without talent, like his grandfather, the legendary Doc Cheatham.

We also heard a lot of vocal sampling, since on his albums, we find multiple collaborations with singers and rappers, who were not present on stage.

In short, Theo Croker nourished our minds and stimulated our bodies. An audience of all ages seemed happy, but it was particularly interesting to see many young people dancing to jazz.

For my part, I discovered a musician by a trio of wonderful musicians. It was another exciting concert at our US/EU Jazz Blues association festival 2024 at Brussels, Belgium. On the other hand, we are reaching a limit here: having to stop the performance after sixty minutes when the party is still on is frustrating.

Okay, maybe Theo Croker was playing at the Jazz scene; maybe he is described everywhere as an American jazz trumpeter; maybe he’s played with the likes of Dee Dee Bridgewater and Gary Bartz, and maybe he cites Dizzy Gillespie as one of his biggest influences. But jazz? Nope, he wants nothing more to do with it, explaining that musicians from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane did not refer to their own music as jazz. “The label jazz has started to make my career more difficult,” he told the audience.

Sometimes playing the trumpet, sometimes singing or rapping, Croker’s musical excursions were leisurely and trippy, as on ‘Where Will You Go’, which floated along on D’Leau’s otherworldly soundscapes. The tunes often consist of no more than a couple of simple chords, while Croker’s singing voice is as soft as his trumpet-playing, while keyboardist Michael King and bassist Eric Wheeler supply groovy support. And don’t tell anyone, but on ‘Hero Stomp’ they even went into swing…