This afternoon, Sean Nowell and the NYC/Stockholm Jazz Exchange roll into town to deliver some groovy Blue Note 60s style jazz.

 

“It’s not your sleepy time jazz or smooth jazz in any way, shape or form,” said Nowell about this weekend’s Jazz Expo – hosted tonight at Mia Margherita, Provence Market, The Veranda and Brickside Bar & Grill and Saturday night just at the latter venue. “It’s high energy with lots of fun-style music.”

 

Nowell, tenor sax player, is accompanied by Paul Tynan on trumpet, Leo Lindberg on keys, Fredrik Olsson on guitar, Lars Ekman on bass and Joe Abba on drums  – the latter four musicians from Stockholm.

 

“Our trumpet player is from Canada, originally from upstate New York,” Nowell said. “He did a semester abroad on Stockholm and met those guys,” Nowell said.

 

Those are the players with whom Nowell – longtime musical director for New York’s Bond Street Theatre Company – shares the stage when performing once a year or so with the NYC/Stockholm Jazz Exchange. But in his travels with Bond Street Theatre – Nowell said he finds “players” all over the world.

 

“What’s cool is we do our theater show and then I search out all the jazz cats in whatever town we are in – and I find them and we have fun and can share cultures with each other,” he said. “The whole travel thing is real important to me and the sharing and breaking down of barriers through this awesome art form known as jazz.”

 

Those barriers include those involving social, financial and political status.

 

“I’ve great, warm, wonderful folks on both sides of huge social conflicts,” he said.

 

One of his most memorial experiences was in Belgrade, Serbia.

 

“We rolled in there one time and I was looking for an internet café. I went in and heard this incredible music in the house. I asked the guy where it was coming from and he said it was the jazz club upstairs,” Nowell said. “I went up there and a trio was completely cooking it, really rocking it out in a significant manner. I walked up to them between songs and said ‘My name is Sean, I play tenor sax and I’m from New York.’ They said ‘Great. Get your sax.’ I did and played every night there for like a week.”

 

Nowell has played China, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia, Romania, France, Germany, Hungary, Holland, Belgium, Colombia, Venezuela and Singapore. Of course, he has also played throughout the U.S., including his NYC headquarters. That includes work with his electric band, the Kung Fu Masters, as well as very versatile freelance work.

 

“We might be playing a heavy metal gig one night and the next, traditional jazz or traditional Middle Eastern electronic avant-garde or big band music. It’s really crazy and I love that. One of the things I value about living here is that variety.”

 

Nowell explained that the whole reason he was drawn to jazz as a kid was to fit in.  

 

“When I was in high school, I had a lot of pinned up angst – and no real way of getting it out. I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama and it’s not exactly the most self-expressive society down there,” he said. “…I always wanted to fit in like everyone else, but I may not have had the best life growing up through half my life, so I had a lot of issues to work through.”

 

There happened to be an opening in his high school jazz band and Nowell decided to take the opportunity.

 

“The first time I tried jazz improv, it was like my head caught on fire or something,” he said. “I felt electricity through my whole body. It was absolutely just the avenue of self-expression I was looking for. It was the blues that really drew me in – and I basically just have to continue refining that avenue of self-expression for myself.”

 

Nowell is married to the former Kirsten Wyatt of Clarksburg, who relocated to NYC to pursue an acting career.

 

“Kirsten just finished doing ‘Show Boat’ with the San Francisco Opera – 80 voices on stage with a full orchestra,” he said. “She is currently in St. Louis at The Muny doing ‘Seussical’ as Gertrude McFuzz.”

 

Nowell’s inlaws are also quite talented. Through them, he established a good relationship with fellow music lovers in North Central West Virginia.

 

“My father-in-law is Phil Wyatt and my mother-in-law is Renee Wyatt – two of the top music educators in the area,” he said. “Phil is a sax  player, so it was easy for him to hook me up with his buddies who are also musicians.”

 

Among notable relationships is his friendship with Bob and Debbie Workman.

 

“They’re really passionate about food and music, which I am also very passionate about – sometimes in that order,” Nowell said. “With (Bridgeport Restaurant Week and Jazz Expo), they’re really pulling that all together and making a solid presentation – pulling in people mainly for food and letting them learn about the music.”

 

Tonight, Nowell and Tynan will split their time between Provence Market, The Veranda at Via Veneto and Brickside Bar & Grill.

 

“We’ll be making the journey and the rhythm section guys will stay put. It will be cool,” Nowell said. “Then (Saturday) night, our band will play our own concert and we’ll actually be playing some brand new original music – completely fresh material.”

 

Both performance concepts are utilized in New York City, Sweeden – and all over the world.

 

“And we’re happy to be doing that with the cats in West Virginia, as well.”

 

This weekend's Jazz Expo follows Bridgeport Restaurant Week and concludes with Sunday's Country Roads Cook-Off at Bridgeport Farmers Market. The series of events have been sponsored by Bridgeport Arts Council, Bridgeport Farmers Market and the West Virginia Jazz Society. 

 

Read more about Sean Nowell HERE. 

 

Locations/times for this weekend’s Jazz Expo are below: