The UBC Jazz Café Club is not just an exclusive club for jazz musicians – it’s a welcoming space where jazz players and appreciators alike can meet on campus to enjoy the groovy genre together.
A background in jazz music is hardly a prerequisite to getting involved either, as even the president of the club himself, Roberto Tanaka, began listening to the genre just two years ago. “I’m just an appreciator,” Tanaka says. “I don’t play jazz, I just listen to it!”
The Jazz Café Club hosts weekly jam sessions on Tuesday nights in the Nest where all are welcome to participate and listen.
For musicians wanting to get involved, “it’s kind of like a low-commitment band,” says the club’s VP of music, Matthew Cam. “It’s an alternative for people who want an introduction to jazz, or want to play something, but don’t have the time to join the full jazz orchestra.”
The jam sessions range anywhere from five to over thirty people, and feature a combination of instruments such as drums, bass, keys, trumpet, trombone, violin, clarinet, flute, the recorder and even singers.
In addition to their jam sessions, the UBC Jazz Café Club is also hosting a variety of social events this year in collaboration with other UBC groups. On November 8, the club executives will be collaborating with UBC Brazilian Club BRASA for a Bossa Nova themed jazz evening with Brazilian food and activities.
For many of its members, the Jazz Café Club “is kind of a way to unify musicians who are superbly talented, with the people who love seeing them [play] live,” VP marketing Kevin Li explains. “We provide the venue, and the venue is important; but it’s also secondary to the community that it brings together.”
Attend UBC Jazz Café Club’s next event by checking updates posted on their Facebook group.