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Band leader and drummer Matt Jorgensen has a dog that has been shot, has a heart condition, and is prone to seizures. It’s no wonder that when she was adopted, Matt and his wife thought of naming the resilient canine Hope. One might make the case that Seattle’s jazz scene is like Jorgensen’s pooch: hurtin’, but survivin’. It may not be thriving or jiving, but it’s staying alive, thanks in part to proficient and intense musicians like Jorgensen.
Hope. That’s what Jorgensen, 32, has for the future of his music, the whole Seattle scene, and Origin Records, an independent Seattle jazz label he co-owns. “Hope” is also the title of the new Matt Jorgensen+451 album and he wants to spread the message.
Matt Jorgensen+451 won Seattle’s 2003 Earshot Jazz award for Best Acoustic Jazz Group. “It was nice to be recognized by the fans and people of Seattle because I feel like we’ve worked really hard and should have some kind of acknowledgement for that,” Jorgensen said. But humbly follows with, “All the bands we were nominated with were great bands.”
After releasing four albums, Jorgensen feels that his band has finally meshed and become a cohesive ensemble of collaborative jazz crusaders. He’s very grateful that Fender Rhodes player Ryan Burns, saxophonists Mark Taylor and Rob Davis, and bassist Phil Sparks have taken time from other projects to focus on this group. Jazz groups, according to Jorgensen, are rare, but when they work, great music can be created. “I think the best music naturally comes out of bands.” Jorgensen explained. “I mean look at John Coltrane’s ‘A Love Supreme.’ He couldn’t have made ‘A Love Supreme’ if he just picked up side men.”
Jorgensen is far from a jazz elitist or snob; among his favorite drummers are Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and former Soundgarden and current Pearl Jam member, Matt Cameron, who he says he is “just in awe of.” Although Jorgensen digs different genres of music, he has always felt that his main niche was jazz, and this Seattle native really must love his art because Jorgensen isn’t naive; he knows that jazz drumming is not a lucrative venture. Jazz accounts for about two percent of all record sales. Without his Origin label, he believes that his band might not even exist.
“I think that if John Bishop and I were to stop doing Origin Records, we would not even matter,” Jorgensen asserted. “I don’t know if we could get a record deal anywhere else. It’s just the way it is. The label is not something that I really think about because I have to do it. I like to be in control of my own destiny because this way I know that I’m going to do as much as I can. If it doesn’t work, I can just blame myself.”
Perhaps even more important for the label, Origin Records artist Kim Richmond was nominated for a 2003 Grammy in the best instrumental category for his song “Refractions.” “Somebody said you have no idea how significant it (the Grammy nomination) was. It’s funny, and I don’t mean for that to sound flippant or anything. Maybe five or so years down the line we’ll realize just how important it all was.”
But will this help increase the small national following of jazz? Will the music become as popular as the days of Duke Ellington? Jorgensen thinks not. “That’s the thing,” the precocious percussionist asserted, “Jazz music really doesn’t count for hardly anything in the mainstream world and that will never change. ‘Hope’ is the third studio record we’ve done (they’ve also released one live album) and now in certain circles we’re kind of well known. But at the same time, I’ll be calling clubs in places like the Midwest and trying to book shows and no one cares. It’s as if we never existed for the last four years.”
Come see why the band has gained such a great reputation at this year’s Bumbershoot festival. Matt Jorgensen+451 perform September 6, 4pm, at the Northwest Court Stage.
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