Grammy-winning jazz musician Cory Henry sat center-stage at Thorne Hall Feb. 15, surrounded by a Stonehenge-esque array of speakers, microphones, keyboards and drums. In a few moments, he would put on a one-man show of gospel, funk and jazz songs to a crowd of Occidental and Eagle Rock locals gathered in the auditorium.
His performance was scheduled as a part of a concert series hosted by Occidental College called the Hume Fellows Concert, named after Bill Hume ’50 M’52, who was the director of Thorne Hall for nearly 20 years during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s.
As part of the Hume Fellowship, Henry also gave a performance masterclass earlier in the day to a group of Occidental students. During the masterclass held at Bird Studio, Henry coached students as they played to refine their skills.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Alexander Zhu said that when looking for artists to bring in for the event, the school searches for currently active candidates who are producing popular, high-quality work.
“We were looking for an artist who’s really relevant at this time and at the top of their game,” Zhu said.
According to Zhu, landing Henry for the event, a process that had been in the works for around half a year, was a win for the program.
“I’m particularly excited that our visiting guest artist, Cory Henry, who’s already a star in the jazz and funk world, literally won a Grammy last week,” Zhu said.
Zhu said the event was especially tailored to music students, who can gain inspiration from working so closely with a professional artist.
“A big part of the Hume residency is there’s a teaching component,” Zhu said.
Zhu, who earned his Bachelor’s in Music from the New England Conservatory, said working with a Grammy-winning artist is a special and rare opportunity for students, regardless of how robust their jazz program is.
“Even at a huge university or music conservatory, it’s not very common to have a masterclass with a Grammy winner,” Zhu said. “So for our students here at Occidental, it’s an incredible opportunity.”
According to Music Professor and Director of Choral and Vocal Activities Desiree La Vertu, the Hume Fellowship, which is not limited to artists in music but invites artists in theater as well, has recently picked back up after a hiatus due to COVID restrictions. According to Zhu, past performers have included bassist Esperanza Spalding, opera singer Frederica von Stade and violinist Hilary Hahn.
Alessandra Nefedenkova (sophomore), who is a music production and computer science double major and a member of the jazz ensemble, said she was eager to learn about Henry’s creative process.
“I am very much interested in hearing about his process for improvisation and how the music flows for him,” Nefedenkova said.
From her own listening, Nefedenkova said she finds Henry’s style lively and upbeat.
“He feels so energetic, and he projects his energy onto the listener,” Nefedenkova said.
Nefedenkova, who grew up with classical music, said that for her, jazz is unique in how much artistic license one is allowed, which is why she enjoys playing.
“With jazz, it’s a completely different field where you have a simple chord progression that you can do so much with and communicate with other people,” Nefedenkova said.
According to Nefedenkova, who plays the saxophone, the jazz program at Occidental exposed her to a diverse array of styles, which spurred her development as a musician. Nefedenkova said the difference from her high school’s program was vast.
“It was a very big switch because everyone is so talented,” Nefedenkova said. “[It] just immediately opened up so many more opportunities for me, in terms of playing with a group, but also having people want to play with different styles, different genres, different groups, different grooves.”
A deciding factor in her choice to attend Occidental, Nefedenkova said, was the quality of the jazz program and the opportunities it provides due to its metropolitan location.
“I wanted to pursue jazz, and Occidental is located in LA,” Nefedenkova said.
Henry, who started playing the keyboard at age 2, said he wants to give more masterclasses and teaching exercises going forward in his career.
“I feel like it’s my responsibility now a little bit to a certain degree to help people that have questions and want to make it to the next level,” Henry said.
Henry said playing at his church was formative in his musical development.
“Growing up in church taught me as a musician how to play for the people early, because if you couldn’t move the church [and] you wasn’t doing what was good in the church, no matter how young you was, they was like ‘get off,'” Henry said. “I wanted to stay on.”
A lifelong musician, Henry said as he has matured in his life, so have his tastes and relationship with music.
“We played jazz in church and rap grooves and all the different stuff,” Henry said. “It was loose. Music was just fun and happy, and now, it’s a little bit more serious and spiritual and meditational.”
Henry said his approach to musical creation is the same regardless of who he’s working with — whether it be Grammy-winning singer Rosalía or Occidental’s chamber jazz groups — because he believes in the power of music.
“Whenever you serve the music, it don’t matter who it’s for,” Henry said.
Henry said his music is first a personal endeavor, which touches the deepest parts of himself as a human being.
“Me and music have a great relationship,” Henry said. “I love music, and music loves me.”
Contact Noah Kim at nkim4@oxy.edu
