Sen Morimoto - “People Watching”

SXSW 2020 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 6 

Pairs Well With… The O'My's, Elton, Resavoir

There’s a wealth of riches in Chicago’s broad and beautiful music scene. Sen Morimoto, born in Kyoto and raised in Western Massachusetts, where he learned jazz saxophone, expanded from there to teach himself a wide array of other instruments that he adds to the city’s musical mix. He got his professional start in the Chicago DIY Hip Hop community collaborating with artists like Joseph Chilliams (Pivot Gang), KAINA, Qari, and Nnamdi Ogbonnaya among many others. He crafted a personal style equally influenced by Jazz, pop, R&B, and hip hop. He writes music and lyrics with experimental melodies and clever lines like “And I just spent a check on a supreme brick/ I threw it through a glass house/ I wish I kept the cash now/ I threw it through the Trump Tower” on the title track of his newest album Cannonball! The album is packed with his unique style on tracks like How It Feels, I Just Spoke to Mama featuring the amazing KAINA and the standout closing track People Watching. (Nate Headden)