Episode #88: The JuJu Exchange

The JuJu Exchange is a jazz-fusion group founded by three childhood friends from Chicago, each bringing their own unique stories and traits to the collective.

Nico Segal (trumpeter and producer) is Grammy Awarded musician and producer who is a frequent Chance the Rapper collaborator and trumpet player in Chance’s band The Social Experiment.

Julian Davis Reid (pianist and producer) is an artist-theologian who also hosts spiritual retreats called Notes of Rest, which interweave texts and music to promote rest, contemplation and creativity.

Nova Zaii (drummer and producer) is a sonic designer and the inventor of the patented Nova Portals instrument, a touchless electronic instrument.

Whether performing at The Chicago Jazz Fest or The Songbyrd, The JuJu Exchange brings uncut emotion with the intent to move the audience in mind, body, & soul. The band’s debut project Exchange reached #1 on the Apple Jazz Albums Chart upon release and their new single Walk Cycle debuted #1 on the All-New Jazz Spotify Playlist. They released their second record, The Eternal Boombox EP, inspired to provide relief as the world grappled with a catastrophic year. Each song corresponds to a stage of grief from the Kübler-Ross “Five Stages of Grief” Cycle.

The JuJu Exchange creates experimental and nuanced music that calls us all to wonder and trust. Their music, primarily instrumental, blends acoustic and digital instruments to accompany meaningful conversation around spiritual, mental, and physical experiences amongst their audiences' diverse backgrounds. They hope their music inspires the listener to participate in the kinds of exchange the world desperately needs.

The band has been booked for Microsoft Teams Roundtable, Yale University, Northwestern University, Jazz Institute of Chicago, Chicago Ideas Week, and Apple On Michigan. The band’s members have worked, performed, and produced with artists including Chance The Rapper, Frank Ocean, Derrick Hodge, Andrew Bird, Tank & The Bangas, Peter CottonTale, Jamila Woods, Grace Weber, Jennifer Hudson, Tiff Joy, VIc Mensa, Prefuse 73, Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and The Chicago Children’s Choir. In this episode, Julian Davis Reid shares his background, education, and musical journey.

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