Some come to Shanghai for a last shot. Remember when was supposed to play here in 2011? How about ? Others master the art of being a big fish in a little pond. Some eventually leave the pond, taking what they've learned here and use it as a launching pad for bigger success. Crazy opportunities exist here for those that work hard.
Enter , a trumpeter who is arguably the most recognizable face of the Shanghai jazz scene. Or at least he was, before he moved back to NYC last year to release an album and tour with jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater, whom he met in China. At 28 years old, he's playing gigs at The Blue Note, major music festivals in Japan and Europe, and recording in the same studios as Lou Reed (R.I.P.) and Chaka Kahn, while others at his age in the US are struggling to get booked for gigs at local jazz clubs, despite their chops. For Theo, this success comes from not just obvious music talent - the grandson of jazz great , Croker has played trumpet since age 11 and studied music at the prestigious liberal arts school Oberlin College - but the fact that during his seven years in Shanghai he played at least 3,000 shows, ranging from salsa band concerts, gigs with DJs, and even car shows.
He's back in China for a month playing a couple of pop concerts with Khalil Fong (方大同), but in between that he's got a couple gigs at his old haunt on Fuxing Lu. The final two are at 11pm. He's backed by a full band, playing songs off his new album AfroPhysicist, which Croker describes as "eclectic." "I think the only thing that associates it with jazz is the fact that I'm playing trumpet, and people are comfortable with that being called jazz. But in reality, it's dark funk. It's all over the place." The songs, which he arranges and composes, combine hip hop, R&B and jazz, among other genres. and recently lauded the album, which you can take a listen to right here via Soundcloud.
There are no rules in jazz, and that can result in twenty-minute adventures that impress the enlightened but intimidate the casual listener. Though he used to be a self-described "jazz purist," Croker's new work goes against this trend of over-complication. "It's meant to be enjoyed. It is deep, but it's not meant to make you sit and think about your life, it's meant to make you laugh, make you feel sad, make you feel happy. It's a reflection of my life over the last six years, having fun, traveling, meeting people, playing music, falling in love, fucking up love [laughs]."
Most of the tracks on this album are three-five minutes. In and out. Speaking on the jazz scene as a whole, Croker muses, "I think a lot of jazz artists have kinda lost the whole purpose of what music is about. They write these pieces and record ten minute tracks, and it's just them soloing a lot. I get bored at jazz shows really easily. I prefer to go to a jazz show and in an hour you play fourteen songs. That's killing. That's how the shit used to be. Think about a dance number. Those are things I considered on this record: Make all the songs short, compact, right to the point. We got an intro, a vamp, a melody, a short solo, a shout section, an outro, a vamp, it's over. Next vibe, next groove."
The album was recorded at Avatar Studios over six long days. During coffee breaks he ate chips and drank coffee with Lou Reed, not long before he passed away. "He was cool. We didn't talk about music. I didn't know I was talking to Lou Reed and I'm sure Lou Reed didn't give a shit. You know, we're both in there for like 12–13 hours, come into the break room like, not on some music shit, and there's Lou Reed drinking coffee and eating goldfish."
Croker's Dark Funk goes against the suit and tie, "dog and pony show" hotel bar jazz scene with musicians rehashing the same old standards. "I see a lot of people playing for shitty money, wearing suits and ties, especially in jazz clubs. I don't think they know why they're doing it. Why are you playing "There Will Never Be Another You"? Because you've been told that's an American classic song. But do you know why that's an American classic? Because it used to be a Broadway hit from a musical, back in the day before TV and anything else. Before there was pop radio - those were pop songs, like "Autumn Leaves" and "Summertime". People would go see shows and recognize those songs so musicians would perform them in clubs and bars, because it's like Top 40.
But cats are still playing that, and it's relevant to your studies, but it's not relevant to people. I don't wanna hear you play "Summertime". I'd rather hear you play "American Boy" your own way, or something from 808s and Heartbreak, something from Yeezus, something from Kendrick's new album. That's what the real spirit of the shit is about, playing instruments and improvising. Play something people know, in your own way." He blames this on a lack of creativity in the artists. "You can't be boring and ignorant to the world and be able to touch people when you perform. It doesn't work like that. These cats don't have that - they're chasing something that doesn't exist."
Croker's seven-year stint in China afforded him the opportunity to play a lot of gigs he never would have gotten back home, like playing eight shows in one day, performing with salsa bands, and doing live drum and bass with Shanghai-based producer as . They did 12 or 13 cities, sometimes to packed crowds, and sometimes to a room of four people playing dice. "I didn't know that the electronic music scene in Shanghai is so underground. The live musician scene isn't underground at all. It's established, there's promoters, there's money, there's a built-in audience. You don't need to advertise if you're playing certain places." These kind of shows not only gave him tough skin, but the versatility to feel comfortable in front of any crowd, especially back in NYC where audiences better understand his stage banter.
But he wouldn't recommend fresh-out-of-school students to move to Shanghai in 2014 like he did in 2007. "I would recommend they find the next thing, because this is done. I don't think the city is as open as it was when I got here — to be able to maneuver some shit. I never got judged on my age. We got treated like adults and we were 22 - we got put in situations you would never get put in as a 22-year-old in The States, and we could handle it, or we learned how to. We were dealing with adults and grown-ass people. There's a lot of young people in Shanghai now. I know I came out at 21, but we didn't know anyone who was 21-22. Everyone we knew was the age I am now. Now I go out and I'm like, 'Damn there's hella young people. That shit was not here in 2007. It was too unknown, too many variables. I would recommend people look into another emerging market. I think if I was 21 right now India would be on my radar, or Brazil, or Azerbaijan, or one of the 'Stans."
He was here so long that he saw four different renovations of the late-night Cantonese restaurant , where back in the day locals would fight and throw bottles across the restaurant. He played until almost sunrise at the old Maoming Lu House of Blues And Jazz on its last night.
Among some sound engineers and musicians in Shanghai, Croker has built a reputation for being a commanding, self-entitled performer, in short: a dick. To this, he retorts "I moved here when I was 21, I'm 28 now. I grew up, so I'm sure I offended and pissed off a lot of people, and I had to learn to grow up and be respectful, so yeah I'm sure some of that could be justified. But also, a lot of people, they don't know me. I know I'm cocky, that's part of my confidence. And it stays in the arena of music."
Speaking about musicians complaining that he's difficult to work with, he says "I can be difficult to work with, if you don't wanna work, but on the other side of that, people who hire me to work for them know that I'm gonna do what you ask me to do. People that are lazy will find it difficult to work with me. I expect people to know what I sent ahead of time when they show up. Rehearsal is not 'we figure it.' Rehearsal is 'we go over what you figured out, cause I sent it to you. I can be a pain that way, but I don't live in Shanghai anymore. If someone doesn't meet the requirements in New York, you can just find another person before the rehearsal is over. I don't have that problem, the people in my band are dedicated."
As for the shows this Friday and Saturday, they're probably some of the last opportunities to catch Theo in the near future. And the band is more than capable. After this he's headed to France, Italy and Tunisia for shows then back in NYC. That's this Friday and Saturday night at . More info .
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