Jazz Brought Us Here
Celebrating music, community, and projects that bring them together
Before social distancing, the Proverb office was constantly vibing to our favorite soundtracks. Our team is always swapping playlists, timing meetings to the sound of Frank Ocean or Beyoncé, and reading Pitchfork articles about the best new records. For us, music is magic. Whether we’re listening to smooth tunes as we sip our morning coffee or dancing barefoot around the kitchen to our favorite Friday night jam, music keeps us inspired.
April is Jazz Appreciation Month, which is particularly meaningful because it is all about your disposition through hard times. It’s about acknowledging what is happening in your life, but not letting it define you. It’s about finding joy and freedom in the darkness, and writing your own narrative. Jazz is quintessentially American, and it has influenced every other genre of music, from rock and pop to hip-hop and R&B. Play any song on your Spotify, and we guarantee it has jazz influences.
From language to fashion to social interaction, jazz is American culture.
From language to fashion to social interaction, jazz is American culture, and Boston had one of its biggest and richest scenes in the nation. And now, we have a few jazz-inspired projects brewing in the area that we’re stoked about. There’s a lot to learn from the genre, and our new ventures capture its spirit through themes of self-expression, wellness, and intellect — all while looking fly.
Jazz is all about your disposition through hard times. It’s about acknowledging what is happening in your life, but not letting it define you. It’s about finding joy and freedom in the darkness, and writing your own narrative.
In a hectic and often disconnected world, we firmly believe that art is food for the soul. In branding two Roxbury-based projects, we combined the values of jazz — spirited, lively, and energetic — with the values of living well. Dudley Square, the commercial center of Roxbury, was renamed Nubian Square this past December. The new name honors Afroculture, and celebrates the largely black and brown community. What more perfect time, during this cultural reclaiming, to open up a vibrant jazz club in the heart of Nubian Square?
Welcoming all music-lovers this fall, Jazz Urbane Café, which is black owned and led (by Bill Banfield and Rahn Dorsey), is set to become a monumental landmark in the Northeast. Both a place to dine and a performance venue for the arts, Jazz Urbane is exactly the kind of cultural site the area needs. As an inclusive experience emphasizing no bad seat in the house, the club will bring the community together through the power of music. Poised to welcome locals and newcomers alike, this energizing, collaborative, and passionate powerhouse is sure to be a place of Roxbury pride.
Jazz is always transforming — that’s the beauty of it.
For too long, Roxbury was marginalized. Now, this dynamic city is determined to reach its full potential. Not too far from Jazz Urbane lies Flat 9, another jazz-inspired project we branded for Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH). Defined by the collective power of the neighborhood, Flat 9 will be one of the largest mixed-income, wellness-focused communities in the nation. Through a tiered income model and comprehensive programming, it’s creating economic and wellness equity in Roxbury. Because wellness is a right — not a luxury.
Named for an improvisation technique that adds tone to a dominant chord, Flat 9 gives new meaning to Roxbury’s unique melody. The logo is a visual nod to blue note jazz record covers — bold, gravitational, and deeply connected to community. Just like the city’s early musical trailblazers, Roxbury’s community will flourish through perseverance, connectedness, and pride; Flat 9 is a step toward a better tomorrow.
Jazz is always transforming — that’s the beauty of it. The evolution is rooted in its openness as a genre; it’s about finding your own originality, and then collaborating with your peers to make something beautiful. And in branding our projects, we did just that. We used Roxbury’s own rhythm— a culturally rich, proud, and tight-knit community — and collaborated with our clients to make truly impactful places. Jazz reminds us to write our own narrative. It reminds us that our differences are beautiful, and that community makes us strong. So next time you mindlessly add to your Spotify queue, remember that it was jazz, in all its history and glory, that brought you there.
