American composer and pianist George Gershwin claimed that life was a lot like jazz. It’s best when you improvise. This New Year’s Eve, the Casablanca Jazz Quartet will take the stage at Gertrude’s Jazz Bar from 9 p.m. to midnight for a Great Gatsby party with an improvisation of polyrhythms and swinging blues notes to ring in the New Year with a jazzy flare.
Originating in the late 19th Century in the African-American communities of New Orleans, jazz emerged as a major musical genre in the 1930s during the jazz age. Jazz music is uniquely American, often referred to as one of America’s original art forms. Difficult to define, jazz is a marriage of group collaboration and creativity.
Kailua-Kona now has a jazz bar to call its own, and Casablanca is appreciative to have a fresh venue dedicated to offering live jazz entertainment.
“To support Gertrude’s Jazz Bar and live music in Kona is a great privilege,” said Scott Jeffrey, bass player for Casablanca. “We love playing Gertrude’s. It is just an absolute dream for us and for a lot of people in Kona.”
Casablanca performs an eclectic mix of swing, big band and golden era Latin dance music. The quartet features tunes from Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Benny Goodman and more.
The foursome is graced with the talents of Steve Reynolds on guitar, Sue Garrod on trombone and vocals, Eric Jaeger on drums, and Jeffrey on bass. Garrod and Jeffery met in 2004 while playing for a musical theatre production at Aloha Theatre. They threw around the idea of putting jazz band together, and a few years later Casablanca was born.
Jeffrey’s musical journey took him from symphonic music, to musical theatre, to jazz where he found his passion for having fun.
“Playing jazz is a lot of fun and the audience is always a lot of fun,” he said. “Jazz is much more intimate than symphonic stuff, and much more personal than big musicals feel. They all have their attraction, and I love them all, but playing with Casablanca is the most fun. New Year’s Eve we’ll be playing music from the turn of the century and from the 20s into the 30s. There will be a lot of music from the Charleston era. It’s sure to be a party.”
Live music starts at 6:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Casablanca will perform from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. Great Gatsby attire is encouraged. Pupus are available for purchase. Tickets are $10 and include a midnight champagne toast.