Playing by ear is one of the necessary skills of a jazz musician — a skill that was put to the test when drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and his band Generation Y were challenged with covering Nirvana‘s “Heart-Shaped Box” after hearing the song one time.
For Owens — a Juilliard jazz instructor — it was his second time being challenged with covering Nirvana on the spot. He was tasked with spontaneously playing “In Bloom” earlier this year as part of Drumeo’s ongoing “For the First Time” video series, which we’ve covered on multiple occasions here at Heavy Consequence, including Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith’s viral performance of Thirty Seconds to Mars’ “The Kill.”
The new clip comes via Musora — part of the Drumeo family — and Owens is once again greeted with a Nirvana song he’s never heard before. In fact, it appears most of his bandmates in Generation Y were unfamiliar “Heart-Shaped Box,” as well.
“I don’t know shit,” jokes Owens after the studio engineers stop playing the track.
Only the bassist nods along in recognition, and takes the lead after Owens gives him the cue to play the song’s bassline.
Almost instantly after hearing the original, Owens’ group is in full swing, with the horn section carrying the vocal melodies. When Owens gives the call for the chorus, everyone is locked in — much to the amazement of the Musora studio engineers — and it only takes a couple trial runs before the band nails a complete instrumental jazz cover of the In Utero classic.
“To be completely honest, it felt incredible,” said Owens when asked to sum up the experience. “I don’t get nervous often, especially in the company of my band… but I was nervous because you guys throw a lot of things at people conceptually. I was wondering, ‘I don’t know what they’re gonna do, but how does it fit in the context of what we do?’”
He concluded: “We took an incredible song, an incredible band, an incredible concept, and we meshed it with who we already are.”
Below you can watch Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y cover “Heart-Shaped Box” after hearing it one time, as well as Owens’ original Drumeo clip.