LISTEN: Max Bien Kahn’s “Jay’n Bee Club” Delights With Vibrant Storytelling

San Francisco-born, New Orleans-based multi-instrumentalist Max Bien Kahn, who’s called the city home since 2011, might be best known as the tenor banjo player in legendary nouveau trad jazz band Tuba Skinny, with whom he’s been playing since 2012. Still, he’s collaborated with a host of local luminaries across the musical spectrum, playing with folks like Sam Doores (The Deslondes), Camille Weatherford (The Lostines), and Esther Rose. On his fifth full-length solo record, he digs into his rock and roll roots and takes a left turn into hazy, shambling guitar pop. The result? A woozy document of life’s surprising cul-de-sacs and its beautiful possibilities.

As of this writing, he’s released four full-length albums and a handful of EPs, and his newest record, Baby Green, is his fifth full-length. 

With a new LP seemingly slowly approaching, Kahn welcomes you to “Jay’n Bee Club,” an old school dance hall filled with intoxicating libations and wandering, loving eyes. This new single finds a character seemingly retreating to the club for a drink and quiet, only to stumble upon a soul so pure, it can’t be ignored. With fuzzy grooves brought on by surf-tinted guitar riffs and organic percussion tones that evoke long-lost spirits that never lost their rhythm, “Jay’n Bee Club” plays like a hit from a dusty 7” found in a garage. Kahn’s modern love story is filtered through noir, bringing the intricacies of the simple performance to life. Kahn’s veteran position in music is on full display throughout his latest single, although this is far from a simple display of talent. “Jay’n Bee Club” is a retro dance number turned storytelling track, brimming with vibrant imagery, and is the next step towards Baby Green.