Santa Barbara native Joss Jaffe, has been a musician his entire life, from writing songs at nine years old to now releasing his second album Dub Mantra Sangha at 34 years old. The guitarist will be debuting his album at three different venues around California, the first being Yoshi’s Jazz Club in Oakland. Now the local guitarist returns to his hometown to present a truly unique sound for a spiritual world music experience.
The solar designer incorporates a multitude of cultures and life experiences into his newest album, establishing the record as one for a variety of peoples. Half of the album is in Sanskrit, and nearly all of the singers featured are from differing parts of the world and singing in foreign tongues. Jaffe further explains, “We’ve got Michael Rose singing in Hebrew or an Indian woman singing Tibetan.”
With his album representing many different cultures Jaffe described the record as one “about the love that transcends the boundaries of people.” He said he strived for “authenticity” and that he wanted his music “to just make people feel good.” At the end of the day, Jaffe feels he has achieved just that and can’t wait to bring that peaceful, happy vibe to his audiences.
Like the variety found on the album’s track list, there is a similar variety found in Jaffe’s musical influences. Currently Jaffe is interested in world music, but growing up in Southern California he developed a love for ska, classic rock and reggae. He studied music in India in the late 1980s, an education that still influences the way he creates. The album reflects his “teenage brain” as it “blends elements of reggae music with Indian and African instruments.”
He describes his newest album as something that is “very experiential,” as he shares his personal, inner world to audiences. His music is an attempt to bring people of all different walks of life together and connect them. As Jaffe says, “people are going to hear sounds they’ve never heard before and that have been never put together like this before,” and that is a rare experience.
Joss Jaffe is releasing his brand new album Dub Mantra Sangha with Donna De Lory and DJ Timonkey at SoHo (1221 State St.) on Thursday, October 29. 8:00 p.m., all ages. Call 805-962-7776 or visit sohosb.com for more information.