Mirror Magazine

The ‘Smooth Blues Man’, Jerome Speldewinde is back in town to woo audiences with his jazzy tunes. So kick back, relax and let him strum your cares together with Ultimate, tonight, from 9 p.m. onwards at Rhythm and Blues.

In the music business for years, Jerome is no stranger to the Sri Lankan music scene, with a large Sri Lankan following. Jerome’s best known for his unique renditions of popular jazz and blues hits, in his characteristic style of just guitar and voice. “Musicians here are just fantastic both in technique and talent, so playing with them is always good,” he said, adding that he came down this time, especially to perform for popular guest musician, Glen Terry’s farewell.

Apart from undertaking a few other gigs in Colombo, Jerome is also very keen on getting involved in music therapy for children living in the east. “Music will help kids to get their minds off their everyday lives, and expend some creative energy,” he said. “It will also encourage them to be build a better environment for themselves, and make them smile, even if it’s for a short while, because music truly has the capacity of being a global language.”

Tonight he hopes to perform a cross section of music from funk, to Latin, blues and even a touch of jazz. It’s billed to be more of a chilled-out evening rather than “a head banging session,” he said laughing. All-time favourites from artistes like Sting, Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles are sure to be the highlight of the evening. He also hopes to play some music stylised around obscure jazz and Latin grooves.

Although Jerome’s been in the music scene for so long, and even performs professionally back in Melbourne, he says, “I’m still trying to get good at it!” There’s no time or age restriction, when it comes to music. You’re constantly learning and evolving and you stop when you think you should stop,” he says. As for originals, he says that he’s written quite a few, but that he doesn’t perform them much.

“I’m a strong believer of spontaneity, when I perform. It keeps everyone alive, even the rest of the band. That way it doesn’t become too regimented and organised,” he said with a smile. There’s also a certain “organic thing about jazz” that most modern music seems to lack, he said. Therefore, a lot of people are coming back to more organic music, as they seem to want the more human element again, especially as most music these days tends to be almost too robotic and synthesised.

“The thing about jazz is that over time, the artiste needs to adopt a healthy respect for his/her instrument. That’s why it takes so long to perfect your sound and even then, most often you’re not as good as the ones before you.”