Jip Jop performs Saturday at Root Cellar

Jip Jop jammed out Saturday in the Root Cellar, the venue underneath FARMbloomington restaurant on Kirkwood Avenue.

Jip Jop is a six-member strong band from Bloomington that is a marriage between hip hop and jazz while combining elements of funk as well, said lead singer Benny Gershman.

Down in the Root Cellar, a brick basement with a ceiling lined with rafters and pipes, Jip Jop’s rhymes and keyboards drowned out the characteristic clank of bottles and glasses from the bar.

Christmas lights hung from the rafters alongside license plates. One plate was attached to a pair of wooden clogs.

Bloomington resident Jeff Franklin said the Root Cellar’s atmosphere aided the music.
“It enhances the scene,” Franklin said. “It’s uniquely Bloomington.”

Senior Aleza Shapiro agreed.
“I like how it’s decorated. I’d come back,” Shapiro said. “They’re jazzy, but really good.”

The band featured saxophone, trumpet, keyboard and bass, as well as percussion, with vocals by Gershman.

The band’s songs featured cultural references. Titles such as “Anne Frankly”, “Beam Me Up Scotty” and “Pluto’s Still a Planet to Me” threw out jokes in the titles.

“It’s a liker,” IU law professor Leandra Lederman said. “It’s good. I love the Bloomingtonness ... it’s catchy and fun.”

The Root Cellar was packed wall-to-wall with guests who came from coast to coast.
“I like the trumpet. The band is awesome,” said Kate Murphy, a visitor from Boston. “They have a great spirit about them.”

Cuca Acosta of Santa Barbara, Calif., said the band had a uniquely “infectious” sound.
“Even if you don’t know the lyrics, you want to sing along,” she said.