Beatjazz by Onyx Ashanti

Hello my fellow music lovers I am excited to share an innovative new genre that I have discovered recently.  What if jazz and the live music of a DJ combined to create a totally incredible audio and visual show made with nothing more that two controllers, a mouthpiece, and an iPhone? If you told me this I wouldn't believe you and call you crazy but, my friends, the future of performance is now and it is here.  Beatjazz is an evolutionary concept created by Onyx Ashanti who takes the phrase, "One man band," to new heights.  So, what is it like to perform beatjazz and what does it have to do with the "Live the Music" movement? First, watch this video below and see what it is like!

So who is Onyx Ashanti?

Onyx Ashanti is a musician and sound engineer in his own right. Originally from Mississippi, Ashanti has traveled the world exploring the sounds of music and developing his new instrument.   Prior to the creation of his beatjazz instrument, Onyx was proficient on electronic saxophone.  Onyx has been through life changing challenges including the death of his mother in 2007.  His beatjazz movement is an expression from the rhythms within his body to the laptop in which he records his music. For more information on Onyx Ashanti, check out his website.

How does this work?

The idea of beatjazz works in the concepts of sound design, live looping, and jazz improvisation.  Two controllers, that are used with saxophone fingerings, work in harmony with a mouthpiece to capture hand, leg, and mouth movements to create sound. An iPhone is used almost as a mixing board to go between different instruments such as the bass and drums.  Different lights signify that a different sound is being played and/or looped.  All of these elements come together to create something truly magical for all those that are experiencing a beatjazz performance.

So what does this have to do with "Living the Music?"

This new art form signifies what it means to "Live the Music." Living life through the expressions of music and connecting with people along the way. Beatjazz is literally a manifestation of the emotional and rhythmical melodies from the body.  Onyx Ashanti has truly found a way to both resurrect the popularity of the jazz genre while creating a new dimension for current DJs to explore.  Although there aren't many that are ready to tackle this type of talent in the industry, the future is definitely within sites as Onyx Ashanti makes his best efforts to expand his knowledge and skills of the genre to vast audiences around the world.  A great personal influence to myself as a musician, I look forward to seeing where Onyx Ashanti ends up next as well the development of beatjazz.

Live the Music . . .