Musical phenomenon Jacob Collier is coming to the Philippines. Known for his multi-instrumental prowess and penchant for deconstructing popular songs and putting them back together again in ways you’ve never heard before, he’s won multiple Grammys for his arrangements.
His Djesse World Tour gets its name from was a mammoth of a project. Spanning four volumes, it has 50 songs and took him at least four years to make. You’ve never seen a performer quite like him before, and Karpos Live is bringing him to Manila on November 23, 2022.
If you’re a long-time fan, you’ve probably replayed the videos on this list countless times already — but that won’t stop you from watching them again. If you’ve just discovered him, you’re in for a treat.
8. His Tiny Desk concerts
NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts are always a great place to start when you’re trying to grasp what an artist is all about. And the great thing is Jacob already has TWO Tiny Desk Concerts: one at NPR’s office, and another filmed in his London studio during the pandemic:
Seeing Jacob collaborate and harmonize with other musicians in an intimate setting is really special, which is what we love about the 2019 Tiny Desk Concert (above). But you can really see the musician in his element at his 2020 Tiny Desk (Home Concert), which gives the viewer a little insight into his craft.
7. When he brought Daniel Caesar out on stage to sing “Best Part”
Jacob and Daniel Caesar have been collaborating since 2018 (maybe even earlier), and have worked together on Daniel’s 2019 track “Restore the Feeling” and Collier’s “Time Alone With You”. In this video, Jacob brought Daniel out for a spontaneous performance of Daniel’s hit “Best Part”, and the resulting performance was something really special.
6. When he just jammed with Herbie Hancock
In this Wired video, Jacob was tasked to explain “harmony” in five levels of difficulty, first explaining it to a child then culminating with a passionate discussion with jazz legend Herbie Hancock. Their conversation itself is pretty difficult to understand, but at the end of the video, they quit talking and end up having a conversation through music.
5. When he and his three talented brothers played “All I Need” on The Tonight Show
This was another pandemic performance, and though Jacob didn’t have a full band, he DELIVERED. (Fun fact: he edited this video himself!)
4. When he finally got to perform live with Lizzy McAlpine
(John Mayer was there, too)
For his first post-Djesse single, Jacob enlisted the talents of American singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine. The two collaborated virtually for 18 months, and the video above shows their first real-life performance, which also happened to feature John Mayer singing backup. (The two also worked together on McAlpine’s single “Erase Me“.)
3. How many instruments do you want to play?
Jacob: Yes
This performance here shows how Jacob Collier does waaaaay too much, but we’re completely here for it.
2. When he improvised from a ringtone
The great thing about watching Jacob live is seeing someone completely at ease on stage, just happy to make music and engage with his audience. He literally plays off a ringing phone by incorporating it into his performance, enhancing it while adding humor to the show. (He’s also done this with a sneeze!)
1. When his audience choir went chromatic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-R3M0VlQoQ
One really special experience that happens in every Jacob Collier concert is the audience choir, which is exactly what it sounds like. Jacob basically gets the entire audience to sing and harmonize with each other, and the result is ~*pure magic*~. At this recent performance in Rome, the audience choir got on the chromatic scale for the first time, which completely blew Jacob away — as well as every musician who’s watched the video.
Want to experience the magic yourself? Catch Jacob Collier this November 23 at the Filinvest Tent, Alabang. Get your tickets here.
