OKLAHOMA CITY — The evening of the 22nd is set to see OKC’s renowned Blue Door set aside the folksy singer-songwriters for a night and instead welcome a different kind of time-honored, history-steeped music as the Ben Rosenblum Trio brings their jazz to back up singer Laura Angalde.
Far from the dim, booze-soaked clubs where the sound has lingered for years – and even further from the noisy weeknight bars and restaurants where countless jazz nights have recently flooded the market – the “listening room” space of The Blue Door promises a focused, reverent way to appreciate some good jazz.
And that sounds just fine to Rosenblum.
“We’re so excited,” he told me over the phone from a tour stop in Puerto Rico. “This will be our first time in Oklahoma and everyone has told us that’s a great venue that really treats musicians well. So we’re just so happy we were finally able to make it happen.”
And it’s a bonus that he could make the jaunt down to the Sooner State alongside singer and fellow New Yorker Laura Anglade, who’ll be bringing a kind of classic, classy Euro-jazz style to his trio’s modern, world-spanning, melodic sound.
But Anglade’s own background also welcomes some opportunity to explore some more unique paths through jazz songwriting and history that should fit perfectly with the Blue Door’s song-first ethos.
“Laura is very deeply rooted in straight-ahead jazz, but also she’s from France originally, so we do some French songs, and then we do a couple of Brazilian songs, and we throw all of that in,” Rosenblum said of what audiences can expect in OKC. “Having a bit deeper knowledge of that music, above and beyond what I learned in a jazz setting, has really been very important for me.”
Though this will be their first swing through Oklahoma, it was probably only a matter of time before the NYC-based pianist/accordionist and his band made it through our state.
Even with all the talk of inflated travel expenses, gas gouging, and thinning audiences stifling the pop and rock touring markets, the jazz circuit has continued quietly working in the background, shuffling players around from bar stages to club corners all across the country.
But the jazz scene also presents some different avenues on the road that not only help the artists sustain themselves but also help sustain the music itself.
“If we’re going to be in town for a performance, sometimes we’ll reach out to local schools and colleges about doing some classes or clinics earlier in the day,” Rosenblum explained.
In fact, his trio—joined by Anglade—will be doing just that the day before they hit OKC, stopping in Ponca City for a class with the Ponca High jazz band and a free community concert.
“It works out, because we really love working with students, and I think we have some real practical advice for students in 2025 trying to make a career in music,” Rosenblum said. “People will be telling them all about how hard it is, and that’s certainly part of it, but we can say from experience ‘these are the ways you can actually do it.’”
That’s something Rosenblum believes wholeheartedly, espousing the diversity of jazz and the versatility of jazz education as a way for aspiring musicians to find their own unique footholds in the music scene and in the professional performing world.
And he’s especially heartened by what he sees in the recent resurgence of young jazz fans across the country, a trend that’s taken particular hold in Oklahoma City.
“The younger people that are seeking out jazz now don’t have those kinds of preconceptions of jazz as a joke or as this misunderstood thing, so it’s a real fresh slate,” he said. “There’s been a real resurgence of thinking of jazz as a popular music, because that’s the origins of the music, you know? I think of jazz more like a folk music than a classical music.”
In that way, Anglade, Rosenblum, and the band should fit perfectly into The Blue Door’s reputation as a space to champion the folk history of songwriting and musical storytelling, with Rosenblum excited for OKC fans to come out and focus on the fun and power of live, lyrical jazz.
“Jazz is so broad in general,” he said. “I think almost everyone, if they’re open to listen, is guaranteed to find some things in the wide world of jazz that speaks to them.”
Laura Anglade with the Ben Rosenblum Trio stop at The Blue Door in OKC on Wednesday, January 22nd. For tickets, times, and more information, visit bluedoorokc.com.
Check out all of Ben Rosenblum’s projects and news at benrosenblummusic.com.
You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.