Prepare For A Jade Oracle Summer Of Healing And Reflection

Photography by Willym.

Jade Oracle is a jazz grown, neo-soul local trio paving its way into the hearts of music lovers across Denver. What initially formed as the Halo-Halo band, in reference to a popular cold dessert in the Philippines, is made up of Coy Lim, Jake Alvarez, and Calvin Davis. The trio began making music together here in Denver thanks to Lim’s dedication to sharing her sound and their shared passion for mesmerizing jazz riffs.

With a long history here in Denver, each member is proud of this cities local music scene and works hard to bring community together and express their truths.

“It’s an interesting scene. The players are really good, the sessions are really good. We have really good music that comes through town, but a lot of times, the out reach isn’t there. The promotion that happens for local artists in Colorado can be pretty limited,” said Davis.

Forming and evolving from within this scene, Jade Oracle currently plays with Alvarez on guitar and synthesizer, Davis on drums and Lim on vocals and keys. Before meeting here in Denver, each member had a lengthy history of studying and exploring music. Piano lessons, jazz groups and educational music programs are all small pieces of what make Jade Oracle what it is today.

“I don’t remember a part of life when I wasn’t making music,” said Alvarez with a smile.

The years of practice and love each member has for music are without a doubt the glue that holds together this technical and explosive act. Lim’s tenacity behind her vocals calls to world-renowned voices such as Nai Palm or Willow and rings true with each word.

“Healing from trauma. That’s definitely what started all of this. But, not only healing from it, facing it with wisdom, and what that healing process actually looks like,” said Lim in reference to the group’s music.

Celebrating three years together this spring, the trio has lots of music prepped for release. “Make Time For Space” will be the first single available off the project, set to hit Spotify on June 21. This release will also be celebrated at local jazz club, Dazzle Denver. Tickets are available now and local musicians are highly encouraged to participate in the jam session after the show.

Within the chaos of politics, the next Jade Oracle project will address the many emotions that so many people are feeling and extend a helping hand.

“It’s about healing, it’s about empowerment, but also getting through the world as it is now,” explained Lim. “How do we support each other in terms of community? How do we take our wisdom that we’ve learned historically and apply it to the present as opposed to forgetting about our history and forgetting about our culture and the stories that we see as we’re trying to navigate an increasingly messy future.”

Compressing all these thoughts, feelings and wisdom down into the fast-paced lyrics of each song is no small feat. Lim’s vocals skate quick over Davis’ rhythms and embrace the funky, jazzy, or psychedelic lines delivered by Alvarez on guitar.

“To specifically comment on the world that you are living in as you see it, that’s an artist’s job,” said Lim. “Whatever kind of artist you are. To show us or make us understand the world as you see it through a different perspective. Art is a reflection of the human experience.“

Despite the band member’s differences in background, they are clearly bonded on the topics of identity, human rights, and important reflections of human experience that their art builds.

“It’s an outlet, it’s something you can put all of your energy into and know it’s positive, and it’s creating a vessel for that energy that could really it could help someone else,” said Davis. “It could help bring people together to solve problems.“

As pride month continues and the word fascism continues to ring in our ears, it’s more important than ever to raise queer voices and the voices of the many different races in this country. The members of Jade Oracle work hard to not only raise their voices but also put forward an energy that helps listeners feel seen.

“It’s a lot of taking an inherently negative emotion, because we’re all pissed, we’re all angry about a lot of stuff, and instead of it being ‘let’s just burn everything and channel all that negative energy into a negative experience,'” said Alvarez, “it’s ‘we could distill this and turn it into positive energy, collectively, hopefully raise some people’s spirits.’ So that way we aim for a more positive goal, as opposed to, man, just fuck everything into the ground. It’s ‘let us heal together.'”

Jade Oracle’s upcoming release will feature a few friends, including local vocalist Lady Los. Known for her moon goddess serenades and occasional hip hop features, Lady Los is an exciting talent to combine with Lim’s expertise. The project release show is also just the beginning of Jade Oracle community events to come.

While you wait for Jade Oracle’s next project, there is an exciting discography to explore, often with more to discover than meets the eye. In fact, if you can find the three cats pictured on their most recent album cover, the band has promised a free CD. Happy searching!