Laufey Brings Signature Jazz Fusion to The Van Buren

Laufey Brings Signature Jazz Fusion to The Van Buren

Jazz here! Getcha jazz here! Getting ready to close out 2023, but if you are attending a Laufey concert it may as well be 1923. One of the best things to come out of quarantine in 2020 is the emergence of Laufey’s worldwide fame. The Icelandic artist has grown astronomically in these short three years.

In a time where the beautiful genre of jazz has been more or less neglected by the younger generations, Laufey has introduced them to one of the greatest American contributions to the world of music. With artists like Esperanza Spalding and Samara Joy keeping the genre alive and expanding their influence with a more traditional feel, or bands like Snarky Puppy and Sungazer invigorating the jazz fusion aspect, Laufey is expanding her reach by delving into a bedroom-pop style of jazz.

I had the absolute pleasure of enjoying her stop on the Bewitched Tour in Phoenix, Arizona, at The Van Buren which was at max capacity. This, of course, was not out of the norm for Laufey, as every single one of her North American shows seemed to be sold out before you had a chance to look up the pronunciation of her name! Even when some of the venues were upgraded to accommodate a larger audience, they sold out just as fast. This would be a precursor to her United Kingdom Tour beginning later this year, as they have already sold out as well.

In an attempt to paint a picture of how absolutely packed the venue was, before doors opened, fans were already lined up around the entire block. This is not hyperbole; the start of the line could see the end of the line because it was literally wrapped around the entire block. To anyone passing by it was quite a sight as the attendees were dressed to impress, including YouTube’s LPS Queen Aisha Rae, in a distinct style that can most accurately be described as ‘Laufey fashion’.

As packed as it was, these fans knew a thing or two about hygiene as well, because it was the most pleasant-smelling event I have ever attended. As a smelly gamer myself, I can definitely appreciate the effort and consideration put in.

The show began with opener Adam Melchor on guitar serenading us with his vocal performance. Playing a handful of his original songs, this was a great start to the show and an introduction to his new EP FRUITLAND. If you are a fan of a folk-pop sound, please give this artist a few minutes of your time and he will bless your ears.

After a short intermission, the lights dim out and the crowd roars with excitement. ENTER STAGE LEFT! Maverick MacMillan on drums. ENTER STAGE LEFT! Dario Bizio on upright bass. ENTER STAGE LEFT! Heather Rivas on the keyboard. ENTER STAGE LEFT! Adam Melchor on backup vocals. ENTER STAGE LEFT! A lithe figure in the dark, a hint of their silhouette moving to center stage.

SPOTLIGHT UP! With Laufey dead center, the building loses its collective minds. Venue capacity may be around 2,000 attendees, but at this moment, it was as if 20,000 attendees erupted with excitement.

Laufey bewitched us with a collection of some of her most popular songs, mixed with songs from her newest album, and a sprinkle of jazz covers. Her musicality on display, Laufey demonstrated her ability to play guitar on songs like Fragile and Haunted, her cellist skills on Beautiful Stranger and I Wish You Love, and her affinity for piano on Promise and Let You Break My Heart Again. Songs like Dreamer and From The Start had her utilizing the entire stage, her presence captivating the crowd and working the audience like the professional she is. 

When it came to focusing on her vocals alone, she evinced her faculty of control and nuances in her capabilities during songs like Best Friend and Love Sick, which also included an ethereal harmony between Adam and Maverick. With an angelic quality to her vocals holding a lightweight and deep register, amazing timbre, and a heavenly tone, Laufey was collecting applause like she collects orchestra features.

According to George Collier who credits her in his transcriptions as sounding exactly like an angel or the sound of heaven or dreams, I would have to wholeheartedly agree.

To end the show, Laufey stated that she is “very inspired by jazz music, and love, whenever I can, love to…honor my heroes and honor some of my favorite jazz standards” and has been performing a surprise rendition of a classic each show. As this is a surprise at each show, there will be no spoilers here, but it showcased her jazzy vocals and an improvised section from Heather on keys, a common aspect of any jazz standard.

If you are interested in Laufey’s work, please check out LAUFEYMUSIC.COM to see everything Laufey-related. To see her most up-to-date work, check out her holiday collaborations with Norah Jones, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, and their original Better Than Snow from their two-track single Christmas With You.

Also check out Bewitched, her Best Traditional Pop Vocal Grammy Nominated Album, available everywhere, including Spotify where it currently holds the record for most first-day streams of a jazz album at 5.7million streams, beating out the last record-holding album at 1.1million first-day streams.