Jacob Collier is a musical genius. A singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer – his sound is limitless. Hard to pigeon hole. There is a jazz base, but an array of many other genres. Harmony, and reharmonization is at the heart of his sound.
I implore you to investigate – dip into the one of his early split-screen covers of the likes of Stevie Wonder, which went viral. Or spend a weekend exploring Djesse, his four-volume, 50-song album.
In mid-December, just over a month ago I made a last-minute purchase to see Jacob at the Enmore Theatre as part of Djesse World Tour. I had no idea what to expect. Show time was scheduled for 8pm sharp. When he hadn’t come on by 9pm the room had become restless and it was clear something was up.
When Jacob made his way to the stage over an hour late his explanation just made you love him even more. He’d got to the venue early. Had a bite to eat. It didn’t agree with him. He’d had an anaphylactic reaction. Thankfully a doctor was in the house to administer an emergency EpiPen.
Performing live to a sell-out crowd is quite understandably not your first priority when you can’t feel your own legs and your head is somewhere in the clouds, but Mr Collier did not want to disappoint his fans.
The next 2 hours was an explosion of love, life and music. His energy was endless. His musicianship was equally backed by an outstanding band. His constant interaction with the crowd, largely to conduct multi-part harmonies or percussions is truly amazing. Apart from myself and a few others I think the crowd was largely made up of perfect-pitch musical artists, teachers and enthusiasts. The sounds being made simply warmed your heart and it was impossible to walk away from that experience not feeling better about life. I was converted. Committed to a life-long journey with what-ever creation Mr Collier decides to share with the world. It re-affirmed to me how important music is – recorded or live. It makes us feel – good and indifferent, but when it’s on, it is truly on. Thanks Jacob Collier.
