Musicians hope to expand beyond regular devotees, bring in the younger generation
It was 8 p.m., and jazz cellist Raymond Chu — better known as “Magic Ray" — was setting up for a performance at the Mosaic Caf in College Park, a hip restaurant and hookah bar that caters to students and young people.
Chu, a statistician who lives in Lanham, said he did not expect an enthusiastic response to the June 12 performance. Most people go to Washington, D.C. for jazz, and his playlist of old standards usually does not appeal to young people, he said. But for Chu, the head of Magic Ray Jazz, the audience is not the point.
“We don't choose the music or the venue based on who the clients are," he said. “We really play for ourselves."
Chu, like many musicians and jazz fans, said Prince George's does not have much of a jazz scene. They agree that most people in the county go to D.C., Baltimore, Montgomery County and other areas to perform or listen to music.
But there is a jazz scene in the county, one that includes restaurants, clubs and county-sponsored events. With a little digging, they said it is not too difficult to catch a good show.
Chu said his band has a mission. Many of the county's jazz bands play in upscale restaurants that cater to an older, wealthier clientele, he said. Magic Ray Jazz plays in smaller, less well-known places to support smaller businesses and expose more people to jazz, he said.
“Our mission is to support local establishments, businesses, cafs, restaurants, by bringing and preserving jazz music," he said. “People feel it's a dead art… We want to support jazz by continually playing it."
Mousa Abdoun, the restaurant's co-owner, said some people come to the caf just to listen to Magic Ray. He said the place is busier during the school year and on weekends, but there were only a handful of patrons that evening. There was quiet, scattered applause after each set.
It was 8 p.m., and jazz cellist Raymond Chu — better known as “Magic Ray" — was setting up for a performance at the Mosaic Caf in College Park, a hip restaurant and hookah bar that caters to students and young people.
Chu, a statistician who lives in Lanham, said he did not expect an enthusiastic response to the June 12 performance. Most people go to Washington, D.C. for jazz, and his playlist of old standards usually does not appeal to young people, he said. But for Chu, the head of Magic Ray Jazz, the audience is not the point.
“We don't choose the music or the venue based on who the clients are," he said. “We really play for ourselves."
Chu, like many musicians and jazz fans, said Prince George's does not have much of a jazz scene. They agree that most people in the county go to D.C., Baltimore, Montgomery County and other areas to perform or listen to music.
But there is a jazz scene in the county, one that includes restaurants, clubs and county-sponsored events. With a little digging, they said it is not too difficult to catch a good show.
Chu said his band has a mission. Many of the county's jazz bands play in upscale restaurants that cater to an older, wealthier clientele, he said. Magic Ray Jazz plays in smaller, less well-known places to support smaller businesses and expose more people to jazz, he said.
“Our mission is to support local establishments, businesses, cafs, restaurants, by bringing and preserving jazz music," he said. “People feel it's a dead art… We want to support jazz by continually playing it."
Mousa Abdoun, the restaurant's co-owner, said some people come to the caf just to listen to Magic Ray. He said the place is busier during the school year and on weekends, but there were only a handful of patrons that evening. There was quiet, scattered applause after each set.
For more information contact All About Jazz.
