At a sauna festival in East Toronto, attendees wandered around in swimming trunks and dressing gowns, a sense of relaxation permeating the atmosphere, when a band began to play in the middle of the courtyard. They began with an upbeat jazz sound, but then what they were playing grew more familiar. It was actually a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Boogie On Reggae Woman’, adjusted into a jazz style with a twist on the sound that Music Man readers won’t be able to help but love.
It was fascinating to see which elements of Stevie’s style the band chose to keep and which they switched up. The vocalist impressively emulated Stevie’s iconic vocals, including the agile runs so synonymous with Stevie’s voice. However, the instrumentals added a jazz flavor, with the guitar detouring through jazzy solos, and the trumpet adding a bright highlight to the cover. Online fans were truly impressed by the band’s cover, one commenting, “I’m on like my 8th view.”
I thought it was wonderful to see just what a joyous effect the band had on the festival-goers who were crowded around them on all sides. Many stopped to watch, taking their phones out to record the impressive performance, but what truly put a smile on my face was seeing how many people started dancing, or at least nodding their heads to the music, as it seemed to have an infectious effect on everyone who heard it, with multiple people having a little boogie as they walked past.
The band, known as Kubla, has become renowned for taking on popular artists and reworking their songs with Kubla’s signature jazzy twist, from The Beatles to Radiohead. Luckily for online followers, it was not only their Stevie Wonder cover from the sauna festival that they uploaded to their channel, but also their take on Coldplay. With Stevie’s sound often inspired by jazz, it’s astonishing to see how Kubla can bring the jazz sound to a modern pop-rock band like Coldplay, too.
Kubla have clearly struck a chord with music lovers thanks to their unique sound. Their approach allows people to hear the classics that they know and love, while still bringing the creativity, imagination, and joy that lie within jazz. My biggest piece of advice for Music Man fans is that, if you ever decide to throw a sauna festival, Kubla should clearly be at the top of the bill.