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Welcome to the
Official Web Site for Yoko Noge and the Jazz Me Blues Band! Hello Everyone,
I wanted to let you know about a nice article Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune recently wrote about me and the band. Yoko Noge settling into her new space For 15 years, the innovative singer-pianist Yoko Noge ruled Monday nights at HotHouse (at both its Wicker Park and South Loop locations). But last summer, when HotHouse closed its doors, Noge's many fans wondered whether she ever would re-emerge in a room of equal prominence. To its credit, Andy's Jazz Club recently gave Noge and her Jazz Me Blues Band its Monday-night slot. Judging by the nearly full house that attended Noge's opening set Monday, it has not taken her devotees long to find her. What they heard was an artist of obvious power who's still finding her way in a room that's relatively new to her. The searing quality of her vocals and the deep-in-the-keys confidence of her pianism were beyond question, yet Noge sounded somewhat less assertive and daring than she had at HotHouse. Or perhaps HotHouse, which prided itself on championing avant-garde music, naturally brought out some of the most experimental facets of Noge's work. Andy's, by contrast, long has been a bastion of the mainstream, and Noge and friends played accordingly. So listeners never quite encountered the full ferocity and outlandishness of Noge's best music. Nor did Noge and her band always strike a balance between vocals and instrumentals, the band's robust front line sometimes obscuring the headliner. Even so, there was much to recommend Noge's work, particularly when she sang original repertoire. Having long since developed as a songwriter of genuine originality, Noge turned in striking music in a lament for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "I Confess." The raspy wail of her vocals, the percussive gestures of her pianism and the stripped-down, funk-tinged accompaniment of her band attested to Noge's achievements as composer-performer. Though Noge's lyrics were not always easily deciphered on this occasion, the emotional urgency of this music neatly suited its subject. As song interpreter, too, Noge achieved at least one indelible performance: in "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child." Here was the essence of Noge's work -- blues melody and jazz technique merged with the folkloric traditions of Noge's native Japan. Bending pitches with abandon, chanting melody lines rather than merely singing them, Noge seamlessly fused the indigenous music of two seemingly disparate cultures. With time, perhaps she'll feel more emboldened to challenge the audience at Andy's. Until then, it's consoling to know that she has found a Monday-night home. Yoko Noge's Jazz Me Blues Band plays at 9 p.m. Mondays at Andy's Jazz Club, 11 E. Hubbard St.; 312-642-6805. Singer Noge is Always Daring If some artists fall into predictable routines with the passing years, others revitalize themselves, as is the case of the remarkable Yoko Noge. Her Monday night gig has long been a staple at HotHouse, but during the past couple of years she has achieved a new intensity as singer, pianist and songwriter. If she once delivered a routine impersonation of Chicago blues, she now offers a fascinating synthesis of cunning jazz improvisation, bona fide blues exhortation and the cultural rituals of her Japanese origins. Crying out at the highest register of her range or murmuring softly down below, her vocals defy categorization. And her pianism, by turns thunderous and insinuating, jazzy and neo-classical, provides evocative accompaniment. That Noge typically shares the stage with some of Chicago's best improvising instrumentalists, including bassist Tatsu Aoki and trombonist John Watson, only adds to the allure of this ongoing engagement. Long may she swing. 8:30 p.m. Mondays at HotHouse, Here are also two other recent articles that are online! One from Austin Lindy Hop and one from Windy Hop. Thanks for the kind words! Thank you everyone for your constant support and look forward to seeing you soon at the HotHouse, or any of our other shows around Chicago, and around the world!
With love...
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