Localized: Chegoya

This jazzy Localized lineup on May 28 features headliners Slow Potion and Chegoya for a sax-filled serenade. Doors to Kilby Court open at 7:00 p.m. and Teddy P kicks off the jam at 8:00 p.m. Tickets for this Riso-Geist-sponsored event are just $5!

Named after a beloved, now-closed convenience store by West High School, Chegoya consists of a quartet of musicians dedicated to the art of free-flowing, minimally-structured jazz. From their founding as a high school jazz band to releasing their first EP in January of 2024, the band has come a long way from their roots. “I think we used to kind of suck and now we don’t suck,” says Emil Welker (vocals and bass). “I think now, we’re pretty okay.”

Welker and fellow founding member Joe Barndt (keyboard) have known each other since high school. While attending the University of Utah, Brandt met their drummer, Jackson Data. Soon after, saxophonist (and Slow Potion band member) Zane Peterson joined and Chegoya in its current form was born.

“As you play together more, you learn how other people do certain things,” Peterson says. Since the band is in its second year of playing in its current iteration, the group has gradually come to know each other’s styles of playing.

“As you play together more, you learn how other people do certain things.”

“Our songs have a structured formula, but solos are always improvised,” Welker says. “However long the section lasts is sort of on the fly.” A solo could last for a couple of seconds, or go on for as long as a minute or two. However often improvisation occurs, the band can skillfully play around each other.

Chegoya’s music isn’t just one thing—it’s a combination of numerous forms of jazz. The band’s influences include (but are not limited to) The Headhunters and Herbie Hancock. Their ever-so-slightly structured style lends itself to a world of endless possibilities, whether they’re performing live or in the studio. As a result, Chegoya’s music feels fluid and jammy, each instrument melding into the other. “I think the fact that it’s a little more fluid [makes] it feel a little more human,” Welker says.

The band doesn’t use charts; rather, the members work together to create each track. “I think a lot of people that come to see us—and come to see jazz in any setting love to hear new aspects of songs that are familiar,” Barndt muses.

“I think a lot of people that come to see us—and come to see jazz in any setting love to hear new aspects of songs that are familiar.”

When I ask about why jazz is so important to the group, Barndt puts it best: “​​I think I can speak for us—[jazz] makes [us] feel like it’s something that we want to put out into the world,” he says.

As a jazz quartet, Chegoya primarily plays live. They’ve played at many local venues, including Hopkins Brewing Co. and the International Artist Lounge. With the explosion of the Salt Lake jazz scene in recent years, the band has seen more opportunities to play than ever before. As an art form, jazz is a genre largely enjoyed in a live setting. However, Chegoya made the leap to recording and plans to release an album in the near future. “We have a lot of songs that will go on,” Barndt says. “Once they get fleshed out.”

Chegoya’s first EP, I GUESS, came out early this year. The band says the learning curve from playing live to recording is still something they’re working on. The EP brings fluid jazz into outer space, with synthy keys and twinkly cymbals. The one sample on the project comes from an ‘80s anti-drug PSA. “If you do drugs, you go to hell before you die,” Welker says. “It was very compelling. [It] spoke to us.”

I GUESS isn’t the last you’ll see of Chegoya. With an album in the works and tons of gigs coming up, the band is looking forward to their future. Find Chegoya on Instagram at @chegoyasl and catch them at this month’s Localized on May 28!

Read more Localized interviews here:
Localized: Graveljaw Keaton 
Localized: No Such Animal