Notes That Endure: Jean Caze on Heritage, Breath, and Black Music

Black History Month invites us to listen more closely to the stories, rhythms, and creative legacies that continue to shape our world. For trumpeter, composer, and sonic storyteller Jean Caze, music is both memory and movement: a living expression of Black culture that evolves with every breath, beat, and moment of surrender.

Raised in Queens and influenced by jazz, hip-hop, funk, Konpa, reggae, and soul, Jean brings a deeply intuitive approach to sound, one rooted in history yet open to constant reinvention. At 1 Hotel South Beach, his performances unfold as immersive experiences, where intuition guides the moment and music becomes a space for connection, inviting guests to experience the legacy and evolution of Black music in an intimate, live setting.

In celebration of Black History Month, we sat down with Jean to explore how sound shapes memory, how nature and breath influence his creative process, and what it means to honor a musical legacy that continues to grow, adapt, and move us forward.

Soul After Sundown with Jean Caze, Jazz Trumpet Artist, Composer & Educator​

Growing up in Queens, you were surrounded by so many sounds and influences. How did that environment shape your path into jazz?

90’s Hip Hop really helped me understand phrasing, energy, originality, and what emotionally connects with people. Konpa is my favorite music to dance to and showed me how to be creative with melodies even when a section of a song is basic & repetitive. “Jazz”, or creative swing music was a secret space where I got to discover and develop my voice over time. Dancehall taught me the importance of locking into a pocket and being unapologetically expressive. To me, funk was about taking the frustration of life and transmuting the energy into creating a new world where interlocking rhythmic parts made powerful therapeutic moments. Reggae taught me patience and meditation while being present. Other genres influenced me in less obvious ways, but were inescapable. I was blessed to be surrounded by glorious music from many cultures.

Your set at 1 Hotel South Beach moves through jazz, funk, neo-soul, and R&B. When you’re shaping a performance like this, how do you decide what the music needs from you in real time?

I decide by surrendering to the moment. I listen to the arrangement/production of the music from the selector, and I get in where it feels right to add my voice. I fall back when intuition tells me to.

Music has a way of anchoring us to specific moments and places. When people are traveling, how do you hope sound and music shape what they remember long after the trip ends? 

I hope the music they listen to reminds them of what’s important in life and empowers them to make moves with thoughtfulness and grace.  

Nature plays a quiet but powerful role in many creative practices. How do natural rhythms such as water, wind, stillness, or even silence, find their way into your music or process?

I am inspired by and very sensitive to nature. It rejuvenates me. It calms my nervous system and clears my mind so that I can create from an authentic space. When I play my instrument, my inhale and exhale of my breath mimics waves, turning over in the sea. I included nature sounds in my recording of the Haitian National Anthem, La Dessalinienne.

Black History Month asks us to honor the past while staying present. As a Black artist working today, what does it mean to you to perform music that carries so much history, but is still evolving?

As an artist living today I carry the responsibility of teaching humanity through my actions. My off stage experiences inform my performances. When I perform I heal myself, and I hope the listener can benefit from the experience as well.