These days, it seems like making a life in any creative art often means casting an ever-increasingly-wide net, wearing countless hats, and commanding innumerable skills. In the world of the working musician, while so many tend to lament how complex everything has seemingly become, Jake Sherman wears his many hats proudly. As a songwriter and singer, he is prolific and truly singular - and as an in-demand keyboard player, he’s found himself backing up stars like Rosalía and Chance The Rapper. Lately however, Jake Sherman has returned in earnest to one of his early musical loves - the Hammond organ.
After relocating from New York to London last year, Jake hit the ground running by quickly assembling himself a jazz organ trio, and striking up a recurring performance series in his new home city, which he called simply: Organ Night.
The idea was to bring community together by way of classic organ trio performance, with Jake’s trio and some special guests playing largely un-amplified in an intimate setting, stripping back the bells and whistles of a more conventional venue. After an immediate outpouring of excitement and appreciation in London, the success of Organ Night has propelled Jake to return to the US for upcoming organ trio shows in LA and New York City.
Recently I called Jake to catch up, and we talked all about the genesis of Organ Night, and what it’s come to mean to him and to the growing community it’s sparked.
"When you move somewhere new and you don't know as many people, you really have to put yourself out there, and just try things. I decided to see if I could get some organ happening... and we did it!" Jake laughs.
"I've been trying to think less, and just go towards things that are feeling right, and when they work, continue going towards them. And that's what's been happening with organ over the past couple months," Jake explains.
"It's just been going really well in London, and it's building in the right way, where it feels like a community, and people are interested, and it's bigger than like... my face. It's like a feeling that's growing. And I think I've struggled to find that, my whole life as a solo artist... and this is the first time where I'm feeling that feeling. And other people are feeling it too. It's just snowballing - because it's no longer about like 'please come to my show!' ...it's like, this is Organ Night. This is about the organ and bringing people together to hear this crazy instrument," Jake told me.
"We're trying to do these shows in unconventional spaces. We're trying to bring people together in a small room, where you're sort of, entering like a time-portal... and just having the outside world be somewhere else, and you're in this weird space for a second," Jake says excitedly.
"People are sick of the phone, people are sick of the algorithm - people want something real."
Organ Night Los Angeles is happening tomorrow (10/3) with special guests including Cory Henry, Blake Mills, Andrew Bird, and Larry Goldings. And Jake Sherman will bring Organ Night to Brooklyn for two shows on October 6th. Very limited tickets remain for all the above, so don't delay in securing your spot.
Check out the London trio of Jake Sherman, Artie Zaitz and Jack Thomas performing A Smooth One below, and stay up to speed on all things Organ Night HERE
