He was nicknamed “Doctor Jazz” by his peers during his medical studies, because of his musical activities. He later adopted the handle “Doc Jazz” when he started releasing his own music. He is a surgeon by profession, but music is a big part of his life.
Of Palestinian origin, Doc Jazz was born and raised in the Netherlands, but emigrated to the UAE about a decade ago, where he practices his profession. He started releasing his self-produced songs around the turn of the millennium, and became well-known for his songs dedicated to the Palestinian cause. He called his project “The Musical Intifada”. His songs have been featured on mass media in the Netherlands, Palestine, and other parts of the Middle East.
Over the years, he has produced well over a hundred songs, in a wide variety of styles. Despite his moniker, his music can’t really be classified as jazz, although it frequently contains jazzy elements. His slogan is “the taste of rock, the scent of jazz, and the feel of funk”, which indeed applies to many of his songs. However, Doc Jazz will explore almost any kind of musical genre, merging various styles together into his own unique form of fusion. Occasionally, this even includes elements from Palestinian folkloric and other Arabic music.
Doc Jazz took some time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions for us, in this exclusive interview…
MTS: Hi Doc Jazz! Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions about your new album. “Love In The Time Of Corona” is of course, a reference to the current Corona Virus pandemic. What were some other titles of the album that you had considered before naming it this? How has the pandemic affected you, both personally and professionally?
Doc Jazz: Hi Michael! Yes, the title came about due to the corona pandemic. I was working towards releasing an album, and then this horrible virus epidemic broke out, just when I was preparing the album launch. Of course, I was in shock, as I think everyone else is by now. Then I figured that listening to my songs might be an actual solace during the lockdown or quarantine that people are subjected to.
In reference to Gabriel García Márquez’s famous novel ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’, I figured that using a similar title for my album would be appropriate. After all, most of the songs on it are love songs. So, that was it, my decision was made, I had no further doubts about it.
That immediately gave me a vision in my mind about the cover, and Mella Barnes, who did some beautiful backing vocals on two of the songs, also happens to have great graphic designer talents. She did a great job in translating my vision into a captivating album cover, in my opinion.
I’m a full-time surgeon and the corona pandemic has unfortunately become a part of our lives. It is increasingly becoming a part of all of our lives, isn’t it? I believe we have some really rough times ahead. We have to stay level-headed, and observe social distancing and quarantine religiously. It’s the only way for us to get through the pandemic while doing our best to contain this deadly virus.
Tell us about the songs on the album, the recording process and some of the musicians on the album.
I’ve been really busy with work in the past years, so compiling this album hasn’t been the result of just a few months of work. It was spread out over a long period of time. Bit by bit, I was writing new songs, becoming more and more interested in exploring more electronic sounds, but actually also making steps ahead in creating more elaborate productions utilizing purely real instruments. ‘Closer To Me’ and ‘How Does It Feel’ are totally organic, both have live drums, and How Does It Feel even has real violins, which was a first for me. The first three songs on the album are my newest ones, I’ve tried out a few things in them that were new to me, like sampling. That was very interesting.
My session musicians come mostly from Airgigs, I love hiring them from there, all of them are top level professionals. Mella is very special, she has such a wide variety of talents, next to being a truly gifted vocalist. You should check out her album, ‘Zebra Stone’, it’s really awesome.
Hans Sligter, from the Netherlands, is also really special to me. I am in awe at his skills on guitar, and he is a fabulous singer as well, by the way, even though he didn’t sing on my album. He’s a very good friend of mine. I feel so lucky he’s on my album!
But I must say, I love all the musicians who lent their skills to my songs. There’s 14 of them in total. Somehow I tend to just love most musicians. They’re really amazing people. I am very thankful to all of them, so here’s a big shoutout to all of them: you rock, guys!
Your music has a smooth, laid back, almost “yacht rock” flavor to it. Who are some of the musicians who influenced your sound over the years?
‘Yacht Rock’, you say? Haha. I actually had to look that up! But after reading the description, I must say, yes that kind of makes sense! I don’t know how that happened, though. I grew up being a huge Beatles fan, then I fell in love with Little Feat. I am a big fan of Michael McDonald, I love the Doobie Brothers, and Steely Dan is just majestic. But I always felt a close affinity to the Motown sound as well, and I’m also in touch with the neo-soul movement.
I can see how there is a kind of West Coast flavor to my music, it must have seeped into my system somehow. I relate to that laid-back yet undeniably funky vibe. More recent artists that I am a huge fan of are Jamiroquai and Eric Benét. I don’t know if their influence is audible, but it would be a huge compliment for me if it was.
Do you have any plans to do any online shows during the pandemic, or any live performances, once the lockdown lifts?
. I totally love performing, but the nature of my profession leaves very little space for that. I like working from my home studio. Sometimes I don’t touch even one single instrument for many months in a row. Going about it this way, there’s very little pressure on me. If I have time, I can write a song, if there’s more time, I can actually record it. If not, then I hold out and focus on my work until that little bit of space is there again. I’m really happy this way. I love my job with all my heart.
Where can fans get your music, and do you have any words of encouragement for them?
To my fans, I would say, before anything else: thank you! It’s so cool that you’re my fan. You probably underestimate what it means to me, but for me, that’s huge. You can find my album on CDBaby, and from there it will soon be published to all major music sharing platforms, including the hugely popular Spotify. Just stay tuned to my Facebook page, and you won’t miss it!
And another, tremendously important message: please be safe. This is the time for you to love your home, your safe haven. If my music can help make these hard times more comfortable for you, then my mission is accomplished! And don’t forget, my album says: LOVE in the time of corona. Read it as an urgent advice. Spread love around you, look after your loved ones, focus on giving instead of on taking, it will all come back to you threefold.
In the mean time, me and the rest of the doctors in this world will be doing our very best to beat this horrendous monster. As you know by now, we can’t do that alone. As a nowadays popular saying goes: we stayed at work for you, please stay home for us!
If I was to come over for dinner (after CV of course) what would you serve, and what movie would we watch afterwards?
If you came over to dinner at my house, we would prepare a wonderful maqloubeh for you. That’s a truly traditional Palestinian dish based on rice, meat, and vegetables. Trust me, you will keep coming back for it!
Then we would kick back and watch Django Unchained. That’s one of my favorite movies ever. I hope you dig that.
That is, in fact, one of my favorite movies of all time! Sounds like a great evening. Thanks again for taking the time!!
Artist Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/docjazz
New album: Love in the Time of Corona on https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/docjazz2