Jonathan Michel

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Review:

This is the one hundred and sixty-first in a series of special Jazz on the Tube reviews of live stream performances.

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While bassist Jonathan Michel has said that he blends together the influences of jazz, hip hop, r&b, gospel, and his Haitian heritage in his music, he is essentially a modern jazz player with a large tone and a versatile style.

Born in Connecticut, he played guitar and trombone before settling on the bass when he was nine.

Michel was part of the Philadelphia jazz scene, moving to New York in 2010 and working with such artists as Orrin Evans, Aaron Goldberg, Andrew Cyrille and r&b star Billy Paul

On his LiveStream of July 25, 2020, Jonathan Michel is featured in several settings including playing unaccompanied bass, dueting with a tap dancer on “It Don’t Mean A Thing,” performing with his quartet at Small’s (in a slightly earlier clip), playing Duke Ellington’s ballad “Melancholia” on solo electric bass, and finally playing remotely with his trio; throughout he displays his lyrical and swinging style.

– Scott Yanow