Jen Shyu and Theo Bleckmann: Breaking the Song Barrier

"First of all, I love Esperanza and Chamber Music Society," says Bleckmann. "I was very happy to see her even nominated." On the decidedly less commercial nature of the record, he comments, "When you're trying to make something commercial, it usually fails. When you're doing your own music, it just falls into place. You don't even think about how it's going to be perceived. The fact that people want to hear something different and not the same formula—it's very encouraging. It's a very beautiful record, very fine, very lush. That's maybe telling that people aren't looking just for the typical singer that fronts the band."

Shyu adds, "It was kind of coup. The face just changed a little bit. But again, I think if you're doing any pursuit to make money, it's going to suffer."

Jen Shyu and Theo Bleckmann are continuing to push the boundaries of repertoire, sound and musical conception. In the atmosphere of new jazz and creative music, there is no shortage of want or need to include as many sounds, sights and attitudes as possible. As long as jazz stretches itself to find continuous inspiration, and as long as there are vocalists like Bleckmann and Shyu willing to be participants, this idiom will have a longstanding place in jazz culture. As Shyu puts it, "It is only the mind that limits a person, not the instrument."