Big Rude Jake is a singer/songwriter and musician with a diverse array of influences. He’s often remembered for the ‘swing punk’ sound of his first few albums – but give a listen to the rest of his work!
He loves and celebrates music, all of it, with special attention to the roots of American music: you’ll hear jazz, swing, ragtime, rock’n‘roll, jump, gospel, blues, folk… Add a little cabaret and some punk attitude, and you’ve got Big Rude Jake.
So:
Jake was born in a smallish Canadian city a long time ago. After a while, the family moved to a farm outside of Niagara Falls, Ontario.
For a long time, nothing happened.
He was in a few bands, worked in England and studied in France, where he was asked to front a punk band and translate their lyrics into English – since he was the only one who spoke it… Good times… Jake got a degree in history, then one day, back in Toronto, had this idea about the band he wanted to create.
It would combine his interest in traditional jazz, jump blues, rockabilly and punk. The lyrical style was inspired by his love for all of his favourite powerhouse songwriters like Tom Waits, Jacques Brel and Berthold Brecht. Jake’s fascination for the music and mythologies of cities like New Orleans and New York would certainly show up in the mix. And a mix it would certainly be.
He became Big Rude Jake.
After that, things went nuts. BRJ has built a career around that crazy idea, and it has taken him around the world and back, drawn him into lots of adventures and sometimes a lot of trouble. It has been the source of almost all of his pleasures in life and most of the pain. And he still keeps doing it.
Pour écouter des démos ou visionner des vidéos: http://www.bigrudejake.ca