The Crooked Jades are creators of unique sounds by exploring the roots of rural Americana, pushing boundaries and blurring categories with their fiery, soulful performances. Innovative, unpredictable and passionate, they bring their driving dance tunes and haunting ballads to rock clubs, festivals, traditional folk venues and concert halls across America and Europe.
Snap Jackson
Known for their rare and obscure repertoire, beautiful original compositions, inspired arrangements and eclectic, often vintage instrumentation, The Crooked Jades began with band leader/founder Jeff Kazor's vision to revive the dark and hypnotic sounds of pre-radio music. With this old-time foundation, the band has created the unique Crooked Jades sound by exploring the roots of Americana and interweaving the diverse musical influences of Europe and Africa. Filtering these old-world sounds with universal and ancient themes through a post-9/11 lens, they seek to make sense of the future.
A collective of West and East Coast pickers with equal parts attitude and respect, always led by Kazor, the band performs with a thrilling energy that has audiences on their feet dancing and critics comparing them to everyone from The New Lost City Ramblers and The Pogues to Gillian Welch, Nick Cave and Tom Waits.
The Crooked Jades core consists of founders Jeff Kazor (vocals/guitar/ukulele) and Lisa Berman (vocals/slide guitar/banjo/harmonium), with long-time member Erik Pearson (vocals/banjos/ukulele/harmonium/slide guitar,) composer of the Crooked Jades tune selected by Sean Penn in his 2007 film “Into The Wild”. An important former member who has recently rejoined is Megan Adie (bass), back in San Francisco after a decade of living and playing 17th and 18th century double bass in Europe (Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Concerto Copenhagen, and La Chambre Philharmonique; Copenhagen Phil and Malmö Opera; and various chamber groups in Denmark and southern Sweden.) A key member of the Crooked Jades evolution, touring and recording with the Jades for several years, Megan’s iconic (arco) bass can be heard on the band’s acclaimed album “Worlds on Fire.” The newest member of the Jades is Emily Mann, a young up-and-coming fiddler in demand, who is also half of the folk duo Paper Wings. Emily is a Big Sur native with her heart in the old Appalachian mountains, and she fits into the Jades musical jigsaw seamlessly.