A fan of Wes Montgomery, George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell and Prince, Oscar Jerome grew up in a home where music was a constant presence and opened doors for him to a multitude of genres, whether it was grunge – which had a huge impact on him in his pre-teens – or his exposure to rave culture, glimpses of the parties taking place around Norwich, where he was born. That is his distant yet significant past. He has long been based in London, has been involved in various artistic scenes, studied jazz guitar – and this has become the central element of his creative output; you can sense the atmosphere of London’s schools, life and people in Oscar Jerome’s songs.
The jazz guitar enters a melting pot of ideas, feelings and stories, and winds its way towards sounds reminiscent of soul, funk and ska. This has been the case on the albums he has released so far, ‘Breathe Deep’, ‘The Spoon’ and ‘The Fork’, where, with every step, Jerome delves deeper into the foundations of his approach to songwriting and moves away from conventions – whether of funk or soul – to forge his own path. On ‘The Fork’, released last year, he took a giant leap forward and produced free-spirited, luminous songs that amplified his origins and influences, highlighting a romantic vision of being closer to Prince than to a jazz guitarist. It’s clear he likes this idea, and it would come as no surprise if, on the album he’s preparing for 2027 – which he’ll be presenting at Zé dos Bois – he were to further emphasise this image.
Another aspect of Oscar Jerome’s journey is his willingness – indeed, the ease with which he moves between jazz subgenres – seeking musical languages and rhythms that capture the light he wishes to bring to his songs. There is certainly a degree of virtuosity here, fuelled by a desire to let other instruments come in and interact with him, filling out the songs without being tied to the idea of a singer-songwriter with a backing band, but rather that of a fully-fledged band. What was once a promise is now a certainty, and Oscar Jerome’s path continues to look promising. 2027 will smile upon him.
AS
